• The New Political Islam: Human Rights, Democracy and Justice.

    https://defenceindepth.co/2018/03/05/the-new-political-islam-human-rights-democracy-and-justice

    The rise of political Islam is a modern phenomenon characterized by heterogeneity and complexity. It can best be described as a social movement embodied by three generations: the Islamist nationalists, the Islamist globalists, and the Islamist communitarians. Each one of them had or currently has its own scale of engagement with the Muslim world. Islamist nationalists (e.g. the Afghan Mujahidin) fought for liberation from foreign or despotic rule in localized struggles. In spite of their pan-Islamic rhetoric, they were confined within the national borders. Thus, the early political Islam was localist in its approach. The Islamist globalists (e.g. the Al Qaeda of Osama bin Laden) attempted to confront the West throughout the world in the name of the ummah (i.e. the totality of believers). Their strategy and approach was globalist.

    This book focuses on the third generation of Islamists who represent Muslim communities within and beyond national borders. Their imagined community is composed of pious Muslims, whose loyalty and identity is determined by their adherence to a particular version of Islamic authenticity. The list of adversaries now includes Western governments, Arab regimes, secularists, and other denominations. It is an all-out confrontation against those who are perceived deviant or hostile. Its adherents are far less ambitious than their globalist predecessors who did not achieve their grandiose aims. However, the new Islamists are not against globalization per se. In fact, they have taken advantage of global processes to achieve their local aims.