By 2024, has the era of political Islam come to an end?
In alignment with the expectations of experts on Islamic movements regarding the imminent demise of the Brotherhood‘s ideology in all its forms and the division of political Islam, Egyptian writer and researcher in the philosophy of history, Samah Askar, believes that “the currents and organizations of political Islam have come to an end, with no way for them to return in the face of the Arab and Islamic peoples turning away from them.”
Askar states that the reason for this lies in the fact that “these currents received a decisive blow from within, as the practices of the political parties representing them fell short of the ambitions of the elected peoples. Additionally, their political discourse transcended time, leaving the representatives of these currents isolated both in terms of public support and reality.”
Continuing his statement, Askar asserts, “The youth turning to engage in right-wing nationalist currents is a phenomenon that may end the hopes of political Islam to make a comeback.” He points out that “reviving the project requires youth who believe in the ideas, a social climate that embraces them, something that political Islam lacks in terms of thought and organization. It is not expected to overcome this dilemma in the near or distant future.”
The armed fundamentalist groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram, and other militant organizations have eroded trust with their practices, revealing that their promises were merely hollow slogans to attain power. Several studies anticipate that starting from 2024 and beyond, there will be an organizational and ideological end to political Islam. Attempts to “rescue” it will not enable it to overcome its recent catastrophe, even if it resorts to abandoning traditional organizational forms and transitioning into a broad current of those who are in agreement with its ideas.
