Final PS2255 Flashcards
The Origins of the Muslim Brotherhood
- Not a licensed party, organization at the popular level through a network of associations and activities in the 1930’s: work co-ops, clinics, youth organizations, student groups
- Social outreach as a demonstration of ideological commitment to Islam. da’wa = religious outreach
- Started by Hassan al-Banna a school teacher in Ismailiyaa (headquarters of British owed Suez Canal company, military camps and wealthy foreign population). Found receptive audience due to Ismailiyaa embodying the evils of foreign capital and cultural influence in the context of continued British control despite nominal independence, political paralysis, intraelite conflict and corruption between Wafd, British and Monarchy.
- al-Banna wanted to cultivate pious Muslims by way of example through preaching and social services. thought of Islam as a comprehensive way of life against materialism and moral bankruptcy.
- tight discipline among members. shura council, guidance bureau and general guide. gradualist transformation from the ground up, no interest in seizing power. first with preaching, then move to the official sphere then create Islamic state. pragmatism and compromise unlike other ideologs, al-Banna not averse to playing by the rules of Egyptian politics, ran for office twice. Critique of Ghobashy’s argument, this shows early commitment to democratic participation, so political participation in the 80’s back to origins rather than metamorphosis
Nasser and el-Sisi Years for the Muslim Brotherhood
- banned in 1948 and in 1954 dissolution after the attempted assassination of Mubarak. still don’t resort to regime delegitimizing. imprison leaders and followers. Similar in post 2014 el-Sisi years.
- Limit political front but both Nasser and Mubarak continued to allow social outreach. post liberalization 70’s and 80’s rival state social programs which failed to deliver services effectively.
- Different lessons to different leaders or general guides of the MB. Sayyid Qutb violent political action against coercive state, Hasan al-Hudaybi the GG after Banna exercised a greater judiciousness and caution and Umar Tilmisani, the GG after, denounced violence all together.
Electoral Politicking by the Muslim Brotherhood
- Under Sadat, support for MB against Left and Nasserists. free from prison and sustain interaction with political actors. Under Mubarak: religious parties were illegal but de facto toleration
- 80’s run candidates for professional syndicates and parliament. act as junior partners to the Wafd (legal channel) under al-Tilmissany (popular base), collude or perish due to legal barriers to parliamentary access then move to independents, then become senior partners to the Labour Party.
- entered political system to change it but changed by the system. ideological revisions, clarify stance regarding the status of women (able to vote and be candidates but not highest office), coptics, party pluralism, democracy, and human rights driven by a new generation of activists. statements made in the 94 in part because rivals demand it.
- 1995-2000: the middle aged cadres are imprisoned, leads to organizational turmoil: new, inflexible general guide, factional splits, ideological reversals.
- Kifaya movement (meaning enough) reformist wing under al-Wasat splits in 2004. Demanding more freedoms, an end to the Mubarak regime, mass mobilization paved the way for 2011 uprisings.
Ghobashy and the Muslim Brotherhood
- strategy for electoral participation cornerstone for self preservation. institutional rules of participation rather than ideology motivate political parties
- dilute religion because popular sovereignty, mandate from people not necessarily god.
- engage in daily negotiation and dialogue with other ideologies with different understandings and views. find common ground against authoritarian regime.
- 1995-2000 organizational stresses familiar to other Egyptian parties: best minds imprisoned, factional disputes, public splits, ideological reversals (interview given by general guide in 1997 interview), end collaboration between old guard and new minds. similar splits in other parties
Muslim Brotherhood the 2011 Uprisings
- Intra and Inter generational fissures. Was never monolithic but more internal diversity over time. Major groups: 1. da’wa faction: ideologically conservative, representatives in guidance bureau. old guard. control bureaucratic operations, allocation of resources and new recruits. 2. pragmatic conservatives: mainstream wing, combine religion with a belief in value of political engagement. MB’s with legal experience. 3. reformists: progressive interpretation of Islam. not well represented in guidance bureau.
