Islamism and Democracy: On the Compatibility of Institutional Islamism and the Political Culture of Democracy
In the recent past there has been a very questionable shift in the West with respect to the assessment of Islamism. This shift is based on unverified assumptions and is underlain by a spirit of political correctness, combined with a drive towards a pragmatic embrace of what are termed ‘moderate Isla...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2009
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| In: |
Totalitarian movements and political religions
Year: 2009, Volume: 10, Issue: 2, Pages: 135-164 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In the recent past there has been a very questionable shift in the West with respect to the assessment of Islamism. This shift is based on unverified assumptions and is underlain by a spirit of political correctness, combined with a drive towards a pragmatic embrace of what are termed ‘moderate Islamists’ in order to appease Islamism. With this mindset, policy makers and opinion leaders, as well as some scholars, have been engaging in a changed assessment of Islamism, shifting from an overall rejection of ‘radical Islam’ to an overly positive sentiment towards those Islamists who forgo terrorism and pay lip‐service to democracy. In this context, one sees in the West the view spreading that ‘moderate’ Islamists represent a variety of political Islamism which is compatible with the long‐awaited agenda of democratisation in the world of Islam. The present study maintains that these views are mistaken and instead operates on the opposite assumption that the core political thought of Islamism contradicts democracy. This study aims at falsifying these sorts of positive views about political Islam. |
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| ISSN: | 1743-9647 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Totalitarian movements and political religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/14690760903192073 |