Political Islam in Arabic criticism : review of discourse

Abstract EN

Since the 1960s, Arab critics, such as Laroui, al-Jabiri, Abu Zayd and Arkoun, have largely participated in the controversy around Islamism in the Arab world; they were, mostly, against the phenomenon, but in 2006, the Syrian Turki al-Rabiʽu’s Al-Harkat al-ʼIslamiyya fi Manzur al-Khitab al- ʽArabi (Islamic Movements from the Perspective of Contemporary Arabic Discourse) provided a comprehensive, but different, reading of the studies devoted to Islamism.

The book attempts to uncover the contradictions in the works of ‘Arab progressives’.

Recent political events could justify this ongoing debate; Islamist movements have clearly proved their ability to organize themselves and to win the people’s trust.

This paper highlights the factors behind Islamism in the Arab world, and attempts to analyze the intellectual discussion around the phenomenon.