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Muslim Brotherhood in Maghreb: Transformations of Political Islam in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia

64
Rubric: Greater Middle East
DOI: 10.20542/0131-2227-2022-66-11-60-71
Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), 23, Profsoyuznaya Str., Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation.
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Received 08.08.2022. Revised 19.08.2022. Accepted 24.08.2022.

Acknowledgements. The article was prepared within the project “Post-crisis world order: challenges and technologies, competition and cooperation” supported by the grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation program for research projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development (Agreement No. 075-15-2020-783).


Abstract. Since their formation, the parties of political Islam that exist today in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia were traditionally seen as the “voice of people” in authoritarian states, the means and the vanguard of social movement for a better life. In an attempt to enter political arena, while adapting to different challenges posed by their regimes as well as jihadi Islamism both domestically and regionally, these Islamist parties have undergone a number of transformations both in their ideology and relations with the regime. However, the crucial point of these transformations was becoming a part of the state that they had been aiming to change. After their short-lived electoral success, they find themselves in crisis. First, they are no longer perceived as a sociopolitical force that strives to voice concerns of the oppressed and to fight for their interests against the unjust regimes. Instead, they are now deeply associated with the “old guard”, no less corrupt than the governments and the political elites, against whom people protest. Second, while they were trying to adapt democratic ideas to their narratives, they were moving further away from their Islamist identity. Third, they have learnt the constraints of their political capabilities: in order to preserve their legal status, they have to coopt with the regimes, but when they do they lose their public support, and when they resent this cooptation, the regimes force them to weakness and internal divisions, yet again causing loss of social base.

Keywords: political Islam, Muslim Brotherhood, Islamist parties, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia


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For citation:
Tyukaeva T. Muslim Brotherhood in Maghreb: Transformations of Political Islam in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. World Eñonomy and International Relations, 2022, vol. 66, no. 11, pp. 60-71. https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2022-66-11-60-71

Contents World Eñonomy and International Relations. 2022, vol. 66, no. 11

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