In the modern world, political parties are the main structures that represent the interests of different social groups. Parties play the leading role in the electoral process and in parliamentary life. Party systems in the Arab states often include religious (Islamic) parties that became especially active during the Arab Spring. In this regard, it is necessary to understand the role that religious parties play in the political systems of the Arab countries at the current stage of their development. In order to answer this research question, the article deals with the following issues: to analyze whether Islamic parties are similar to the parties of Christian democrats; determine the current status of Islamist parties in a number of Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco). The study showed that in the majority of the countries under review (with the exception of Egypt) moderate Islamic parties became an important component of party systems and they play the same role as Christian democrats play in Europe.