Group 7 | Morales, Naguit & Naron PEP1221_Approaches to the Study of Politics

2ABPE | 1:30 - 3:00 PM

Dr. Nicomedes Alviar
ISLAMISM
October 17, 2023 | Canva PPT

PRESENTATION FLOW: 25-30 minutes

I. Origins and Development (7 min.) Deanne
II. Key Thinkers (7 min.) Jad
III. Core Beliefs (3 min.) Ilena
IV. Variants and Recent Developments (3 min.) Ilena
V. The Future of Islamic Fundamentalism (2 min.) Ilena

SLIDES CONTENT NOTES & FAQ / POINTS FOR

FURTHER DISCUSSION
(Either in Poli-Econ and Recommendations or during Q&A)

1-5 ORIGINS: ● Politics and religion are two sides of the

A. Islam is not only a religion same coin for Islam.
i. A total and complete way of life; providing guidance in every aspect of the ● ‘Islamism state’ as the central belief: viewed
human existence as a state based on divine Islamic law, the
1. Individual and social sharia.
2. Material and moral ● Islamism extracts a political programme from
3. Legal and cultural the religious principles and ideals of Islam.
4. Economic and political ● Doctrinal basis for militant Islam has been
5. National and international found in the notion of jihad, crudely
B. Islamist ideology is characterized by a revolt against the West and all it supposedly stands for. translated as ‘holy war’.
C. Since the 1970s, religion has become generally more important, not less important.
i. Since the religious revivalism, various manifestations came to be Sharia:
1. Emergence of new, often assertive forms of religiosity ● Simply means the ‘correct path’ in Arabic.
2. Growing influence of religious movements ● Sharia is the ideal form of divine guidance
3. Closer relationship between religion and politics; through what has been that Muslims follow to live a righteous life.
seen as politicization of religion or the religionization of politics Human interpretations of sharia, or fiqh, are
 Group 7 | Morales, Naguit & Naron PEP1221_Approaches to the Study of Politics
2ABPE | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Dr. Nicomedes Alviar
ii. 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran has demonstrated politicized religion (although the basis of Islamic law today.
not exclusive to Islam development only). ● About half the world’s Muslim-majority
D. Other major world religions has the capacity for politicization, but Islam has been particularly countries have sharia-based laws, and most
acute since the 1970s Muslims worldwide follow aspects of sharia
i. It’s able to articulate the interests of the oppressed in less developed countries in their private religious practices.
to offer a non-western, often anti-western world view. ● Derived from two main sources: Quran
ii. Emergence in the potent link between Islam and politics is evident in the (direct word from God) & hadith [thousands
contemporary emergence of ‘political Islam’, or ‘Islamism’: a political creed of sayings and practices attributed to the
based on Islamic ideas and principles Prophet Mohammed that collectively form
1. At the heart of the creed, is the commitment to the establishment of an the Sunna (Arabic: “habitual practice”)]
Islamic state based on the sharia JIHAD
2. Early thinking emerged in the 19th century in response to European (Arabic) An Islamic term literally meaning ‘strive’ or
colonialism. ‘struggle’; although the term is sometimes equated
with ‘holy war’ (the lesser jihad), it can also be
understood as an inner struggle for faith (the greater
jihad).

ANOMIE
lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an
individual or group.

