When Islamists Go into Politics

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  "authors": [
    "Amr Hamzawy",
    "Marina Ottaway"
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    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
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  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
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  "regions": [
    "Egypt",
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  "topics": [
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In The Media

When Islamists Go into Politics

Islamist parties and movements in Arab countries have gained political influence by making the difficult strategic decision to participate in the existing legal political process, forcing them to confront thorny ideological issues.

By Amr Hamzawy and Marina Ottaway

Published on Jan 18, 2010

Source: The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs

When Islamists Go into PoliticsIslamist parties and movements in Arab countries have gained great political importance by making the strategic choice to participate in the legal political process and to acknowledge the legitimacy of the existing constitutional framework. Their political participation has given rise to two major concerns both in the Arab world and in the West. First, are these parties and movements truly committed to democracy? And, will participation itself strengthen their commitment to democratic norms and procedures? The experience of participating Islamist parties and movements in Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, and Yemen, as well as the armed parties in Lebanon and Palestine, reveals a complex picture.

Political Reform Egypt Gulf Levant Maghreb

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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