Islam and politics

Islam and politics

DigitalGeorgetown Repository

Islam and politics


Title:	Islam and politics
Author:	John L. Esposito (Interviewee); Mary Jane Deeb (Interviewee); Krogh, Peter F. (Peter Frederic) (Moderator)
Abstract:	Examines the role Islam plays in the politics of North Africa and the emergence of militant Islam.
Description:	In this episode, Great Decisions examines political Islam in Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia. Although the mixing of religion and state is a phenomenon thousands of years old, the end of the Cold War brought increased scrutiny to religion's role in world politics. In no region of the globe did religion figure more prominently than in the Middle East and North Africa, where the emergence of Islamic militants and Islamic political groups led to increased pressure on secularism. In Egypt, the government had been battling Islamic militant groups for decades, struggling to maintain secular principles in the face of popular religion. In Tunisia as well, Islamic political groups were met by forceful government repression, and in Algeria the Islamic Salvation Front was outlawed in an attempt to prevent the party from gaining political power in democratic elections. What is political Islam, what risks does it carry, and how can it be distinguished from the politics of religious extremism? To discuss the driving forces behind the resurgence of political Islam and the threats posed by militant Islamic groups, host Peter Krogh sits down with John Esposito, Director of Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, and Dr. Mary Jane Deeb, a specialist on North Africa.
Permanent Link:	http://hdl.handle.net/10822/552601
Date Issued:	1994
Date Created:	1994
Subject:	Islam and politics ; Religion and politics -- Middle East ; Islamism ; the Rise of Political Islam