The Organizational Vehicles of Islamic Political Dissent: Social Bases, Genealogies and Strategies

Abstract

The organizational vehicles of Islamic political dissent vary greatly in the contemporary world. At one end of the spectrum, there could be full-fledged political parties occupying recognized positions in the official sphere of political life, and recently some of these have even come to take power in their respective countries. At the other end, however, one might find terrorist activity centred on small and isolated cells. Located somewhere in between could be a host of mass organizations associated with religious social movements, peaceful or otherwise and in some cases, assorted militias that deal in intimidation or violence. These diverse vehicles have found different levels of success in specific contexts. It is shown here that what kinds of vehicles become predominant is largely contingent on how social alliances come to be built to represent the interests of an increasingly diverse ummah — the community of believers — in modern and profane competition over power and resources.