'Identity and a Modern State' was the official slogan adopted by the first Salafi Al-Nour party during the Egyptian revolution of 2011. This remarked only as the beginning to the politicization process of the Salafi orientation in Egypt. On July 3 2013, however, the military intervened and deposed the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi, the first elected Islamist president in a modern Egyptian discourse.
This research study will focus on the reasons why Egyptian Salafis have integrated themselves into politics in the first place using the components of political opportunity theory as a conceptual framework of the study.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Review of Literature
Conceptual Framework
Outline of Study
Chapter One
The Influential Quietists
From theory to practice
Chapter Two
From Quietism to Activism
From Theory to Practice
Chapter Three
The Call at crossroads
From Theory to Practice
Concluding Remarks
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This dissertation examines the political evolution of the Salafi movement in Egypt, specifically focusing on the Al-Nour party, through the analytical lens of social movement theory. It investigates the underlying drivers for the movement's transition from political quietism under the Mubarak regime to active political participation following the 2011 revolution and the subsequent political shifts in the post-Morsi era.
- The influence of political opportunity structures on Salafi mobilization.
- The transition of the Salafi Call from grassroots religious activities to formal political engagement.
- The relationship and competition between the Salafi movement and the Muslim Brotherhood.
- The internal ideological debates within the Salafi movement regarding pragmatism and political participation.
- The impact of state repression and regime change on Salafi political strategies.
Excerpt from the Book
The Influential Quietists
The Salafi Call had long predated Prior to the 2011 uprising . In fact it attempted various pursuits of legalization in 1985–1986 by creating a preachers group called al-Furqan Institute for preachers and Sawt al-Dawa (the Voice of the Call) newsletter . After the earthquake of 1992 ,Social committees became increasingly active with charity work until 1994 . The Mubarak regime initially left the apolitical Call alone and did not interfere within its business .. "Indeed, the regime even benefited by the Call taking upon itself to combat jihadist and Qutbist influence." (El-Sherif – 2015). However a crackdown from the regime was launched upon the organization and its leaders in 1994. Claiming that it was for 'security issues ' , The institute for preachers and the newsletter were terminated. Also many prominent sheikhs , activists and scholars were temporarily taken into custody and later banned from travelling outside of the borders or appearing on local TV channels without state permission . Some sheikhs were even forbidden to give sermons at the local mosques aswell.
Sheikh Yasser Borhami, a founding father of the Call, and his protégés retaliated by deciding to move the organization to an even more quietist stance. Through this quietist tradition , the Call survived a 1994 official ban and subsequent waves of discriminant suppression in 1998 and 2002 on Islamist activity in Egypt. By 2004, the arrested Salafi Call leaders were released from confinement. And between 2004 and 2011, the Call maintained a decentralized nature that was much more cautiously aware of its relations and possible risks with the state (Mccants , 2012).
Summary of Chapters
Chapter One: This chapter analyzes the Salafi movement under the Mubarak regime, characterizing it as a period of political quietism driven by a closed political system and state repression.
Chapter Two: This chapter explores the Salafi movement during the 2011 revolution and the Morsi regime, detailing the group's shift toward politicization and the formation of the Al-Nour party.
Chapter Three: This chapter examines the Salafi movement post-June 30th 2013, focusing on the pragmatic adaptation of the Al-Nour party to the new authoritarian environment and the resulting internal divisions.
Keywords
Salafi movement, Egypt, Al-Nour party, political opportunity theory, social movement, political quietism, activism, Mubarak regime, 2011 revolution, Morsi regime, political integration, Islamist, Sharia, state repression, political openness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research?
The research explores the political evolution of the Egyptian Salafi movement and their integration into the political sphere through the framework of social movement theory.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The primary themes include political opportunity structures, the transition from religious quietism to political participation, intra-Islamist competition, and the influence of regime changes on group strategy.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to explain why and how Egyptian Salafis transitioned from avoiding politics to becoming active participants in the political system, and to evaluate their future prospects.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The study utilizes political opportunity theory to analyze the activities of the Salafi movement, complemented by a discourse analysis of primary sources like the Ana-Salafi website and relevant news media.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The body covers three distinct time frames: the Mubarak regime (quietism), the post-2011 revolution and Morsi era (politicization), and the post-2013 coup period (pragmatic adaptation).
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Salafism, Egypt, political opportunity theory, Al-Nour party, political integration, and social movement.
How did the 2011 revolution impact Salafi strategy?
The revolution created a political opening that compelled the Salafi movement to form the Al-Nour party to compete for political space against other Islamist actors like the Muslim Brotherhood.
How does the Al-Nour party justify its cooperation with the post-2013 regime?
The party argues that pragmatically adapting to the new authoritarian regime is a necessary "lesser of two evils" to preserve the group's political structure and survival.
What role does the Muslim Brotherhood play in this analysis?
The Muslim Brotherhood serves as the primary competitor and occasionally an ideological ally that influences the Salafis' strategic decisions and political positioning.
- Citar trabajo
- Omnaya Abouzaid (Autor), 2016, 'Identity and a Modern State'. The political evolution of the Salafi movement in Egypt through a social movement theory perspective, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/337164
