Surviving the System: How Islamic Movements Navigate Regime Appointees and Stay in Power

Some Arab political regimes have exploited political Islamic movements in their efforts to pass their policies and agendas, which are difficult for them to pass without popular cover, provided by popular forces that have weight and influence on the streets, and at the same time to mobilize the masses, organizing their movements. have the ability, experience and skills to do and control their reactions.

According to observers, the entry of political Islamic movements into political life, their participation in parliamentary assemblies and some of them taking responsibility for forming governments or participating in them, imposes new challenges on them and exposes them to state coercion. As if these movements participate in parliamentary assemblies, they have no choice but to reject or object to some of the government’s policies, by voting against them, the governments are able to finally pass them through a majority of their loyalists. Parliament.

An example cited in this context is the peace agreement between Jordan and Israel, known as the Wadi Arba Agreement, which was signed on October 26, 1994 and passed by the Jordanian House of Representatives with the approval of 55 delegates, including 17 Islamic deputies from representatives of the Islamic Action Front. 23 deputies were rejected and the number of delegates attending that session was 79 delegates.

But some political Islamic movements may face the most difficult situation after being tasked with forming or participating in government, when they are faced with government policies and agreements that they reject and object to, as in the case of justice and development. Party in Morocco, the party’s secretary-general, Dr. Saad al-Din al-Othmani, became prime minister, when he signed the December 10 normalization agreement between Morocco and Israel. , 2020

Al-Othmani’s signing of the normalization agreement with Israel sparked great controversy at the time and met with widespread outrage in Arab and Islamist popular circles, but Al-Othmani defended his participation by saying, “The signing of the Joint Declaration was a statesmanship, so I am Justice and I thought of resigning from the General Secretariat to save the members of the Development Party from embarrassment.”

What was notable at the time was that the Justice and Development Party did not take any action against Othmani, rather the comments of the party’s former secretary general and former prime minister, Abdelilah Benkiran, came in the context of arguing for Othmani. did, since he is “a secretary-general and head of government appointed by the king, and his signature is attached to the state and its president, which determines who will sign… abandoning the state, which cannot happen today, because we are in an external war. , and we cannot abandon the state…” according to what Benkirane said.

According to the researchers, political Islamic movements, through their participation in the legislative and executive institutions of the state, become part of the state, which means that they face state pressure, which imposes on them new challenges with which the authorities want to square up or which they adapt to. And can see that compliance with the policy requires more awareness and more attention to avoid falling into the trap of their appointing authority?

In this context, “the level of awareness and awareness of the political Islamic movements differ in determining the degree of awareness and awareness of the principles that Arab political systems apply at certain levels. Some of them are underestimated or clever, and some of them are forced to do so according to their various calculations and assessments such as maintaining its existence, presence and role and confronting the various challenges and obstacles that stand in its way. Jordanian academic and political researcher Dr. Sabri Samirake.

He added: “Most Islamic movements, in terms of initial awareness, are conscious and aware that they may be exploited and employed, but they may lack some strategic dimension or knowledge of the future implications of that employment and its impact on them. The movement and their call, and upon the common people and the nation in general.”

started talking with“Arb 21” Saying: “As a justification of necessity, some of them appear in the desire to preserve previous gains with the fear of suppression, exclusion or political alienation, but one of the dangers of this is if they are not based on correct assumptions and correct calculations, then they are the main internal and It will be surprised by the passage of external policies, but after it is too late, it will be reflected in its presence, influence, solidarity, public perception of it and its position in the political system.”

D. Sabri Samira.. Jordanian academic and political researcher

Regarding the measures that political Islamic movements must take to avoid the trap of being absorbed by the political regime, Samira mentions a number of steps, the most prominent and important of which are “the presence of a highly political strategic leadership class, knowledge of various aspects of life, Having experience and expertise, which creates strategies, plans and programs based on studies, a careful and in-depth study prepared by experts and experts, including clear strategies and criteria for political participation. Performance evaluation and course, policy and decision reviews The need and importance of having experts to do.”