- 2011 uprisings keep a low profile, unwilling to jeopardize reputation among Egyptians and invite the risk of military coup. strategy was self restraint but reneged on promise and fielded a candidate in the 2012 presidential elections: Morsi, justified as the only way. religious symbols as to not alienate the population, promise not to impose Sharia.
The fall of Morsi MB
- Morsi’s actions use office for partisan gain, impose Islamism. Put Islamists in key ministries, provincial governors, media, judiciary, arrest activists and propose new laws. method to evade checks and balances reinforces suspicion.
- failure to make tangible progress in meeting public’s demands. ironic because used to provide social services.
- praise police and give raises despite torture. more power and financial independence to military, exempt from civilian oversight. ignore explicit demands for reforms in military and ministry of the interior.
- not entirely in control of state apparatus. don’t see the coup coming. complete faih in the military.
- al-Anani attributes this to three internal factors: 1. conservatism and lack of revolutionary agenda. fail to adapt ideological outlook to the aspirations expressed during the uprising. gradualism not revolutionary. prefer to deal with deep state, alienate younger revolutionaries and activists 2. organizational inertia and stagnation from 2001-2011 . centralization of organizational structure and loyalty to leadership rather than personal merits in guidance bureau and Shura council. banish reformists after 2011. 3. lack of governmental experience. never trained as statesmen, skillful in oppositional tactics. ministry of the interior, judiciary and the military reject MB.
- Under el-Sisi, denounced as terrorist organization. Not legal, not tolerated
Ghobashy v.s al-Anani
Ghobashy:
1. rules of authoritarian electoral politics and the terms of participation lead to organization and ideological change within the group. move towards cautious reinterpretation of al-Banna, authenticating democracy with Islamic concepts
2. metamorphosis from highly secretive, hierarchical, anti-democratic religious mass movement to modern flexible political party. shed ideological baggage to woo median voter.
3. In electoral authoritarian regimes: vote maximizing not first priority if votes not primary political currency. electoral games and regime games. regime games: either steadily participate with the hope of democratic transition or undermine the auth regime.
4. Islamist parties no different than other parties. overestimate impact of ideology. common institutional and organizational variables
5.. institutional political environment shaped behavior. external institutional factors are key.
al-Anani
1. internal organizational factors impacted external behavior.
2. MB as a stagnant organization, not undergoing a grand metamorphosis
Explaining MB Electoral Dominance Since 1987
- innate religiosity of Egyptians? yes for the 2005 election, world values survey finds 2/3 strongly believe religious authority should interpret the law. no 2012 election, Morsi won but drew on secular votes
- organizational prowess: well honed tight knit cells (families) group cohesion. member discipline. loyalty to leaders. help survive government repression. vast network of Islamic institutions (mosques, charities) with daily access to average voters.
- success also attributed to cooperation between the old guard the more progressive members.
Ideological Moderation of the Muslim Brotherhood
- 1984-2005 religious or moral issues do not take up majority of parliamentary agenda. change in goals, ends adopt more flexible and liberal ideology. change in means. anti corruption, freedom and economic mismanagement on the agenda. According to Ghobashy, electoral participation and subsequent ideological changes are substantive indicators of democratic commitment.
- inclusion-moderation hypothesis: advent of democratic competition, push MB to greater moderation or liberalization but with two caveats Ghobashy partly wrong: 1. competition from ultra orthodox salafists more conservative than the Brothers, pushed the brother more to the right. and 2. areas of jurisprudence were settled which left little room for revision. uneven record on sensitive topics such as minorities and gender relations as well as civil and political rights.
MB Election Program
“Islam is the Solution”
- copts as full citizens
- apply and codify sharia to extend to entire legal infrastructure
- close government liquor factories
- ban night clubs and casinos
- comprehensive government regulation and strategic planning of economy
Islamic Revolution in Iran
- Main actors: westernized urban professionals, students, bazaaris, theological seminary students.
