Islam and Ideology in World Politics (original) (raw)

Political Islam and International Relations Theory

Handbook of International Relations and Religion, 2021

Scholars of political science tend to address religion as either an independent or dependent variable. The goal of the chapter is to offer an alternative to this polarized approach in order to reflect the fluidity and the diversity of the roles of religion in politics and vice versa. The key question is: when and how does religion play a role in politics? I contend that the role of religion in politics is better understood as a continuous set of inter- actions between institutions, actors, and ideas in different national and international contexts. The scale to conduct this investigation is not the individual but the community level. In this respect, I suggest going back to the basics of sociology to approach religion as a societal community. It is then easier to capture tensions or alliances between religious communities and the modern political community, i.e. the nation. I apply this approach to the understanding of political Islam in international relations through the examples of Turkey and Egypt.

Islamic ideology's challenge to the discipline of International Relations

This paper articulates one of the key challenges between Political Islam and traditional International Relations, that is, the dichotomy between the state and umma construct. The relationship between umma and state is a lens through which we analyse the way in which the International Relations (IR) discipline struggles to account for alternative theories. First the paper places Political Islam or Islamism, the pursuit of politics on the basis of Islamic norms, in the context of ideologies. In doing so we distinguish between Islamism or Political Islam the ideology, and Islam the faith. With regards to IR we will explore how ideology is perceived in the dominant, neorealist structure of IR as a tool of the state, and then compare this to the more important status afforded to ideas in constructivist theory. The paper then moves to define one of the key features of Political Islam, the umma social construct, and summarises the points of contention between it and the state. Political Islam will be shown to be lacking in its conception of state-to-state interaction, its focus primarily on the domestic sphere. Following this the paper does not ask of Political Islam what it can do to accommodate the state in IR theory but rather, what can IR do to accommodate the umma. In doing so, we critique the IR discipline"s inability to satisfactorily deal with alternative theories.

Islam as Statecraft: How Governments Use Religion in Foreign Policy

Brookings-Georgetown "Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power" Project, 2018

The discussion of Islam in world politics in recent years has tended to focus on how religion inspires or is used by a wide range of social movements, political parties, and militant groups. Less attention has been paid, however, to the question of how governments—particularly those in the Middle East—have incorporated Islam into their broader foreign policy conduct. Whether it is state support for transnational religious propagation, the promotion of religious interpretations that ensure regime survival, or competing visions of global religious leadership; these all embody what we term in this new report the “geopolitics of religious soft power.” We explore the religious dimensions of the Saudi-Iranian rivalry, looking at how the Islamic outreach strategies of the two governments have evolved in response to changing regional and global environments. We assess the much-discussed phenomenon of Saudi Arabia’s export of Wahhabism, arguing that the nature and effects of Saudi religious influence around the world are more complicated than we ordinarily think. Across wide-ranging cases, the ways that states use Islam in their conduct abroad is often shaped by domestic considerations and, by the same token, the impact it has in target countries is frequently something other than intended due to the mediating effect of local actors and contexts. We ultimately argue that while states are not always able to control the religious narrative or its effects, it is nonetheless important—and growing more important—to pay attention to the increased salience of culture, religion, and ideas in the context of an emerging “post-liberal” world order.

religions Editorial Political Islam: More than Islamism

Religions, 2021

In this introductory paper to the issue on Political Islam in World Politics, I argue for a distinction between political Islam and Islamism. The latter refers to Islamic parties while the former includes state actions vis-a-vis Islam and more generally describes diverse forms of Islamic governmentality.

Islam, Politics and Foreign Policy_essay

1 Islam, Politics and foreign policy Rise and fall of religions' authority and influence in the different eras of the history had changed the political domains of the empires and the kingdoms within and across the generations. Religions either divine or manmade have certainly affected the political, social and economic aspects of the live of the people around the world. The political Islam is an ideology and sphere of influence across the different cultures; and concerned with shaping the policies, laws and regulations through Sharia law. Unlike other religions, Islam has not risen to its political climax yet and neither has it fallen. Citing the history, the political Islam is classified into three phases. The first phase starts from its establishment in Mecca till its peak in Arab world and edge of the European borders. The second phase starts with the internal conflicts and civil wars among and between the Muslims leaders, and the Muslim conquerors triumphs in other regions of the world. The third phase of political Islam starts with a wider perspective influencing science, politics, literature and civilizations in Europe, Asia, and Africa, but falls with the Ottoman Empire disintegration. 1 Fall of the Ottoman Empire gives a repercussion to Political Islam with rise and unity of the Christianity in Europe. This event weakened the control and supremacy of the Muslims leaders in Europe and took away the chance of expanding Political Islam in other regions of the world.

International Relations and Islam: Diverse Perspectives

2013

International Relations and Islam: Diverse Perspectives presents the idea of finding a middle way or common ground of understanding between two bodies of knowledge conceived from two different hemispheres of the world; namely, International Relations (IR), a social science discipline conceived in the UK and the US (the West), and Islam or Islamic Studies which was conceived in the Arab world and developed in Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia and many non-Arab countries. The book is divided into two main sections; the first being general perspectives from different backgrounds or cases concerning Islam. The second part specifically examines Turkey, offering various perspectives on the significance of this country and its democratic experience. The contributions included in this volume range from discussions on the Islamic veil and its associated stereotypes to an article on Islamic feminism. Other subjects discussed include the issues of Muslim integration, Turkey’s international relations, and Islam’s relationship with democracy, in addition to a biographical representation of the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoğlu, detailing his scholarship and its impact on Turkey’s foreign policy. This edited book is part of the mission-vision of the IR-IS Research Cohort, an e-networking community interested in advancing comparative research between International Relations and Islamic Studies. Contributors: Jessica L. Daniels, Didem Doğanyılmaz, Gökhan Duman, Alessandra L. González, İştar Gözaydın and Ari Varon.

An Assessment of Religion and Politics in the Islamic World

International Journal of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Studies, 2020

This paper investigates the relationship between Islam and politics in Islamic world and assesses how compatible they are. Through secularist theory, the paper establishes that the religion of Islam basically is a source of ethics and morality, and it should not be used as a political force on the citizens of any given state. The paper therefore considers divergent opinions of scholars on what supposed to be the stand of Islamic religion to democracy and how far a Muslim can apply the dictates of Quran to political activities in a state. Based on this, the paper investigates the roles being played by Islam in politics in some Islamic countries of the world and therefore concludes that there is no uniformity in their views on politics and religion of Islam.

Emerging trends in Islamist political thought: Implications for Islam-West Relations

2010

Over the past several decades, the study of international relations has taken a keen interest in developments in the Muslim world and their implications for Islam-West relations. Much of the focus has been on the resurgence of Islam as a social and political force in the Muslim world and particularly the rise of Islamic political parties. Infused with ideas about Islam as the solution to the social, economic and political problems of Muslim countries, the first generation of Islamist political parties were able to capitalise on a wave of public frustration with the existing political order and a longing for stability, justice and prosperity envisioned through the implementation of shariah and the establishment of an Islamic state. However, not only did the first generation of Islamist political parties fail to deliver on good governance and socio-economic advancement in accordance with the expectations of the masses but their approach, rhetoric and policies attracted distrust and op...