For his part, Egyptian writer and political researcher, Saif al-Islam Eid, described “Islamic movements that fall into the trap of political exploitation” as “not realizing their value, not knowing their social importance before their politics, and prioritizing survival.” . and stand up against regimes, even if they are weak.”

He added, “Ironically, this has not happened since the Arab Spring revolutions except in monarchical Arab countries such as Morocco and Jordan. In Morocco, the store has overcome the unfortunate situation of normalizing with the Zionist enemy through the largest Islamist party, the Justice and Development Party and then-Ex. The Prime Minister, Saadeddin Othmani, appeared in a historic scene that would haunt the history of the entire political party as it signed the normalization agreement with the Zionist enemy.

He added: “In Jordan, the Brotherhood tried to avoid a major wave of repression by reducing the level of criticism and mobilization on the streets, especially after the Al-Aqsa floods, which drew criticism from supporters of the resistance. Because of this maneuver, the Islamic Action Front won all the elections. , it was hugely popular, because they were more than other groups and movements, in other words, there was no one more on the pro-resistance scene than them.”

Saif al-Islam Eid… Egyptian writer and political researcher

In response to a question Dr “RB 21” How do political Islamic movements escape the traps of political regimes… and how do they counter them? Researcher Id points out that “there is no complete prescription on this, because each movement or party has a different context than the other and the importance varies according to the geo-strategic position of the state and the nature of the political system, whether. It allows regimes mired in repression, such as those in Egypt and Syria, or limits on political activity, such as those in Tunisia, Jordan, Algeria and Morocco.”

He continued: “Apart from the organization’s popularity, the extent of its cohesion and the strength of its bases that allow it to maneuver, these and other factors determine the strategy and conflict management basis for Islamic movements or groups so that these movements and groups do not fall victim to an Arab regime that wants to consider them as a vehicle for two purposes, the first of which is an entry point for popularizing those movements or suppressing them.”

With a perspective influenced by a broader philosophical perspective, Dr. Muhammad Jalal Al-Qassas, an Egyptian author, political science researcher, and expert on Islamic thought, observed that “the answer to: why Islamic movements were employed multiple times… and by the same local and regional actors… And then the question is: staying in this circle and not getting out of it is done by looking at two categories: the driving mass and the tools of action.

He elaborated his answer by saying: “When you think of the scene and hold its basic vocabulary (statement) in your hands, which is: obscuring the awareness of those responsible for progress (misleading them), and employing regional and international powers, Islamic and Other movements; and repeating the failed experiments, and asking about the reason, you will find the answer in this sentence: the presence of a moving mass that possesses multidimensional tools for action, then the tools for action are also necessary for implementation, and the tools work with the view that they have. created.”

Al-Qasas added in his interview:
“Arb 21”“And on the scene there is a human mass that possesses the tools of action with which it can obscure the consciousness of others and transfer it wherever it pleases. This mass is the elite of the global, regional, and local systems: in their hands are the state (security, economic, media, and judicial institutions, and a religious discourse that agrees with them), and they have money, they have knowledge (information and tools for disseminating information), and they have freedom of movement with their people, money, decisions, and goods, and freedom of movement. An important variable that few pay attention to.”

D. Muhammad Jalal al-Qasas…a scholar of political science and Islamic thought

According to the researcher Al-Qassas, to deal with it and get out of it, it is, “with some preparations and measures, among which the most prominent and important are: knowledge that systems, no matter how powerful they are. , have a life cycle like everything on the face of the earth.” There is, so they grow old and grow old and are replaced: from among them (renewal) or without them (renewal and domination by the enemy), so there is a presence conscious block that knows the path of the tools and how to deal with them, knows the cunning of the ruling class, Knowing that there are moments of vulnerability and waiting for this defining moment, is an absolute necessity.”

At the conclusion of his speech, he points out the importance of creating “a new person and his constitution is the same as the normal person, so he can only object. Condemn, and be patient with suffering (imprisonment and torture), and after it becomes clear that it is It may be important to abandon the tendency to create a tool of the transgressor and an elite specialized in all fields.” Aspects of life… elites who learn, train and practice… including the importance of adopting the path of jurisprudential flexibility and tolerance at this stage, and God commanded to fear the oppressors (unless you fear them).”