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TheNewIslamicPopulism

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TheNewIslamicPopulism
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TheNewIslamicPopulism

byVediR.Hadiz,MurdochUniversity,Australia
OneofthemostconspicuousfeaturesoftherecentArabUprisingsisthatIslamicoppositionalmovements
havenotbeenattheirforefront.ThattheydidnottakealeadershiproleisinterestinggiventhatIslamic
groups,eversincethedemiseofmostoftheLeftinMuslimsocietiesduringtheColdWar,havebeenthe
mostprominentsourceofdissentagainstanumberofauthoritarianregimes,especiallyinNorthAfricaand
theMiddleEast.Nevertheless,incountriessuchasTunisiaandEgypt,vehicleslikeAnNahdaandthe
MuslimBrotherhood,respectively,arelikelytodowellinnewpostauthoritarianenvironments.Thishasled
toadegreeofalarmismandIslamophobichyperboleinsectionsoftheWesternmedia.
Diggingdeeper,weseethatIslamicpoliticshavefrequentlybeentransformedbywhatmaybedescribedasa
NewIslamicPopulism.Iftheolderformwaspremisedontheinterestsofalongdecliningtraditionalpetty
bourgeoisiemadeupofurbantraders,pettycommodityproducersandruralelites,thenewerIslamic
populismismorelikelytobeconstitutedbyanallianceofhighlydisparateelements:marginalisedsections
ofthebourgeoisie,ambitiousandeducatedmembersofnewurbanmiddleclassesstillstuckinthelower
rungsofthesocialhierarchy,aswellastheswellingmassesofurbanpoorthathavedescendedupon
sprawlingandchaoticmegacitieslikeCairo,Istanbul,andJakartaoverrecentdecadesseekingeducation,
employment,andthepromiseofabetterlife.Inboththeseforms,however,theummahisconceivedasasort
ofstandinforthepeopleaconceptwhichisanintegralpartofallpopulistimaginingsthatjuxtaposethe
morallyvirtuousbutmarginalisedmassestotherapaciousandpredatoryelite.
TheeffectofthistransformationonorganizationsliketheMuslimBrotherhoodwhichinspiteofits
internalcontradictionsisstillthebestorganizedforceinEgyptiancivilsocietyhasbeenprofound.Infact,
theramificationsoftheNewPopulismwerealreadyevidentintherisetopowerinTurkeyoftheJusticeand
DevelopmentParty(AKP)in2002,andtowhichtheleadersoftheEgyptianFreedomandJusticePartythe
newlyspawnedelectoralvehicleoftheMuslimBrotherhoodappeartobelookingforamodel.Evenasfar
awayasSoutheastAsia,IndonesiasJusticeandProsperityParty(PKS)themostsuccessfulofaslewof
IslamicorientedpartieshasformanyyearsalsofoundinspirationintheAKPssuccesses,whichrecently
wonitsthirdstraightgeneralelectioninconvincingfashion.Besidesembracingdemocracy,itiswellknown
thattheAKPingenuouslygraftedneoliberaleconomicreformontotraditionalsocialjusticeconcernsof
Islamicpopulism.
TheAKPexperiencecannotbeaccountedforbytheinherentlymoderatingeffectofparticipationinelectoral
democracyassomehavesuggested.Moreimportantistherealizationthattheobjectiveofpromotingthe
social,economicandpoliticalpositionoftheummahdoesnotnecessarilyrequireanIslamicstateoronethat
isrigidlygovernedbySharia.Itcanbeachievedbythefavorablerepositioningoftheummahanditspolitical
andorganizationalvehiclesinrelationtotheexistingstateandthemarket.
Inspiteofgrassrootssupportamongtheurbanpoorandaleadershipheavilyderivedfromambitious
membersoftheeducatedurbanmiddleclass,oneofthemostimportantreasonsforthesuccessoftheAKP
hasbeensupportfromthesocalledAnatolianbourgeoisie.ThelatterismadeupofculturallyMuslim
businesspeoplethathadbeenrelativelymarginalizedbyaKemalistsecularbureaucraticandpolitical
establishmentthatfavoredanIstanbulbasedbigbourgeoisie.Importantly,themoreprovinciallyrooted
AnatolianbourgeoisiehadbeengrowinginwealthandstrengthsinceTurkeymovedintoamoreexport
oriented,globalmarketbasedeconomicstrategyinthe1980s.IntheTurkishcase,ofcourse,itremains
unconstitutionaltobeagitatingtowardanIslamicstateandtheAKPcannotevenidentifyopenlyasan
IslamicpartyinspiteofhavinggrownoutoflongestablishedIslamicorientedgroupsandnetworks.
However,thishasnotproventobeanobstacletodevelopingcrossclassalliancesthathavesuccessfullywon
andretainedcontrolofgovernmentinpursuitofpoliciesthatenhancethepositionoftheummah,definedin
oppositiontosecularelitesaccusedofeconomicmismanagement,authoritarianpracticesaswellascultural
aloofness.
ThesituationinEgyptis,ofcourse,toofluidtosuggestthattheMuslimBrotherhoodwillbeassuccessful
infactithashadtotonedownconsiderablyitsroleintheEgyptianpostauthoritarianenvironmentsothatit
wouldnotbeperceivedashavinghijackedtheEgyptianuprising.Nevertheless,theMuslimBrotherhoodhas
beeninternallytransformedsincethedaysofHasanAlBannaorSayyidQutb.It,too,cancountonastrong
baseofsupportfromsectionsoftheyoungurbanmiddleclassandcertainlylargeportionsoftheurbanpoor
giventherelativedisorganisationofLeftistandLiberalforces.Moreover,amajorpillaroftheMuslim
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TheNewIslamicPopulism

Brotherhoodhasbeenbusinesses,largeandsmall,thathadsupporteditsearliersemiclandestineforaysinto
electoralpoliticsand,asaresult,itwasostracisedbytheMubarakregime.TheMuslimBrotherhood,too,
seesdemocracyasausefultooltoseizethepositionsoftheMubarakcroniesatthecommandingheightsof
theeconomy.
ButtheNewIslamicPopulismisntalwayssoclosetosuccess.IfitsmajorrepresentativeinIndonesiaisthe
PKS,itisclearthatthepartyisfarfrombeinginanypositiontoobtainpower.Thisinitselfisinteresting
becauseonesourceofitsweaknesscomparedtoTurkishorEgyptiancounterpartsistheabsenceofa
strongculturallyMuslimbigbourgeoisie,duetothecontinuingdominanceoftheethnicChineseelement
withintheIndonesianbourgeoisie.
Whethersuccessfulornot,theriseoftheNewIslamicPopulismhasimportantimplicationsforchallenging
stereotypesoftheaims,strategiesandvehiclesofIslamicpoliticsinthemodernworld.
HadizVediR.Australia,Volume2,Issue2
Commentsareclosed.
2016GlobalDialogue
InternationalSociologicalAssociation

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