Lecture note 28 PDF

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11/24--Islamism (Political Islam) ● Erdogan with gulbuddin hikmetyar ○ Hikmetyar generally described as militant islamist from afghanistan ○ Relationship w erdogan thus pointed to as connected to taliban ○ But in reality, hikmetyar does not hav taliban connections ■ Was funded by US against USSR, but then fought against taliban after ○ Is still an islamist warlord, responsible for the deaths of abt .5 mil civilians ○ Was briefly president of afghanistan, tho not really democratic ○ Positioned self as anti-imperialist ■ Opposed US wars in middle east ● Can we really define islamism ○ “The belief that islam should guide social and political as well as personal life” ○ “Political movement that favors reordering government and society in accordance w laws prescribed by islam”--AP def ○ “A movement so broad and flexible it reaches out to ‘everything and everyone’ in Islam, making it ‘unsustainable’”--prob the most accurate ○ “A theocratic ideology that seeks to impose any version of Islam over society by law” (a former islamist) ○ Not monolithic movement ○ Islamists don’t call themselves islamists--call themselves muslims ● The extremes ○ Salafism ■ Official ideology of saudi arabia ■ Argues that islam was perfected in its first 100 yrs ■ Very conservative, literal interpretation ○ Takfirism ■ Relates mostly to treatment of other muslims ■ Refuses to acknowledge those who follow different interpretations as muslim ○ Jihadism ■ Started mostly in 1980s in (post)colonial countries ● Afghanistan, russia (caucasus), bosnia, iraq, syria ■ Broadly interpreted as a struggle/war ● The conservationists ○ Sayyid abul ala maududi (1903-1979) ■ Born indian, became pakistani ■ Advocated for a mix btwn democracy/theology ■ Elections for muslim citizens, politicians would lead in an islamic way ○ Hassan al-banna (1906-1949) ■ Egyptian, died by execution ■ Founder of muslim brotherhood ● Group used violence--assassinations ■ More in line w movements of colonial resistance ■ After his assassination, violence decreased ● Since 1960 group completely dropped violence ● Islamist revolutionary left? ○ Sayyid qutb (1906-1966) ■ Started as a secularist, then converted to islam ■ Refused to accept worldly govt, adopted an almost anarchist position ■ Didn’t condemn violence, was strong antisemite ○ Ali shariati (1933-1977)

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Educated in paris When he returned to iran, advocated revolution ● Synthesized marxism w islam ■ Often compared to liberation theology The iranian revolution (1979) ○ Unexpected, did not look like other revolutions ○ Iran was seen as stable, rich, aligned w west ○ Revolution was carried out by both left and right wing islamists ■ But after, right wing took over and persecuted those who disagreed Soviet-afghan war (1979-1989) ○ Coup had brought to power communists, who made strong reforms ○ Guerilla uprisings by traditional leaders ■ USSR sent in troops to sppt govt ■ NATO sent funds/money to islamist resistors ○ Mujahideen warriors Islamism in turkey Is turkey special? ○ A protester after july 16 coup attempt, 2016 ○ Notable that turkey was never a colony ○ Also had hist of paramilitarism, secularism, unique/complicated relations w europe ○ No history of islamist movements advocating violence Early islamists in turkey ○ Mehmet akif ersoy (1873-1936) ■ Writer of natl anthem, so generally not criticized ■ But was exiled bc he was more islamist than early turkish leaders ○ (Bediüzzaman) said nursi (1877-1960) ■ Prominent islamist scholar, who had early on worked w turkish govt but then distanced themselves from them ■ Refused to work w kurdish separatists, but ended up being relocated to east ■ Ended up advocating non-physical/spiritual jihad--remained firmly against violence, especially muslim-muslim violence ■ Still v influential Later islamists in turkey ○ Fethullah gulen (1941--) ■ Disciple of nursi ■ Nationalist, thinks that state is crucial ■ Used class resentment to gather sppt for anti-centralization, prodevelopment of education/industry ■ Has bcome influential around the world ● Banned from russia ■ Left turkey in 1999 ■ Behind latest turkish coup ● Had promoted followers to govt/military positions ● Wanted to change govt from w/in ○ Necmettin erbakan (1926-2011) ■ Started national outlook movement--has had to continuously close/make new poli parties as they keep getting banned ■ Sppt peaked at 20% in the 90s, right b4 coup ■ But then dropped off to single digits again

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...and islamic resistance? ○ Anticapitalist muslim movements...