Islamism | Political Islam
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The Economic Policies of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt
Following in the Footsteps of the Old Regime
The Muslim Brotherhood is a proponent of a neo-liberal economy – regardless of how this contributes to the further impoverishment of Egypt – and that suits the West just fine. A commentary by Abdel Mottaleb Husseini
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Non-violent, Anti-terror Campaign in Yemen
Working for Peace and Tolerance
Yemen's National Dialogue began recently. It seeks to come up with a new constitution and to prepare for elections in the crisis-rocked country. However, it is not just the politicians who are trying to foster dialogue and bring peace to the country, young Yemenis are too. By Bassam Ghabar
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State Surveillance in Iran
''There's No Such Thing as Your Own Four Walls''
People in Iran – and women in particular – have long known that not much is private in the Islamic Republic of Iran: the state is all too fond of monitoring and trying to control what its citizens do in private. But when a cult TV figure starts telling the nation that there should be no distinction between the public and the private in the Islamic Republic, it does not bode well for the future. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Extremists in Germany
Right-wing Agitators versus Islamist Fanatics
They agitate, they incite, they are relentlessly intolerant: Salafists and those hostile to Islam continually whip each other into a frenzy with their mutual hatred. But no matter how much cold calculation the rightist rabble-rousers bring to their provocations, the law must protect them from persecution. A commentary by Hans Leyendecker
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Muslim Brothers as Victims
''25 TV Stations Are Working against Us''
Unfair media coverage, hostile opposition, and violent demonstrators: Many Muslim Brothers see themselves as being wrongly attacked. A visit to a party office of the Islamists in Cairo. By Markus Symank
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Al-Azhar and Pan-Islamic Rationalism
The Demise of Islamic Centres of Moderation
The spread of extremism in Muslim societies in the past century can be attributed to a largely overlooked trend: the demise of religious institutions that once had global reach. Focusing on Egypt's Al-Azhar university, Hassan Hassan takes a look into the matter
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Islamism and Secularism after the Arab Spring
Muslim's Multiple Modernities
For Muslim societies, the way to democracy will inevitably involve religious politics, says Nader Hashemi in his essay. And for historical reasons, he argues, Muslim societies will develop different concepts of democracy than the ones common in the West
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Essay by Amel Grami
A Turning Point in Tunisia's Transition
According to the renowned Tunisian academic and intellectual Amel Grami, the two-pronged policy being pursued by the Islamist Ennahda party under the leadership of Rachid Ghannouchi threatens to split Tunisian society in two and push the revolution to the brink of the abyss
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The Moroccan Pro-Democracy Movement
Down, But Not Out
The Moroccan protest movement has lost much of its initial momentum. A clever strategy on the part of the palace, that has combined political concessions with repression, a lack of allies, the international economy and the fate of the uprisings in other Arab countries have all severely weakened the movement. But the Kingdom of Morocco has not seen the last of protests and uprisings. By Beat Stauffer
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After the Assassination of Chokri Belaid
Searching for the Ringleaders
The Leagues for the Protection of the Revolution are considered to be the prime suspects in the case of the assassination of the well-known Tunisian opposition politician Chokri Belaid. However, it is also possible that Salafists or networks of members of the security forces from the Ben Ali era could also be responsible for the attack. Beat Stauffer reports
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Consequences of the Military Intervention in Mali
A Tinderbox Situation
Algeria and Morocco granted France permission to use their airspace in its campaign against militant Islamists in Mali. But Arab experts fear that the Mali intervention could push many young Muslims into the arms of the Jihadists. By Siham Ouchtou
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Justice in Iran
Petty Criminals Sent to the Gallows
Iran has begun handing down death sentences for robbery – a crime that previously carried much less severe punishments. In socially and politically uncertain times, the regime is increasingly resorting to Draconian measures in the hope that these will serve as a deterrent, reports Stefan Buchen