- Freedom Movement founded by Mehdi Bazargan, represent liberal oppositional forces and the militant wing of the ulema. Islamic oriented activism within the movement. shiism as an activist faith to oppose injustice and assert cultural heritage in the face of Western models. critique a-political character of ulema.
- militant wing of ulema lead by Khomeini overthrow monarchy and institute state controlled by ulema. led the charge against government initiatives in the 1960s, exiled 1963. publicly accused shah of anti Islamic policies (women’s enfranchisement)
- public support through network of former students who disseminate Khomeini’s ideas. sermons taped and circulated. tapped in to shared heritage of anti-imperial sentiments.
- 1978 opposition transforms from moderate reformist professional middle class to a popular Islamic revolution led by Khomeini. Hastened by the Shah’s brutal response to protesters, government austerity measures, labour unrest, socially uprooted workers from countryside. Indecisive policies led to regime paralysis.
How did the Islamic Republic in Iran Get Established From the Revolution and What Form did it Take
- 1979-1982 struggle between secular and religious. existence of rival centers of power and para statal revolutionary organizations such as revolutionary tribunals and guards.
- 1979 Referendum, replace monarchy with Islamic state. assembly of experts constitutionalized role of ulema in governance. legal social and political islamicization. popularly elected president, national assembly and municipal councils but ultimate authority in the hands of the ulema.
- Veto by the council of guardians. vilayat-i-faqih governance of Islamic jurists: most powerful position, by appointment.
- first defeat moderate secular challengers, then militant islamic left through reign of terror. mass arrests, executions, loyalty tests , university shut down to undergo islamization.
Causes and Preconditions of the Islamic Revolution
- internal breakdown: fragility and paralysis of Pahlavi regime, personalized, contradictory policies, carrot and stick.
- state’s modernization and economic change leads to a coalition of the dispossessed and alienated: bazaaris, guilds, recent migrants to towns, middle class and the ulema. all hared desire for political enfranchisement and inclusion.
- Shi’ite Islam. the struggle between Husayn and Umayyad Caliph Yazid as the archetype of the conflict between justice and tyranny.
- Charismatic leadership of Khomeini, seen as the embodient of Iran’s authentic identity. radical break from ulema quietest views.
Stages of Islamization of Iran
- post revolutionary consolidation 79-88. islamization from above, elimination of enemies, institutionalized clerical power.
- post war reconstruction 88-97. pragmatism, relative political liberalization, revolutionary slogans, commercial ads, new mixed social spaces.
- reformation 97-present. cultural revival and a move towards moderation. revolutionary zeal coupled with pragmatism. relative political liberalization and strengthening of civil society.
Post Islamist Movement in Iran
- Since 1990’s fusion of Islam republicanism and democracy.
- emerged in response to failures and contradictions of Islamist rule in Iran 1. political marginalization through repressive electoral regime, economic mismanagement, alienation and frustration among urban youth 2. paradox. islamization of state secularization of juris prudence. save Islam as faith by undoing Islam as politics.
Tezcur Comparison of Islamic Politics in Iran and Turkey But…
- Both the Justice and Development Part in Turkey and the Reform Front in Iran confirm the moderation theory expectations: participation and competition in a pluralistic political climate leads to moderate tendencies but with two caveats:
- first caveat is that moderation that integrates Islamists is not necessarily conducive to democratization especially in consolidating democracies and semi competitive autocracies. integration leads to moderation which leads to domestication: pursue conciliatory policies vis-a-vis authoritarian state due to electoral calculations and fear of state repression.
- second caveat is that ideological evolution is a precondition for behavioral change. integrations does not bring moderation if the party leaders lack the intellectual resources to revise their ideological world views.
