By emphasizing civil society’s ambiguous relationship with modernity, the author proposes a discursive definition of civil society that draws on conflict theory. The author distinguishes between a civil society and a sectarian approach to politics from a theoretical perspective. Accordingly, a juxtaposition of the Muslim Brotherhood and its splinter groups in the Egyptian political arena epitomizes the opposing ideals of a civil society and a good society. Thus, the author moves away from the theoretical debate on the compatibility of Islam and democracy and suggests the possibility of a learning process of democratic practices by means of participating in the public sphere.
The history of democratisation in Egypt could as best be dated back to 1970s. But little democratic progress was achieved in Sadat’s and Mubarak’s tenure until the Arap Spring. There are many handicaps before democratisation in Egypt: the elite’s stake in the authoritarian rule, widespread political extremism, structural problems within the political culture of the country in terms of democracy etc. This article ultimately argues that Egyptian democratisation process seems to be a painful and bloody process, but in the long term after the Arab Spring, the clock is ticking in favour of democracy.
In this study, such questions as how the Muslim Brotherhood did emerge; how did it develop; what kind of effects had it on the Syrian politics, will be answered. As a strong opposition movement which had a wide base and a solid organizational structure, how did it try to spread the invitation at homes, mosques and teahouses; and by this way finding an echo at the base of society especially among rural people, how did it influence the Syrian people and the political line of Syrian State, will be evaluated. The formative phase of the movement, its administrative structure, the classes which formed its base, its interaction with other intellectual movements, the attitudes of the Baath Party to the secularism and its role on Syrian politics, and the transformation with Bashar al-Assad period, will be discussed. In addition, events in Hama, the repercussions of the Arab Spring and the effects of Muslim Brotherhood to the Arab Spring process, will be examined.
The role Egypt plays in the horn of Africa and the Middle East has made its foreign policy not just a concern of Arab nations but a preoccupation of Western interests as well. Following the Arab spring, the oldest religious group in Egyptian history, the Muslim brotherhood came into power even producing the president in the person of Mursi Mohammed. As at the time of the Muslim Brotherhood’s creation in 1928 it was apolitical, opposed to violence, an advocate of Islam and used by successive governments to achieve different agenda. However, the group has since evolved to become a political linchpin in the restructuring of Egyptian society following the revolution. In tracing the groups rise to political power, a detailed account has been given about the ideology, evolution of the group, its activities and challenges. An analysis of the personality of Mohammed Mursi has also been made. This has been done in order to find out where foreign policy decisions under the new regime emanate from, and to also predict where future policies might be headed. It has been established that the Muslim brotherhood are moving gradually towards achieving their goals of Islamizing Egypt but may not be able to immediately project their interests based on the need to first restructure the Egyptian society and economy. It is therefore predicted that in the near future Egypt will become an Islamic state with consequences for gender based rights and abandonment of pro-Western foreign policies.
This research examines the story of Arab Spring and the rise of political Islam, offering deep insights into the evolution of Islamist movements which play a critical role in the unfolding of a new Middle East, and in which the author chooses Egypt as a case study, with focusing upon the role of the Muslim brotherhood. This thesis seeks to study the emergence and the role of political Islam in Egypt and examine the success and the future trends of political Islam in Egypt by applying the linkage theory of James N. Rosenau and the Islamic theory of Ummah. This research is qualitative research used to define the problem, or develop an approach to the problem. Egypt is considered one of a major power, with significant cultural, political and military influence in North Africa, the Middle East and the Arab world so, its unstable and political environment can affect to the International community. The research found that the rise of Islamic power in Egypt had parallels across the region and Islamist movements were well positioned to take advantage of political openings, and have indeed taken the lead in many of the transitions. For the political Islam in Egypt, the Muslim brotherhood is one of the factors that have become more and more important actor in conducting the situation.
The important role of the Internet in the context of the Arab Spring uprisings has reinvigorated scholarly interest in the potential of ICTs to shape and intervene in political transition processes. The bulk of political communications literature produced in the aftermath of the Arab Spring focuses on the function of the Internet as catalyst of the popular protests that toppled the authoritarian regimes in Egypt and Tunisia. By contrast, little attention has been paid so far on how the Muslim social movements and the faith-based political parties that emerged as winners in the post-revolution elections are using the Internet for political communication. To close this gap, this paper provides a content analysis of the official English websites of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), over the week leading up to the Egyptian constitutional referendum of 15th December 2012.