Islamism: What it Means for the Middle East and the World

by Tarek Osman

Overview

A political, social, and cultural battle is currently raging in the Middle East. On one side are the Islamists, those who believe Islam should be the region’s primary identity. In opposition are nationalists, secularists, royal families, military establishments, and others who view Islamism as a serious threat to national security, historical identity, and a cohesive society.
 
This provocative, vitally important work explores the development of the largest, most influential Islamic groups in the Middle East over the past century. Tarek Osman examines why political Islam managed to win successive elections and how Islamist groups in various nations have responded after ascending to power. He dissects the alliances that have formed among Islamist factions and against them, addressing the important issues of Islamism’s compatibility with modernity, with the region’s experiences in the twentieth century, and its impact on social contracts and minorities. He explains what Salafism means, its evolution, and connections to jihadist groups in the Middle East. Osman speculates on what the Islamists’ prospects for the future will mean for the region and the rest of the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300216011
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	328
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Tarek Osman is the author of Islamism: A History of Political Islam from the Fall of the Ottoman Empire to the Rise of ISIS and Egypt on the Brink. He wrote and presented several BBC documentary series including "The Making of the Modern Arab World" and "Islam Divided: Sunni-Shia". Tarek has spent two decades researching Middle Eastern politics and societies, and is a regular contributor on the Arab and Islamic worlds at leading newspapers worldwide.

Table of Contents

Introduction vi

1 The Islamists' Coming to Power 1

2 Halal Money, Halal Regimes 23

3 The Salafists, from Cultural Salons to Jihadists' Battlefields 45

4 The Islamists' Fall from Power 77

5 The Secularists' Predicament 98

6 The Minorities' Fears 120

7 The Gulf's View of Islamism 142

8 Turkish Islamism as a Model for the Arab World 161

9 Iranian Islamism as a Model for Arab Islamists 187

10 Islamism and the West 215

11 The Dilemmas of Islamist Thinking Now 240

Conclusion 254

Notes 261

Bibliography 282

List of Illustrations 293

Index 295

Editorial Reviews

01/11/2016
Osman, a political counselor and essayist, reviews the rise, and challenges of Islamism in the Middle East in this informative work, covering Islamism from the founding of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1920s to current elections in Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. Osman is well-versed in the political dynamics of the Middle East and his prose is deliberate and lucid, though possibly too deliberate for the general reader. The book provides useful context as it strives to be comprehensive, considering perspectives from Turkey, Iran, Gulf countries, secularists, and non-Muslim minorities; this analysis of the interplay among various countries in the region is truly fascinating. Osman’s attempt at comprehensiveness, however, leaves the narrative feeling overweight toward North Africa (rather than the countries of the Levant) and at times it reads like a list of quick summaries. His focus on providing context makes his speculations and predictions feel brief, offering only a few unique insights, not explored with greater depth in other sources. Still, readers interested in the Middle East and unfamiliar with the depth of geopolitical strife behind the headlines will find this a helpful and clear introduction. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Writing as a reporter-historian of the highest order, Osman provides a masterly overview one of the most important political currents in the world today."—Booklist, Starred Review

Booklist

"Osman admirably captures how the gap between the vision of Islamic supremacy and the reality of Muslim subjugation has fueled in Islamist circles a mixture of anger, nostalgia, and disen¬chantment."—Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs

"Writing as a reporter-historian of the highest order, Osman provides a masterly overview one of the most important political currents in the world today."—Booklist, Starred Review

Booklist