- despite ideological transformation, reformers do not function as vehicles for democratization because: characteristics of the ruling regime, organizational capacities of the radical party
Arjomand Reading Significance of the Islamic Revolution: Pahlavi State and its Impact
- spontaneous revolution. fundamental change in institution, agendas, overall nature
- Pahlavi State four phases: chronic weakness couple with political centralization.
- Royal absolutism in the third phase. Land Reform Law known as the White Revolution modernization. weaken classes that supported the traditional system, sale of some state owned factories, enfranchisement of women
- Allowed some political discontent but reacted violently to riots and strikes that were not officially sanctioned. inconsistent.
Asef Bayat Islamist Phase in Iran
- Gradual Islamization enforced from above. systematic and aimed to produce and reproduce lslamic citizens. Islamic government after Islamic revolution, explians resistance of large segments of population
- Creation of Islamic government based on valayat-i-faqih. ulema’s verdicts subject to approval, tarnished spiritual and social legitimacy of the clergy.
- Council of Guardians with veto power.
- 1980’s compulsory veil, polygamy is reinstated and there is a quota system that limits the number of women in university
Asef Bayat Post Islamism
- appeal energy and symbols of Islamism get exhausted. not anti-islamic, tendency to re secularize, limit the role of religion in politics. associated with democracy and modernity and the survival of Islam as a religion.
- Three social phenomena: Redevelopment of the Tehran Municipality, Alternative Thought Movement, Islamic Feminism
- Tehran Municipality: commercialization (bill boards, free ways, malls), cultural centre, spatial arrangement that facilitate mingling
- Alternative Thought Movement: neither Islamist nor Secular. Led by Abdul-Karim Soroush. hermeneutic not true reading and interpretation of Quran. implicit critique of valayat-i-faqih. management of modern society not through religion but through scientific rationality in a democratic structure. reject Islam as the solution to all problems
- Islamic Feminism: within the Alternative Thought Movement. equality of men and women in Islam. women active in all fields. lead to the restriction of polygamy, equal education, and the rejection of men’s unilateral right to divorce.
Asef Bayat Causes of Post Islamism
- shortcomings and contradictions of the Islamist experience.
- post revolutionary political structure excluded many groups fro participation. restriction on party formation and disqualification of candidates by the Council of Guardians.
- Islamic economy did not deliver. income distribution improved but national income dropped due to a drop in international oil prices, war with Iraq and economic blockades. fear people will associate social ills with Islam.
- Iranian youth. morally outraged but where to turn if already experienced Islamism? Post-Islamism as a way to fill the ideological void.
Tezcur Moderation Theory and Ideological Change
- integration of radical political parties within political system leads to their moderation. trade ideological platforms for electoral viability. centrist > radical
- Michels: lose radical orientation and are domesticated through the pursuit of votes and organizational survival.
- ideological evolution as a precondition for behavioral change change behavior due to exposure to new ideas and experiences.
Tezcur Four Hypothesis on Muslim Reformers
- Behavioral moderation accompanied by ideological change however those who adhere to rigid Islamist views are unresponsive to institutional incentives.
- Participation in relatively competitive and pluralistic political environment reinforces moderate tendencies at the expense of radical voices. competitive nature of politics in Iran and Turkey in contrast to other Arab countries influenced the e reformers. choose electoral contestatation over confrontation or violent struggle with the regime.
- Greater threat of state repression leads to more cautious and risk averse reformers. recurrent concern for the Reform Front and Justice and Development Party. Iran: guardian council vetos bills and legislation enacted by reformist. disqualify candidates. Turkey: military had enormous leverage over the government and veto power over state regulation of Islam and Kurdish discontent. constitutional court banned Islamic parties and forced dissolution repeatedly.
- Reformers are prisoners of their organizational resources. once commit to electoral strategy it is hard to produce alternates. Reform Front in Iran unable to build grassroots, JDP charismatic, personalized and patron-client links (function of political parties law and Turkish political culture)