The birth of pragmatic Political Jihadism in the Middle East

Dalia Ziada tweeted the following:

VERY IMPORTANT TO WATCH

The birth of pragmatic Political Jihadism in the Middle East

We are witnessing a critical shift in the history of the Middle East. What we are seeing today is similar to what happened in the 1980s after the Islamic Revolution took over Iran.

The success of Islamists in Iran in taking over power with minimal bloodshed and under the slogans of freedom and democracy encouraged Islamist groups all over the region to seek a bigger role in the politics of their countries.

Thus, they converted from ideological groups doing “Da’awa” (Islamic preaching) into pragmatic political blocs with religious backgrounds seeking political power.

This was the time when the political impact and ambitions of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Algeria began to grow and expand and gain momentum of support. This was also the time when #Hamas was born and #Qatar started to invest in these Islamist organizations and amplify their message.

Today, the situation is even more scary than it was in 1979.

This is the first time that an armed Jihadist organization (the #HTS) succeeded in toppling a dictator regime – a very hardline regime like Assad – using force.

The success of Al-Julani and Ha’ayat Tahrir Elsham #HTS in #Syria and their commitment to a smooth transition of power right now, which is very pragmatic and very unexpected of such Jihadist groups, may actually infect the Jihadist and Salafist groups in other Arab countries to try using force to make political changes and remove regimes in their countries.

December 11, 2024 | Comments »

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