We explain what Islamism is and the foundations on which this political ideology is based. In addition, we explain its characteristics and the differences with the religion of Islam.
Islamism is a heterogeneous movement that encompasses different political positions.
What is Islam?
Islamism is an ideology that maintains that the political action of society must be based on the doctrine of Islam. Its main objective is the creation of an Islamic State based on the sharia (Islamic law) to transform all aspects of society (such as economics, law, social justice, and foreign policy).
Islamism is a very heterogeneous movement and there are dozens of Islamist political groups. which are distinguished by their programs, their values and belonging to different branches of Islam. It covers from democratic, conservative, fundamentalist or moderate groups to radicalized associations and terrorist groups.
Despite their differences, All Islamist movements seek to transform society through the Islamic education of people and through political and social action.Most of them maintain that power must be taken by democratic means. They advocate a return to an “authentic Islam” in opposition to the westernisation of their society that is taking place as a consequence of globalisation.
Among the most important Islamist groups we can highlight the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Libya and Yemen, among other countries; Justice and Development Party in Türkiye (AKD, for its acronym in Turkish) and the Justice and Development Party in Morocco (PJD in Arabic).
Due to terrorist attacks carried out during the 2000s by groups such as Al-Qaeda (led by Osama Bin Laden), Islamism became a highly controversial and often misunderstood movement.It is common for Western media to unify terrorist movements under the concept of “Islamism.”
However, these and other terrorist groups must be understood as a specific phenomenon that does not represent the entire Islamist movement. Currently, Most political groups that make up Islamism act within the legal political system of their countries and do not use violence. to achieve their goals.
Islam and IslamismIslam is the monotheistic religion practiced by Muslims. The main Islamic prophet is Muhammad, its god is Allah and its holy book is the Quran.
Islamism is an ideology that holds that political and social organization should be based on the shariawhich is religious law. As a political movement it is very heterogeneous and ranges from moderate associations to radical terrorist groups.
The origins of Islamism
The first antecedent of Islamism is the Muslim reformist movement that emerged in the late 19th century in Iran. Faced with the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the threat of European colonization, A group of thinkers raised the need to modernize the existing political order.
Its main exponents were Jamal-al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh and Rashid Rida. They preached national unity and the fight against despotic governments that made pacts with the West to stay in power.
The thinkers of the “Islamic awakening”
Beginning in the 1930s, various thinkers gave impetus to what was called the “Islamic Awakening.” Within Sunni Islam, the most prominent were Abul A’la Mawdudi (1903-1979), Hasan al-Banna (1906-1949) and Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966); the greatest exponent within Shia Islam was Ruhollah Khomeini (1902-1989).
These thinkers developed political theories that linked earthly political organization to religious beliefs about divine and human nature. They saw the negative aspects of their society and believed that it was in decline because it had moved away from the plan established by God..
They blamed Western powers and modernizing movements for the malaise in their societies. They therefore considered it essential that states should be organized according to the precepts of Muslim morality and way of life in order to restore social well-being and prosperity.
Abul A’la Mawdudi (1903-1979)
Mawdudi held that sovereignty resided in Allah and that no one could claim to represent God on earth, but that divine authority rested with the community as a whole. He therefore postulated what was called a theodemocracy: Every person in the Muslim community enjoys the rights and powers of the caliphate (government) of God.
However, this is a vision that promotes an ideological and authoritarian State, based on the duty established by God to exercise moral and religious control over all creation.
Hasan al-Banna (1906-1949)
Hasan al-Banna developed his thinking around the decadence, corruption and humiliation he saw in Muslim societies.
He argued that It was essential to create an Islamic state that would reform all aspects of life.which presented itself as a resistance to Western ideologues and was capable of generating a new Islamic order. Hasan al-Banna was one of the founders of the Islamist organization called the “Muslim Brotherhood.”
Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966)
Sayyid Qutb was one of the most influential ideologues of radical Islam and extremist Islamic movements. Like the other thinkers, He considered that Muslim society was in a pitiful state and was very far from God’s plan..
