The Islamist Challenge in West Asia
September 05, 2013
New Delhi: “Islamic discourse is at a nascent stage and has a long way to go” said Shri Talmiz Ahmad at the launch of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) publication, ‘The Islamist Challenge in West Asia: Doctrinal and Political Competitions after the Arab Spring’, authored by him, on September 5, 2013. Speaking further on the publication, Shri Ahmed said “No political order is sustainable without Islam”.
The book launch was followed by a panel discussion, chaired by Director General, IDSA, Dr Arvind Gupta. The panellists comprised Amb Ishrat Aziz, Amb Ranjit Gupta, Dr Atul Aneja, Professor AK Pasha, Amb Swashpawan Singh and Dr PK Pradhan.
Speaking during the discussion, Amb Ishrat Aziz highlighted that the political Islam rises from political failures and has nothing to do with concept of Islam as such. On the Arab Spring, he added that the people wanted and yearned for self governance and consultative governance, something which did not suit the regimes. Amb Ranjit Gupta emphasised that the emergence of political Islam as the ruler is the process of breaking out from its traditional mould of agitationists, activists and the opposition. This process will therefore be turbulent and long lasting. Speaking of the change in Arab world, Professor AK Pasha said that the change will run through the filter of Sharia. What is acceptable will be embraced. The basic source of law will remain the Sharia. Dr PK Pradhan highlighted how Al Qaeda and its affiliates which had considerably weakened during the past decade, have found a fresh lease of life due to the vacuum created by fall of dictators and the continuing failure of Arab revolutions to provide stable governance.
The publication throws light on the situation in the West Asia-North Africa (WANA) region, following the Arab Spring. The region is witnessing interactions between the various strands of Islamism-Wahhabiya in Saudi Arabia; the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and its affiliates in other Arab countries, and the radical strand represented by Al Qaeda and its associated organisations-in an environment of robust competition and even conflict. After a long period in opposition, some Islamists are facing the challenge of democratic governance, with the principal protagonists attempting to define their vision, agenda and institutions in terms that would reconcile the aspirations of their citizens for a modern political and economic order that would also respect their religious traditions. In this endeavour, the Islamists are in competition not only amongst themselves but also with non-religious groups representing liberal-secular elements and the armed forces representing the ancient regimes and seeking to affirm the political status quo.
The work examines these issues in detail. On radical Islam the author says “Al Qaeda and its affiliates have been most successful in failed or failing states where the central authority is neither non functional or is extremely vulnerable”. The book provides an overview of the political aspects of Islamic law – the Sharia, as it evolved from early Islam and, over the last two hundred years, experienced the impact of Western colonialism. After looking at the development of political Islam in a historical context, it examines contemporary political competitions across WANA, particularly in Egypt and Syria, and offers prognoses pertaining to domestic and regional scenarios. Dispelling fears of imposition of Sharia, the author emphasises “The emerging state order in the post-Spring Arab world is already ‘civil’ since there is no institutionalised rule of the clergy”. The book also discusses the complicated regional political and sectarian issues that affect all the countries in the region and where all the major players are deeply involved.
The book draws on a rich variety of source material which has been embellished by the author’s extensive diplomatic experience in the Arab world over three decades.
