Islamism and Democracy

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Islamism and democracy. The political ideologies of Islamism have made democracy a nearly impossible political form of government in their adhering countries; however, the religion of Islam is.
As previously mentioned, Islamism and Islam are not just different words, but different things. Islamism, also known as political Islam, is a form of political ideology rather than a religion or theology. Islamism provides political responses to today's societal challenges by imagining a future, the foundations for which rest on re-appropriated, reinvented concepts borrowed from the Islamic tradition. One end desires Islam to be recognized in national life in terms of national symbols, while the other wants radical transformation of society and politics, by whatever means, into an absolute theocracy (Ayoob). The roots of this ideology began with the nineteenth century Muslim encounter with European domination and the reaction to subjugation by infidel powers - hence resistance to ...

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to a political role in their respective countries without voicing any revolutionary goals. This category of groups is most revenant to discussions of democratic change in the Arab world. If Middle Eastern states whose countries currently host peaceful and participatory Islamist movements fail to make progress toward a more open political marketplace out of fear of an Islamist takeover, the results could strengthen radical Islamist forces. Implementing Islamist movements that will promote political participation and pluralism is a key asset to the democratization of Arab societies; however, the legitimacy of an Islamist political discourse is dependent on the democratization process ...

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