collection
Political Islam

Several years after the Arab uprisings, the diverse landscape of Islamist actors continues to shift in different directions, often tailored by and for the existing challenges.

Carnegie scholars explore the transformations that Islamist groups and parties in the region (across national, ethnic, sectarian, and doctrinal divides) are undergoing, by examining both the external factors that impact them, and their internal dynamics and tensions around questions of governance, ideology, and violence.

This project was made possible with the generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY).

A Restless Revival

These two volumes of work aim to shed light on the changing dynamics within and among some of the Arab world’s major Islamist groups, as well as their interaction with state and society following the 2010–2011 uprisings. Seismic shifts unleashed by the uprisings fueled Islamist groups’ protests and power but also resulted in their repression and conflict. The volume ultimately reveals some important nuances of Islamist politics and parties in a tumultuous period for the Middle East and North Africa.

Download Volume 1 Download Volume 2

A Restless Revival

These two volumes of work aim to shed light on the changing dynamics within and among some of the Arab world’s major Islamist groups, as well as their interaction with state and society following the 2010–2011 uprisings. Seismic shifts unleashed by the uprisings fueled Islamist groups’ protests and power but also resulted in their repression and conflict. The volume ultimately reveals some important nuances of Islamist politics and parties in a tumultuous period for the Middle East and North Africa.

Download Volume 1 Download Volume 2
paper
Ennahda’s Uneasy Exit From Political Islam

The Islamist political party Ennahda has decided to focus on politics over preaching. This shift has forced it to rebuild its legitimacy on argument rather than religion.

· September 5, 2019
paper
The Shifting Foundations of Political Islam in Algeria

Understanding Algeria’s various Islamist communities—including militant groups, moderate factions, and grassroots movements—offers a window into the country’s uncertain sociopolitical future.

· May 3, 2019
article
From Radical to Rentier Islamism: The Case of Iraq’s Dawa Party

Iraq's leading party from 2003 to 2018, Dawa has lost political relevance and become divided by internal factions. It will struggle to sell its vision of political Islam in Iraq's new climate.

· April 16, 2019
commentary
Diwan
Picking Up the Pieces?

Hurras al-Din is watching what happens to the Islamic State in the hope of recruiting its members on the run.

· April 5, 2019
paper
Power Points Defining the Syria-Hezbollah Relationship

The Syria-Hezbollah relationship has long been defined by resilience amid shifting power dynamics, and this looks set to continue with the latest developments in Syria’s civil war.

· March 29, 2019
paper
Control and Contain: Mauritania’s Clerics and the Strategy Against Violent Extremism

Jihadi violence in Mauritania has peaked and appears to have been contained through a mix of coercion and co-option. Yet the government’s triumphalism should be treated with care; Mauritania remains mired in corruption and poverty.

· March 29, 2019
paper
Egypt’s Political Exiles: Going Anywhere but Home

Egyptian exiles have faced stark difficulties in living abroad and trying to return home. Amid the government's consistent repression, they face painful choices about their future.

· March 29, 2019
paper
Religious Authority and the Politics of Islamic Endowments in Iraq

Shia and Sunni endowments have gone different ways since Saddam Hussein's fall, and the Iraqi state is poised to take advantage where it can.

· March 29, 2019
paper
Localism, War, and the Fragmentation of Sunni Islam in Syria

The Syrian civil war has reshaped Sunni Islamic identity in the country. As a result, the regime will struggle to use religion to enhance its own power and legitimacy.

· March 28, 2019
article
How Syria’s Regime Used Local Clerics to Reassert Its Authority in Rural Damascus Governorate

Although local clerics have helped the Syrian state reassert control, the regime is centralizing religious authority away from communities. Their future relationship is hard to predict.

· March 27, 2019
article
The Religious Domain Continues to Expand in Syria

The Syrian regime is allowing the religious domain to grow, but only within the patrimonial environment the state created.

  • Harout Akdedian
· March 19, 2019
article
Yemen’s Houthis Used Multiple Identities to Advance

The Houthis have continually exploited different identities to gain power. Will a political compromise hand them their next identity—as an official authority in Yemen?

· March 19, 2019