6-7 DEVELOPMENT: MORAL RELATIVISM

A. Fusion between Islam and politics has assumed a more radical and intense character due to the The belief that there are no absolute values, or a
rise of the early twentieth century of ‘Islamism’: condition in which there is a deep and widespread
● Political Islam disagreement over moral issues.
● Radical Islam
● Activist Islam WAHHABISM
B. Religion has proven to be a potent means of regenerating personal and social identity in modern An ultra-conservative movement within Sunni Islam,
circumstances sometimes portrayed as an orientation within
Salafism.
Group 7 | Morales, Naguit & Naron PEP1221_Approaches to the Study of Politics
2ABPE | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Dr. Nicomedes Alviar
a. Modern societies are increasingly atomistic, diffuse, and pluralized; therefore, a greater
thirst for the sense of meaning, purpose and certainty that religious consciousness
appears to offer.
b. Can provide believers with a world-view and moral vision that has higher and supreme
authority stemming from a supposedly divine source.
c. Can define the very grounds of people’s being–an ultimate frame of reference as well as
a moral orientation in a world moral relativism is increasingly marked.
d. Creates a powerful sense of social solidarity, connecting people to one another on a
deeper, spiritual level.
C. Islamism is best understood as a reaction to 20th century social and political conditions:
i. Rapid urbanization
ii. Dislocation of traditional communities and crafts
iii. Growing unemployment and anomie
D. In the collapse and carve-up of the one-powerful Ottoman empire, aftermath of WWI, and the
carve-up by the UK and France, Islamism gained a powerful impetus: the Muslim Brotherhood,
founded in 1928, Ismailia, Egypt
i. Built on the ideas of figures such as:
1. Jamal al-Din ‘al-Afghani (1838-97), a Persian activist
2. Rashid Rida (1865-1935), a Syrian Islamist reformer
ii. World’s first and most influential Islamist movement, it pioneered a model of
political and sometimes, militant, activism combined with Islamic charitable
works
E. Islamism only emerged as a powerful force during post WWII. The developments that gave rise
are the following:
a. End of colonialism in the early post-1945 brought little benefit to the Arab world, Middle
eastern regimes were inefficient, corrupt and dictatorial. And traditional imperialism was
succeeded by neo-imperialism as US influence expanded in the region
b. Protracted Arab-Israeli conflict, especially the 1967 Six-Day War, led to the seizure by
Israel of the Occupied Territories, greatly increased the numer of Palestinian refugees;
sparked disillusionment with secular Arab nationalism and Arab socialism; created
 Group 7 | Morales, Naguit & Naron PEP1221_Approaches to the Study of Politics
2ABPE | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Dr. Nicomedes Alviar
opportunities for religiously-based forms of politics.
c. The 1973 oil crisis boosted economic strength and ideological importance of Saudi
Arabia and hte Gulf states, allowing to finance the spread of distinctive brand of
fundamentalist Islam (Wahhabism) across the Arab world
d. The war in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union (1979-89), led to the growth of the
Mujahideen (a loose collection of religiously-inspired “resistance groups, out of which
developed a collection of new jihadi groups, the most important of which was al-Qaeda,
founded in 1988. A link can thus be made between the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on Washington and New York, and the
outbreak of the ‘war on terror’.
e. The 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq fomented bitter sectarian rivalry between Sunni and
Shia (or Shi’ite) Muslims, which both spread across the region and contributed to the
emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham or ISIS (also called Islamic State (IS)
or Daesh), whose influence later expanded due to the seemingly intractable civil war in
Syria.

8-14 Key Thinkers:

- The influences of the Islam Ideology and its key thinkers

Ayatollah Khomeini (1902-1989)

● An Iranian cleric and political leaders

● was the architect of the ‘Iranian Revolution’
● The leader of Iran from 1979 to 1989
● His world view was rooted from a clear division between the oppressed and the oppressors.
● Saw Islam is a theo-political project aimed at regenerating the Islamic world by ridding it of occupation
and corruption from outside.

Abul Ala Maududi (1903-1979)

● Indian-Pakistani scholar, philosopher, jurist, and an early exponent of Islamism.

● He founded the Jameet-e Islami (the Islamic Party), which has developed into the most influential Islamist
organization in modern Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Group 7 | Morales, Naguit & Naron PEP1221_Approaches to the Study of Politics
2ABPE | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Dr. Nicomedes Alviar
● He viewed Islam as a ‘revolutionary ideology and program that seeks to alter the social order of the world
and rebuild it in conformity with its own tenets and ideals.’
● He rejected the Islam with modern creeds such as capitalism, communism, and democracy

Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966)

● Egyptian writer and religious leader

● Seen as the father of modern political Islam
● Leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood
● Influenced by Maududi, on highlighted condition of jihiliyyah into which the Muslim world had fallen
● He advocated for Islam to be a comprehensive political and social system that would both ensure social
justice and sweep away corruption, oppression and luxury.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi (1925-2022)

● An Egyptian Islamic theologian based in Doha, Qatar

● He is a leading exponent of the ‘new’ islamism
● He aims to demonstrate Islamist support for democracy, pluralism, and human rights
● Opposed assimilation of ‘western values’ and insisted that Islam should be treated as a ‘complete code of
life’
● Supports the jihad in its defensive form especially in relation to the Palestinian cause but argues that the
offensive jihad is best pursued through the use of non-military means

Abdallah Azzam (1941-1989)

● A Palestinian Sunni, theologian, and scholar

● He is the founding member of al-Qaeda, where he played the leading role in developing during the 80s
● The radical ideology of the islam movement was dedicated more to the global Jihad
● He implored the Muslims to rally in defense of victims of aggression to liberate the Muslim lands from
foreign domination and to uphold the Muslim faith
● Was the mentor of Osama bin Laden, whose leadership has extended the thinkings of Azzam through
sanctioning struggle by any means possible, thus justifying the attack against USA and its allies.

