Revolutionaries and Reformers: Contemporary Islamist Movements in the Middle East

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Barry Rubin
SUNY Press, 2003 M01 16 - 231 pages
Islamist movements seeking power today are faced with difficult choices regarding strategy, ranging from armed struggle to electoral efforts. An emerging alternative consists of a rethinking of Islamist politics, where the goal of a totally Islamic polity would be abandoned in favor of some form of Islamic-oriented society. In this reformulation, Islamist politics would function as a pressure group to make society more Islamic, reinforcing the walls of semi-separate internal communities and reinterpreting Islam in more liberal ways. The September 11, 2001 terror attack on the United States, however, demonstrates that the radical approach remains attractive to many Islamists. Addressing these issues, the contributors look at the countries where Islamist movements have been most important. Case studies of revolutionary and reformist groups are followed by chapters discussing future alternatives for Islamist politics, presenting arguments both advocating and critical of a potential liberal, reformist, interest-group Islamism.
 

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Contents

WHY RADICAL MUSLIMS ARENT TAKING OVER GOVERNMENTS
1
RADICAL ISLAM IN EGYPT A Comparison of Two Groups
11
THE DEVELOPMENT OF PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC GROUPS
23
RADICAL ISLAMIST MOVEMENTS IN TURKEY
41
ISLAMISM AND THE STATE IN NORTH AFRICA
69
HIZBALLAH Between Armed Struggle and Domestic Politics
91
BALANCING STATE AND SOCIETY The Islamic Movement in Kuwait
105
THE RISE OF THE ISLAMIST MOVEMENT IN TURKEY
125
ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY
155
MEDIATING MIDDLE EAST CONFLICTS An Alternative Approach
173
LIBERAL ISLAM Prospects and Challenges
191
INSIDE THE ISLAMIC REFORMATION
203
ISLAMIST MOVEMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST A Survey and Balance Sheet
207
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
219
INDEX
221
Copyright

FETHULLAH GULEN AND HIS LIBERAL TURKISH ISLAM MOVEMENT
141

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About the author (2003)

Barry Rubin is Director of the Global Research in International Affairs Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal. He is the author of many books, including most recently, The Transformation of Palestinian Politics: From Revolution to State-Building, and the editor of many more, including (with Ian S. Lustick) Critical Essays on Israeli Society, Politics, and Culture: Books on Israel, Volume II, also published by SUNY Press.

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