However, Qutb encouraged a complete break with the established order and believed that Islam, as the ultimate revealed divine guidance, had the right to impose his system on the entire world so that all humanity could benefit.
He considered all non-Islamic systems to be oppressive, because they led men away from the path of God. Therefore, I believed it was necessary to promote war against local governmentsIn this sense, it reformulates the Islamic concept of jihad (the holy war).
Ruhollah Khomeini (1902-1989)
Ruhollah Khomeini broke with the politically quietist tradition within Shia circles, led the overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlevi and He was the architect of the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran.
He argued that it was necessary to subordinate political power to Islamic objectives and precepts. He also believed that The system of government was to be designed by religious teachers and that they themselves should assume the main legislative and administrative tasks, in order to achieve a plan of action for profound reform and to guide society according to the divine plan.
On the other hand, he condemned any system or idea that does not come from Islamic precepts.
The Muslim Brotherhood
The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist organization that has great support in different countries.
The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the most important Islamist organisations. Throughout its history, depending on the political and social context, it has gone through different periods of radicalisation and moderation of its actions.
It went from being an organization that focused its activities on social service and anti-colonialist activism, to the paramilitary action of armed struggle against the governmentto once again become a legitimate institution dedicated to political work within democratic channels.
The origins of the Muslim Brotherhood
At the end of the First World War (1914-1918), the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire allowed the penetration of European colonialism into the territories of Western Asia and North Africa. The main government regime of Islamic culture was the caliphate (the government regime of the Ottoman Empire), which was abolished in 1924 and replaced by a Western-style republican regime.
One of the main organizations that emerged in this context was the Muslim Brotherhood, created by Hasan al-Banna in Egypt in 1928. Originally, Its aim was to oppose British colonialism and the secularization of society..
During the 1930s, the Muslim Brotherhood created a social network of associations, schools, hospitals and guilds; at the same time, They developed an action arm of paramilitary and semi-secret organizations.
During the 1940s, tensions and opposition to the government grew and in 1949 They carried out their first attack: the assassination of Egyptian Prime Minister Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha. In response, the government began a wave of repression that included the death of the leader of the BrotherhoodHasan al-Banna.
Over the next decade, the Muslim Brotherhood continued to operate underground, becoming a mass movement and the main opposition to the government outside parliament. Branches of the Brotherhood were founded in different countries in the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Sudan.
The radicalization of the organization
In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood continued to experience repression and He radicalized his positions by aligning himself with the ideas of Sayyid QutbIn 1954, there was an assassination attempt on President Nasser and the government blamed the Brotherhood (members of the Muslim Brotherhood) and intensified its policy of repression.
In 1966, Sayyid Qutb was accused of having participated in another attack against the president and was sentenced to death for conspiring against his government.
Clandestinity and growth
During the 1970s and 1980s, the Brotherhood continued its organizational action underground. When the Egyptian government imposed a neoliberal state policy as a result of its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), The Muslim Brotherhood has expanded its network of social services to deal with rising unemployment and poverty.
At the same time, its ranks were renewed by the university student movement, and its revolutionary approach moved away from the violent path. Over time, It became a more heterogeneous grassroots organizationwith the support of increasingly broad sectors of the population.
The Egyptian Revolution
In 2011, a series of spontaneous protests broke out in various parts of Egypt, against the government of Hosni Mubarak (who had been in power for thirty years, since 1981). The demonstrations spread to become The Egyptian Revolution, which ended with the overthrow of the president and calling for new elections.
The Muslim Brotherhood entered the elections through the creation of the Freedom and Justice Party, with Mohammed Morsi as the main candidate, and won with 70% of the votes.
However, Morsi’s rule was short-lived. Upon taking office, took a series of anti-democratic measures and centralized power in the hands of the presidency. His aim was to install a government based on the principles of Muslim law. He dissolved the…