Regional Integration in Africa: Bridging the North-Sub-Saharan Divide

Regional Integration in Africa Bridging the North-Sub-Saharan Divide came about as a research project conducted by the Africa Institute of South Africa and examines the North African countries\u27 strategies of involvement in the African continent, and their integration initiatives. The book looks at major issues involving Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania. These countries, in most cases, have been treated as separate from sub-Saharan Africa. However, the historical reality and economic and political interests indicate that the North African countries have been and still are closely connected with the rest of the African continent. Egypt, for example, was one of the leading countries in the African unity movement, and, together with Libya, has contributed to the restructuring of the African continental organisation and the establishment of the African Union. The book consists of two parts. The first part includes five chapters written in English, the second part of the book comprises six chapters written in Arabic. © Africa Institute of South Africa 2011

Civil Society in Egypt Under the Mubarak Regime

There is no doubt that most of the structural changes that took place in Egypt since the 23rd July 1952 army-led coup were operated from the top of the political pyramid and not as an expression of a mass movement. The same holds true for the restricted political diversity in the Sadat period, or the controlled liberal policies in the Mubarak regime. The controlled mode of change from above, conforms with the Pharaonic Political system described by Gamal Hemdan. The ruler or head of state in Egypt always enjoyed unlimited authority that borders on deification, and the legal and constitutional framework of the Egyptian state endorses this situation from 1971. This study aims to present an informed vision of the development of civil society in Egypt under Mubarak. The growing number of the NGOs could be seen as a sign of democratization. However, in a case like Egypt, it is a move towards consolidating authoritarianism

Religion as a Security Threat

Religious extremism presents an ideological perspective found in most major religions and is currently associated with various forms of religiously motivated acts of violence. A conceptual framework is adopted to study the warning features of religious extremism and apply it to case studies of Nigeria, Uganda, and the Central African Republic (CAR). The application of a religious jihadism model to Christianity provides a comparative basis for assessing Islamic radical jihadism, helping to understand religion as a security threat, with particular reference to Christian contexts and examples. Using extremist rhetoric and the mobilization of Christian rituals, members of religious groups attempt to renegotiate their position in the public space within a society from which they are excluded due to political, social, and economic dynamics based on their exclusion. This study finds no significant difference between Islamic jihad and Christian jihad, as each seeks to politically exploit religion for political ends

Sufi islamic discourse in Africa: From the greatest jihad to the establishment of the african caliphate

© 2020 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. In the nineteenth century, African Muslim societies were marked by the emergence of a reformist Sufi Islamic discourse aimed at changing and moving away from traditional Islamic practices. Although this discourse was influenced, to some extent, by external sources of inspiration, it was linked to the local African context. This study demonstrates that the reformist discourse of major Sufi figures such as Sheikh Amadu Bamba in Senegal and Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio in Nigeria reflects a number of common features of Islamic reform in Africa, yet their reform programs were shaped by the conditions of the local context. This research contribution aims to understand the actual role that the discourse of Sufi spirituality played—and still does—in the religious, economic, and political life of Muslim societies in Africa. This study has shown that despite the prevailing belief that Sufi discourse does not tend to politicize as it tries to maintain a safe distance away from matters of politics and governance in order to achieve its message of moral and spiritual purity, it may turn into violent radicalism as embodied by the jihadist Sufi experience in West Africa

Islamic State and the Transformation of Islamic Discourse in the Middle East

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the origin and evolution of the Islamic State (IS) with special focus on the root causes that helped construct its Islamic narrative, such as the idea of..

An alternative perspective for political science in North Africa

The Arab Spring in early 2011 caused a heated debate about the ability of North African political scientists to make predictions about the future. They failed to forecast the trends and complex events that unfolded in countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. Political Science in its North African tradition was unable to foresee the course of the democratization process in the region. Revolutionary experience in Tunisia and Egypt during January and February 2011 highlighted the weakness of some assumptions that prevailed in regional political and social thinking during past years. As a consequence, the discipline failed to develop a useful framework to forecast future events based on past evidence. This paper primarily focuses on the following question: What are the true factors impeding the ability of Political Science in North Africa to predict political phenomena? The question can alternately be framed as asking whether the Arab societies in North Africa can survive and prosper without their political scientists. This study discusses the factors and variables that have affected the orientations and the substance of political science in North Africa. It seeks to assess the current status of political science, especially after the Arab Spring, from a non-western perspective

A new hotbed for extremism? Jihadism and collective insecurity in the sahel

© 2020 The Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, Seoul National University. Several jihadist groups sought a safe haven in the Sahel region following the defeat of Daesh in Syria and Iraq, making it a hotbed of terrorist activities. These groups have relied on crime, amongst other strategies, to survive and expand. Such strategies serve as the groups’ lifeblood and help them forge alliances with local actors. The appeal of radical jihadist discourse capitalizes on human insecurities as manifested in political, environmental, and demographic challenges. This article considers not only the new threats to human security in the Sahel, but also the need for a multidimensional, inclusive, dialogue-based solution. Promoting development and social cohesion centered on human security could achieve better results in the region than resorting to external military intervention

The Development of Political Science in the Arab World: A Narrative

This paper presents a narrative for the development of political science in the Arab world since its inception during the first quarter of the last century. The narrative is confined to the experience of some Arab countries such as: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. I was fortunate to have had opportunities to teach political science in many Egyptian and Arab Universities. At these institutions where I taught, conducted research and participated in the decision making process. In the process of tracing the historical development of the discipline we focus on the state of Art at different times with accent on the ideological and political contexts which have informed teaching and conducting research in the Arab world. We also discuss the factors and variables that have affected the orientations and the substance of political science in the Arab region. Finally, the paper seeks to assess the current situation of political science before presenting a brief vision of the future for what will be the discipline in the Arab region, especially after the storming events in the post September 11th world

Sufi Feminism Women Leaders in African Sufi Movements

Men founded and have ruled over Sufi orders since their inception, and thus the position of Khalifa or shaykh has been traditionally held by men. However, this study argues that in some Islamic mystical traditions women have assumed a senior leadership role with all the power that such a prominent position entails. More research is needed to understand the challenges Sufi women have faced in legitimizing their power, their experiences in a patriarchal society, and the various methods they have used to establish and protect their religious authority. By adopting a qualitative approach, this study seeks to explain the shift in Sufi women\u27s leadership role in society, specifically within the African context, focusing on two women who were influential spiritual leaders, Nana Asmau and Sharifa Alawiyya al-Mīrghanī. The study concludes that African Sufi feminist traditions overcame the challenges posed by their complex societal contexts