Islamic movements and politics
Taken the movements of Islamic moderates in the Arab world, a critical decision in the direction of participating in the political life of democracy over the past 20 years through the development of an ideological justification for contesting the elections , which are facing sharp criticism from the spectra Islamic militant. At the same time, they have shown their commitment to democracy , according to internal standards of the region, as has repeatedly proven its willingness to respect the results of elections, even in the event of a loss.
But instead of welcoming this development, the authoritarian secular regimes met such a step further repression. Vmrara and over again, resulting in the success of the electoral participation by Islamists to violent reaction, and often for approval - if not encouraged - by the United States.
When the beat Hamas in the parliamentary elections of the Palestinian in 2006 , was the reply is to boycott and sabotage the political. It is also when the Egyptian government cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood after the elections that took place in 2005 , it did not object to it but a few.
While the door was Tusid democracy in front of their faces, how the groups, the Islamic Participation, which adopted the answer? In some ways, these groups passed the test with flying colors as still committed to participating democracy , even in the face of electoral fraud and widespread in the shadow of the harsh crackdowns.
For their part, confirmed their leadership on the ideals of democracy , and often reiterates its commitment to the ideological and strategic democracy.
Under this framework, many of whom supported the files public liberties
and democratic reform have been recorded so far show signs of turning
to the organization of such an alternative to violence.
From another direction, the outcome of increased political repression, fueling doubts about the value of participating democracy within these movements. It then splits occurred in the upper grades, which roiled movements in Jordan and Egypt in particular.
In many cases, prefer the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood
with the moderate approach adaptive system where strives to find a way
to respond to the mounting pressure of repression and closing tracks
towards participation democracy .
In Egypt , hair grade Brotherhood of frustration about the arrests extended, which affected the most prominent leaders of the group moderate, affecting claims Brotherhood
on the feasibility of participation in political life, Face the
presence of directed calls to withdraw from political life, and re-focus
on social activity and religious work.
In Jordan , grew currents and invitations, which seeks to abandon the issues of politics internal claiming ineffective, and focus instead on the support of Hamas .
Critics of the Muslim Brotherhood in recent conflicts they see evidence that the Islamists can not Asimanam on democracy . But this is a misreading of the current trends.
These crises in fact reflect a delayed response to the promise of a lump of regulations before participating democracy . Fjdl Islamists today is not about the legitimacy of democracy , but about how to deal with the frustration quotient and participation in the game of democracy .
Visit Oman
I was recently in Amman , where I spent a week out I have talked with most of the senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan , as well as a segment of the political elite and the media in the country.
The picture that emerged were not just an Islamic movement in crisis,
but also a political system that lives in a state of decomposition and
deterioration.
The government there is on its way to retreat from the call for the
convening of Parliament to vote against the constitutional laws marred
by flawed along with chapters of the conflict between social reality
where tribes are economic problems amid mounting corruption modern
street Jordanian daily.
Brotherhood of Jordan , which was established in 1946 , is one of the oldest branches of international regulation. Unlike many other countries in which the group roles opponents of power, played the group in Jordan, a crucial role for decades in support Hashemite throne against rivals at home and abroad.
On the other hand, enjoys the group a privileged relationship with the state of Jordan
, is reflected in the control of key ministries, and establish good
relations with King Hussein, despite friendly relations with Israel and the United States.
When they lost Jordan the West Bank in the war of 1967 , the kingdom has struggled to maintain its role in the occupied territories.
In 1988 , which approved the outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada, which has threatened to somehow spread in the West East , abandoned Jordan officially demands, also severed ties with the West focused on the development of the West East with "Erdntha" to be the truncated state, a decision which was not accepted by the group Muslim Brotherhood , which still maintains ties with its counterpart in the West Bank .
When riots broke out across the country in the next year, King Hussein
responded with remarkable democratic openness that has been revived in
the political life of the kingdom. Has been involved Brotherhood participate fully in this process, where swept elections in 1989 to be the dominant bloc in parliament.
Has become the group
mentioned in the good years that followed, where it became the pinnacle
of political life and the most effective in the parliament, which was
considered a national agreement aims to establish the basic rules of
democracy and to ensure the vitality of the press-ups.
In 1993 , the regime of Jordan to change the electoral law, as that allows the reduction of the success of the Muslim Brotherhood , which was moving aggressively toward a peace treaty with Israel . In the meantime, the state began the elimination of the Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition All spectra.
In the wake of the regime's blatant interference in the political process. The Muslim Brotherhood in 1997 by her political party, the Islamic Action Front , to boycott the elections . After the death of King Hussein in 1999 , devolved mandate of the Covenant to his son Abdullah, who showed great interest in the issue of democratic reform.
In 2001 , the regime decided to suspend Parliament and the rule of law by virtue of the Emergency Law . Despite the return of democratic formalism in 2003 , but the political reform efforts have failed to gain momentum; and evidenced by the cases of rigging elections crude against the Muslim Brotherhood and other critics of the system during the elections in 2007 .
Campaign security of Jordan did not reach the levels of brutality suffered by the group in Syria Otons (where the murder or expulsion from the country).
The Brotherhood still operates openly, and the Islamic Action Front has six seats in parliament. But the electoral system suffers from the distribution of seats and widespread fraud hampered Islamic participation in political life, to the point that many believe that the Muslim Brotherhood may offer the region.
The impact of elections
In the wake of electoral defeat in 2007 , entered the Brotherhood for a period of intense internal unrest. Solution has been the Shura Council atone for the sins of the ill-fated decision to participate in the elections . The mechanisms to respond to the regime's repression on the top of the agenda of the group :
Is it during the confrontation, or through a decline in light of the consolidation of certain political strategy? In April / May 2008 , he won the stream "hawks" in the internal elections of the Shura Council by a single vote, where it was to bring Salem peasant pragmatism, which focuses on the internal reform agenda man fiery Palestinian fancy and roots Falcon Hammam Saeed .