Muhammad abd-al-Salam Faraj (1954-1982)

 Group 7 | Morales, Naguit & Naron PEP1221_Approaches to the Study of Politics
2ABPE | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Dr. Nicomedes Alviar

● An Egyptian radical Islamist

● leader of the Cairo branch of the Islamist group, al-Jihad.
● Built around his belief of Qutb that jihad is an individual duty incumbent to all Muslims.
● Emphasized the role of armed combat and portrayed the jihad as the sixth, ‘forgotten’ or neglected’ pillar
of Islam.

15-21 CORE BELIEFS - Islamism is a type of religious fundamentalism; we will be outlining the characteristics of
religious fundamentalism before going further into the specific core values and characteristics of
Islamism

Backtrack: The overarching ideology of religious fundamentalism

● Religious Fundamentalism is a manifestation of identity politics in the world of rapidly shrinking
borders and hyper-secularization that seems to uproot communities—religion becomes the
primary collective identity rather than just a private practice, and it organizes public existence
(law, social conduct, economy, and politics)
● Characteristic themes of religious fundamentalism
○ Religion as politics - collective beliefs, practices, activities, and standards/laws according
to interpretations of religious material/religion
○ Essential truths
■ “stripped down religion that travels light and fast”
■ Hinges on interpretation and therefore, charismatic leadership and
authoritarianism/figure of authority
○ Anti-modernism
■ Decays of modernity: secularization, subjectivism, liberal individuals, degenerate
immorality, etc
■ Fundamentalism is not the same as conservatism in that, while both oppose
some elements of modernity, fundamentalism is radical by nature, even
revolutionary and militant
 Group 7 | Morales, Naguit & Naron PEP1221_Approaches to the Study of Politics
2ABPE | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Dr. Nicomedes Alviar
○ Militancy
■ Religion is a matter of core beliefs: militancy derives from the willingness to
defend, live for, die for, and kill for said core beliefs
■ Identity politics: threat of the “other” (gentile, infidel, etc) are the bases of
justified combat or war, especially with the “divine” aspect (chosen people, etc)
■ Manifestations: willingness to engage in extra-legal, anti-constitutional political
action, and forms of violence (not equal to terror all the time)

Core beliefs of Islamism (Militant)

● Other names: Political Islam, Radical Islam, Activist Islam
● Core Beliefs
○ Society must be reconstructed in line with religious principles and ideals of Islam
○ Modern secular state will be replaced with an Islamic State whose religious principles
and authority have a primacy over political principles and authority
○ Jihad is justified against the corrupt and corrupting West/Western values
■ Sayyib Qutb: The West has thrown the world into jihiliyyah or “ignorance of
divine guidance”, and the only comprehensive solution to this is the
establishment of political and social systems that are dictated by/shaped
according to the religion of Islam
● Fundamental Islamism: Intense and militant faith in Islamic beliefs as the overriding principles of
social life, politics, and personal morality

22-28 VARIANTS/VARIATIONS ACCORDING TO PRAXIS RATHER THAN THEOLOGY + RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Moderate Islamism, Conservative Islamism & Quietist Salafism

● Muslim Brotherhood/Brotherhood-Inspired Movements defined by gradualism (parliamentary
politics rather than revolution, open to assimilating/adapting existing/modern state structures
and secularism)
● Objective - reconcile pre-modern Islamic law with the modern nation state
● Examples
○ Turkey, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), and the Democratic Party of the
Group 7 | Morales, Naguit & Naron PEP1221_Approaches to the Study of Politics
2ABPE | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Dr. Nicomedes Alviar
People (HDP)
■ At best, an attempt to reconcile pluralism/multiculturalism and democracy with
Islam
■ At worst, “intellectually and politically indefensible attempt to portray Islamist
parties as more moderate or pluralistic than they actually are,” (Ibish, 2018)
● History and contemporary crises of ethnic cleansing (Albania, Kurds, etc)
○ Wahhabism/Conservative Islamism of Saudi Arabia
■ world’s first fundamentalist Islamic State, applying Wahhabism, or a return to
first generation Islam
■ Shariah law and absolute monarchy
○ Quietist Salafists - Objective: gradual return to tradition → electoral politics and
lobbyists for Shariah-policies

