Search results

In this article, the author considers two most important, in his opinion, aspects of the activities of the Islamist movement «Muslim Brotherhood» (MB) in Europe today – a rupture that has emerged in the system of the highest governing bodies of the MB (the formation of two rival centers – in Istanbul and London) and the intensification of attempts of MB groups participation in the political life of European countries under the «banner of Islam». The author draws attention to the fact that the observed «renaissance of the brothers» in Europe not only clearly contrasts with the position of their associates in most Arab countries, in whose social and political life they are failing after failure, but can also be considered as an attempt to lead the MB precisely through his European experience to preserve the movement itself, to support the dynamics of its activity, to formulate its upcoming goals. In other words, to demonstrate the ability of the movement and its ideology to transform and adapt to the conditions of the 21st century. To do this, the Islamist «brotherhood» is actively exploiting the potential of the welfare state and political freedoms in the Old World. The author explores the mechanisms used by the Islamists of the BM to penetrate into state structures and influential layers of European societies. It is noteworthy that the activities of the MB are increasingly mentioned by European experts and politicians in the context of growing internal threats to their countries.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is historically grounded in Wahhabism, a form of Islam that partnered with the government and helped unify numerous tribes living in the Arabian Peninsula. This alliance, known as the Pact of 1744, created two monopolies of influence "religious clerics and the royal family" which legitimized each other and served as the foundation of Saudi society. This relationship has been symbiotic; however, it has also conflicted over modernization efforts. In the regional context, Saudi Arabia continues to be an ideological force for the Muslim world and partially secured this position due to the presence of its key religious cities, Mecca and Medina. The impact of this continued connection between religion and politics is examined through literature detailing Islam, religious reform, and government leadership to detail its role in the evolution of Saudi Arabia.

Islam and Democracy by John L. Esposito and John O. Voll. Islam and Democracy, a book by John L. Esposito and John O. Voll, is reviewed.

Since The Early 1980s, a vast literature has developed on Islamism, a phenomenon that can be defined as "the recourse to the vocabulary of Islam, used in the postcolonial period to express within the state, or more often against it, an alternative political program that uses the heritage of the West as a foil, but allows nevertheless the re-appropriation of its principal references". Its intellectual roots and the socio-economic reasons for its emergence are now examined in detail by scholars. Those studies have also illuminated the diversity of Islamism across the Middle East, thereby de-homogenizing an object too often thought of as monolithic.