It is worth mentioning that Hammam Saeed and the new president of the party, the Islamic Action Front , Zaki Bani Irsheid has led the movement Islamic to more direct conflict with the system, with little success.
The reformist movement, led by the soft-spoken thinker departure
Gharaibeh, has tried to avoid open confrontation with the palace with an
attempt to deliver an ambitious program to transform Jordan into a constitutional monarchy.
At the time that I lost the Muslim Brotherhood
leadership and attention to a stalled description of the internal
political process, has incensed the electoral success of the movement, Hamas, and then through the images from previous perception of the war launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip .
Increasing interest in the issues of Palestinian politics at the expense of Jordan not only lead to concern the system but it also raised concern the traditional leadership of the group . Pioneer Press Jordanian Mohammed Abu Rumman believes that the issue of relations with Hamas have replaced the traditional struggle between hawks and doves within the organization.
While both trends supports Hamas Valthabt that "if were not with Hamas , you are not with the Muslim Brotherhood , "he explained one of the leaders of the" doves "because they disagree about the appropriate regulatory relationship.
This trend enthusiastic supports close ties with the prioritization of the issues of the Palestinian , and includes the identity of the Islamic identity of most of Jordan . While focusing on the reformist orientation is this trend where should the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine , to take responsibility for the group in Palestine with the concentration of the Muslim Brotherhood of Jordan to be a national institution focused on local issues of Jordan .
This crisis came to a head during the issue of participation of Hamas in the administrative structures of the Muslim Brotherhood of Jordan . Three of the top reformers submitted their resignations from the executive office of the group , which blew an internal crisis threatens serious internal divisions is the first of its kind in the history of the movement.
Cuttings media, in turn inciting awareness of this conflict, which claimed many of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood
, saying that what made the current crisis is unique is not the
nature of the issues involved or the dispute object, but this is the
first time that the dispute which has been exported to the public.
The story of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Jordanian contain many details, but it's certainly not the story of the decline of Islamists for democracy . There are similar dynamics worthy Balaamaan in Egypt , where the split occurred within the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood on how to respond to the escalation of repression.
During my travels to the multi Cairo in the past few years, glimpsed a state of frustration at the growing generation of reformers who embrace democracy and engage in the face of rejection and exclusion.
The results of the elections
After the registration of candidates Brotherhood "independent" sweeping victories in the first three rounds of elections, the parliamentary year 2005 , government forces began to intervene to prevent further gains. Despite the severity of the fraud and handed security and interference in the elections that took place in the stronghold of the Muslim Brotherhood , the Brotherhood the largest opposition bloc in the Egyptian parliament, the number of 88 seats.
As deputy leader Mohammed Habib ruefully told me that the basic fault that they have performed well, which prompted the system to this harsh reprisals.
Subsequent campaign may reflect the size of the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood . Where the series of information campaigns designed to scare ordinary Egyptians of the alleged schemes against the group (such as training militia underground, plotting with Hezbollah, and so on).
The longer such campaigns broad spectrum of prominent Muslim Brotherhood leader, including moderates like Mohamed Khairat Al-Shater and Mohamed Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh , who was detained indefinitely on the basis of trumped-up charges.
For a while, seemed Brotherhood
Egyptian steady in the face of these provocations where continued in
their attempts to participate in the elections even under the fraud and
manipulation in public. The parliamentarians are usually expressing their continued commitment to democracy both listens to them as that community members are invited to discipline and not to be dragged behind the frustration toward violence.
But with the passage of time, pressure began to bear fruit in terms of
leadership began to rein in the young bloggers who publish blogs on
internal issues, which have been exploited by opponents of the group .
It also adopted a more stringent speech about foreign policy issues such as the war on Gaza , where the Egyptian government has attacked and accused of participating in the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip in an effort to enhance the morale of its members.
There are many indications to suggest that the reluctance of human resources in the organization from politics , preferring to return to the advocacy work of social and religious. It also increased sounds from inside and outside the movement caller to retreat from politics until a more convenient time.
Earlier this month, jumped conflicts within the Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian newspapers reported that as the movement's leader , Mohammed Mahdi Akef , has abruptly resigned from his post in protest against the rejection of conservative reformist escalation Essam el-Erian to the guidance office . For his part, denied Akef those reports, but what has been ascertained that the movement is living turbulent sure ..
Success story fake
Regimes ruling in Jordan and Egypt and the United States considers these events chapters of a success story: it has been to curb the influence of Islamists , whether in politics or official in social work, and the restraint exercised by the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood does not mean that the policies of these countries in retreat, think short-sighted .
Campaigns against the Islamists will weaken the foundations of democracy
as a whole, and not only during a single movement, and that this
corrosive effect on public freedoms, transparency and accountability. The growing frustration within the groups, the Islamic moderate toward participating democracy a strong impact on the future of its ideological path.
The resentment of the politics of democracy in the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood could Acypr One of the notable developments in the political thought of the Islamic in the past few decades. The failure of the experiment of democracy in the Muslim Brotherhood strengthens the fork of Islamist militants as well as traditional Salafists who do not want to play a realistic policy.
The degradation of the power of the Muslim Brotherhood regulators could open room for the base and other radical movements to move in. The alternative for Ismail Haniyeh may be Osama bin Laden rather than Abu Mazen , and the exclusion of Essam el-Erian may not produce Ayman Nour .
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