Radical/Activist Islamism
Salafism - authentic and true Islam is found in the lived example of the early, righteous generations of
the Salaf who lived roughly in the same period and area as Prophet Muhammad

Salafi-Jihadists - Objective: radical return to tradition through jihad → jihadist (militant) approach to
Salafism that is radical and often justifies terror and violence against non-Muslims, including
non-combatants
● Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and ISIS
● Abu-Sayyaf, Maute

2. Shia Islamism
● Traditionally more socio-political, appeals to the oppressed and marginalized
● Views Islamic history as moving towards/awaiting the goal of ideal community and salvation
● Examples of Shia Islamism
○ Iran and Sharia Law
○ Hezbollah (Shia, direct offshoot of Iranian Revolution)
■ Hezbollah translates to “Party of God”
■ Offshoot of Iranian Revolution, explicitly anti-Israel
 Group 7 | Morales, Naguit & Naron PEP1221_Approaches to the Study of Politics
2ABPE | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Dr. Nicomedes Alviar

Blurring the Ideological and Sub-Ideological Lines

Hamas
● Hamas translates to “zeal”
● Offshoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood created to liberate Palestine from Israel
● Democratically elected in Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, though has not relinquished
power since
● Sunni and Salafi in doctrine, but in political alliance and praxis, overlaps with Shia through
marxist overtones and affiliations with Iran
Islamism in the Philippines
● Radical Islamism and piracy of Abu-Sayaff and Maute groups
● Territorial dispute wit Malaysia, Jabidah Massacre, Identity Politics and Socialism with Misuari’s
MNLF in the 1960’s-70’s under Martial Law
● MILF, Abu-Sayyaf Group, and return to Fundamental Islamism and Jihadism
● Bangsamoro Organic Law and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
as Islamism overlapping with Ethnic Nationalism

29 The Future of Islamic Fundamentalism (and all Fundamentalism)

Scenario 1: A Futile Struggle and Obsolete Relic of the Past

● Symptom of difficult adjustment to modernity and futile attempts to resurrect a dead past
● Proper domain of religion is in the private sphere of a secular world
● Political nature of religious fundamentalism will fade or be absorbed into broader movements

Scenario 2: A Threat to Western Liberalism and Secularization and the Post-Modern Alternative
● Secularism and liberalism will be replaced by fundamentalist institutions
● Civilizations will clash and religion will provide a framework and grounded politico-cultural
identity that overrides transnational competition
● Religious fundamentalists embrace and weaponize modernity to reinvent their creeds to match
Group 7 | Morales, Naguit & Naron PEP1221_Approaches to the Study of Politics
2ABPE | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Dr. Nicomedes Alviar
the times
Group 7 | Morales, Naguit & Naron PEP1221_Approaches to the Study of Politics
2ABPE | 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Dr. Nicomedes Alviar
SOURCES

Aarabi, K. (2019, February 11). The Fundamentals of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. Www.institute.global.
https://www.institute.global/insights/geopolitics-and-security/fundamentals-irans-islamic-revolution

Al-Tamimi, A. J. (2011, November 16). What does “moderate Islamist” mean? The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/What-does-moderate-Islamist-mean

Burke, J., & correspondent, J. B. I. security. (2023, October 19). What is Hezbollah, and how will it influence the Israel-Hamas war? The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/19/what-is-hezbollah-and-how-will-it-influence-the-israel-hamas-war?ref=upstract.com

Fathollah-Nejad, A. (2019, July 11). Four decades later, did the Iranian revolution fulfill its promises? Brookings.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/four-decades-later-did-the-iranian-revolution-fulfill-its-promises/

Heywood, A. (2021). Fundamentalism. In Political Ideologies: An Introduction (pp. 245–264). Red Globe Press.

Robinson, K. (2021, December 17). Understanding Sharia: The Intersection of Islam and the Law. Council on Foreign Relations.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/understanding-sharia-intersection-islam-and-law#:~:text=Sharia%20means%20%E2%80%9Cthe%20correct%20p
ath

University, S., Stanford, & Complaints, C. 94305 C. (2020). MMP: Moro National Liberation Front. Cisac.fsi.stanford.edu.
https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants/profiles/moro-national-liberation-front

Williams, S. T. (2016, July 15). Islamism, Salafism, and jihadism: A primer. Brookings.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/islamism-salafism-and-jihadism-a-primer/
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