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Islam and the Arab Revolutions

by Hurst
Original price $36.90 - Original price $36.90
Original price
$36.90
$36.90 - $36.90
Current price $36.90

Usaama al-Azami
Paperback, 392 pages
9781787388222

 

The Ulama Between Democracy and Autocracy

 

An original examination of the role of religious scholars in either supporting the Arab revolutions or advocating their repression.

 

The Arab revolutions of 2011 were a transformative moment in the modern history of the Middle East, as people rose up against long-standing autocrats throughout the region to call for ‘bread, freedom and dignity’. With the passage of time, results have been decidedly mixed, with initial success stories like Tunisia contrasting with the emergence of even more repressive dictatorships in places like Egypt, with the backing of several Gulf states.

 

Focusing primarily on Egypt, this book considers a relatively understudied dimension of these revolutions: the role of prominent religious scholars. While pro-revolutionary ulama have justified activism against authoritarian regimes, counter-revolutionary scholars have provided religious backing for repression, and in some cases the mass murder of unarmed protestors.

 

Usaama al-Azami traces the public engagements and religious pronouncements of several prominent ulama in the region, including Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Ali Gomaa and Abdallah bin Bayyah, to explore their role in either championing the Arab revolutions or supporting their repression. He concludes that while a minority of noted scholars have enthusiastically endorsed the counter-revolutions, their approach is attributable less to premodern theology and more to their distinctly modern commitment to the authoritarian state.

 

Contents:
1. Yusuf al-Qaradawi: Early Supporter of the Arab Revolutions
2. Qaradawi and the Egyptian Revolution
3. Ali Gomaa, Ahmad al-Tayyib, and Ali al-Jifri: The Early Opposition to the Egyptian Revolution
4. Hamza Yusuf and Abdallah bin Bayyah: From Support to Opposition
5. Ali Gomaa and the Counter-Revolutionary Massacres
6. Azharis Opposed to the Coup and Counter Revolutions
7. Ali Gomaa: Celebrating the Rabaa Massacre
8. The Reactions of Anti-Coup Ulama to the Rabaa Massacre
9. Understanding Counter-Revolutionary Fatwas and Their Ramifications Beyond Egypt