Political Islam from protest to governing

Most Islamist political parties in the Middle East initially emerged as movements calling to apply Sharia and restore the caliphate state. By successfully incorporating religious claims within their agenda, these movements were able to launch powerful critiques against those regimes in the region that were undergoing a growing legitimacy crisis. They were also able to derive support from large segments of society that were frustrated with the corruption, authoritarianism and clientelism of these existing governments.

As protest movements, these Islamist parties never felt the need to develop habits of negotiation and compromise. Yet, their ideological rigidity has become a source of anxiety for many in the region who do not share their vision. The question before us is whether such Islamist political parties will replace secular authoritarian regimes with religious authoritarian ones, or whether they will be willing to become a part of the democratic transformations desperately needed in the region. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in Turkey and the short-lived experiment of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt provide us with rich narratives about the future governing prospects of these Islamist political parties. The future stability of countries in the region depend upon the ability of these Islamist political parties to shift from being rigid ideological movements to pragmatic political organizations, as well as upon the existence of other political forces that might assist in steering these political parties in this latter direction.

The AKP government in Turkey