Democratization And The Islamist Challenge In The Arab World (State, Cluture, & Society in Arab North Africa) [Hardcover]

Najib Ghadbian (Author)

Book Description

Series: State, Cluture, & Society in Arab North Africa | Publication Date: May 1, 1997

The rise of Islamic movements in the Arab world over the last decade coincided with a move toward democratization throughout the region, yet after hopeful early signs, progress toward democratization has stalled or even been reversed in all but a few countries. This book explores the linkages between the move to democratize and the Islamist challenge, focusing on the struggle among ruling elites, secularists, and the Islamists to define collective identity—that is, to define what common orientations unite the polity and how disagreements can be addressed, particularly regarding the place of Islam in politics. The author surveys democratization measures since 1980 and analyzes the nature of the Islamist challenge, exploring the factors behind the rise of fundamentalism, the agendas of various Islamic movement, and Islamist concepts of democracy. In a final section the author offers in-depth case studies of Egypt and Jordan.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Najib Ghadbian is a research analyst for the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Dhabi.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813327849
• ISBN-13: 978-0813327846
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,661,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book, May 24, 2002

By 

Leah Graham (Fayetteville, AR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Democratization And The Islamist Challenge In The Arab World (State, Cluture, & Society in Arab North Africa) (Hardcover)

"This volume is a welcome addition and a valuable contribution to the burgeoning literature on the relationship between political Islam and democracy...This book is full of insights and is noteworthy as much for its analysis of democratization in the Arab world as for its treatment of Islamic resurgence," (Abdallah M. Battah, 1998, Middle East Journal book reviews, pg 461-462).

"(The book)...is a compact, lucidly written study of the interaction between political Islam and democratic reform in the Arab world. This makes it a valuable work to place in the hands of students, journalists and polity-makers," (Maen F. al-Nsour, August 1998, International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 30, No. 3 pg. 442-444).

"Readers with a conceptual interest in democratization, state-society relations, social identity, or the relationship between Islam and politics will appreciate the intriguing theoretical application to a region that has too often been discounted or ignored in these literatures," (Paul D. Hoyt, 1998, Mershon International Studies Review, Vol. 42, pg. 173-176).

"A useful volume for specialists on political Islamism and democratization upper-division undergraduates through faculty" (R. H. Dekmejian, November 1997, Choice)

Najib Ghadbian's well-written book, Democratization and the Islamic Challenge in the Arab World provides an in-depth look into the conflict between Arab governments jealously guarding power and Islamist movements who are imagined to destabilize the states monopoly on power if included into the political process. Ghadbian eloquently navigates this complicated issue and provides a convincing analysis of the complex and often varying relationships between various Islamist movements, state liberalization and democratization. The main thesis of the book centers on the stalling of democratization by Arab governments through the denial of political inclusion to Islamist groups. He provides case studies of states where Islamist movements have been allowed into the political arena (e.g. Jordan and Kuwait) and states where they have been denied (e.g. Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Syria).

Najib Ghadbian sees the impact of the solidification of Islam within the collective consciousness of the region as determining the political route for the region. Ghadbian argues that political Islam is a primary factor in the socialization and indoctrination of the Arab world. Therefore, its inclusion into the political sphere is preferable as state-cooptation forces the moderation of extremist tendencies within the Islamist groups. This inclusion, most importantly, would also bolster the political legitimacy of the ruling governments curing the "crisis of legitimacy" within these states and halting the cycle of violence and oppression necessary to restrain the Islamist movements.

This book covers the time frame from the mid-1980's through the 1990's and also including a complete overview of the historical background. It begins with the weakening of state ability to "buy" or force acquiescence because of the waning of the oil boom and its economic repercussions throughout the region. The book includes four parts that consist of seven chapters in total. Part one covers the historical and theoretical background of the study. Part two gives an analysis of Islamist movements, including their agendas and views on democracy. Part three provides the case studies and part four provides conclusions and future prospects.

Najib Ghadbian's arguments are able to greatly weaken the patronizing historical viewpoint that the Arab peoples lack "readiness" for democracy and the simplistic opinion that Islam is not compatible with democracy. These are currently espoused to justify support of autocratic regimes that stall democratic liberalization measures. His portrayal of the inclusion of Islamist movements as an integral and beneficial part of the democratization process rightly rejects these viewpoints.

Ghadbian correctly notes the diverse array of Islamist movements as varying from moderate to more extremist. He properly portrays the majority of Islamist movements as neither innately violent nor opposed to democracy. Scholars of Arab nations, political Islamism, opposition movements, etc. now accept the broadened view of these movements as more nuanced and complex. This broadened viewpoint assists as a means of understanding the elements of the region. This method of understanding is more fruitful than the polarization that is often apparent in neo-realist "scholarship". Ghadbian takes a closer look at Islamist movements and in doing so, shows a sharp contrast to the faulty black/white dichotomy utilized by those with a weaker understanding of the region.

Najib Ghadbian's book broadens the literature on democratization by his through application of these theories to the Middle East, a region too often ignored or even discounted without just cause in the literature. This book is beneficial not only to scholars and students, but also to policymakers whose understanding of the region requires the in-depth analysis that this author provides.

6 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Democratization and the Islamist Challenge in the Arab World, July 31, 2001

By 

Daniel Pipes, Middle East Forum, Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Democratization And The Islamist Challenge In The Arab World (State, Cluture, & Society in Arab North Africa) (Hardcover)

Does Islamism encourage democracy or not? Ghadbian (a researcher at the dynamic new Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Dhabi) argues that Islamism contains two strains, one favoring democracy and the other against it. The former he associates with moderates, the latter with radicals. Holding that moderates are far more numerous and powerful than radicals, he rues that we in the West seem blind this fact: "the antidemocracy view has come to be seen as the Islamist norm while the views of the majority of Islamists appear exceptional." He includes in the moderate camp such figures as the Egyptians Hasan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb.

It's a neat and alluring distinction, but unfortunately one without validity. Ghadbian draws a pleasant picture of "moderates" that has no connection to reality. For example, he states that their having suffered miserably at the hands of despots, "has made resistance to authoritarianism a strong component of the Islamist subculture. . . . Those who suffered prison terms became especially aware of the dangers of human rights abuses." Sounds good, but tell that to the thousands of political prisoners currently languishing in Iranian jails. Ghadbian mentions Hasan at-Turabi, Sudan's strongman, as someone who speaks of "the congruity between Islamic principles and democracy." But what good does this do when his regime rules barbarically and has only the trappings of democracy? No, there are no "moderate" Islamists, only deluded analysts who try to convince of their existence.

Middle East Quarterly, Sept 1997

4 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars crap, June 3, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Thousand Oaks, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Democratization And The Islamist Challenge In The Arab World (State, Cluture, & Society in Arab North Africa) (Hardcover)

The author is extremely ignorant in forgetting how those "democratic' governments are often oppressive foriegn controlled puppets that blame Islam for their own screw ups