"Islamic Solution" in Jordan
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Dr. Mohammad Abu Rumman Hassan Abu Hanieh The “Islamic Solution” in Jordan Islamists, the State, and the Ventures of Democracy and Security The “Islamic Solution” in Jordan Islamists, the State, and the Ventures of Democracy and Security Dr. Mohammad Abu Rumman Hassan Abu Hanieh Foreword Anja Wehler-Schoeck, Resident Director, FES Jordan & Iraq In the course of the “Arab Spring” several undemocratic regimes were toppled throughout the region. However, three years after the self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi in Tunis, which became the symbolic catalyst of the popular uprisings in the Arab world, the progress of democracy is debatable. Throughout the region, the protests and revolutions spurred heated controversies regarding democratic governance and the involvement of certain political actors, namely Islamist movements and parties, which, under several of the fallen regimes, had been thwarted in their political participation. A main concern remained whether Islamist movements were seeing democracy as an aim in itself or merely as a vehicle to accede to power. Meanwhile, these debates were also taking place within the Islamist movements themselves, which, as in the case of most of the Salafi streams, were traditionally opposed to involvement in political affairs. With the removal of Mohammed Morsi from the Egyptian Presidency in July 2013, this discourse gained a new dynamic. Both in the Arab world and in the West, the debates on these issues are often highly ideologized and prone to generalizations. However, just as their secular counterparts, Islamist movements and parties are far from being a homogenous entity. They are marked by significant differences in terms of their ideology and convictions, their agendas, strategies and discourses. To shed light on the various streams and trends, and to promote an educated discourse on Islamist movements, FES Amman has created a line of work dedicated to Political Islam. In this context, a publication series was launched in 2007, under which the eighth volume is being published with the present book. These publications aim to provide sound and thorough analysis of Islamist movements to a broad audience. While their focus is mainly on Jordan, the insights may certainly prove useful to a readership far beyond, given the fact that many movements operate throughout the region and that political developments in the different countries are often interconnected. Given the wide positive echo, which the publications received in Jordan and in the region, and in the light of the fact that the issues they address remain as relevant today as they were at the time of publication, FES Amman decided to republish five of the texts in the present complication “The ‘Islamic Solution’ in Jordan”. With this book, we wish to better show the linkages between the different facets of this complex topic and to update the analysis based on the developments in the past years. All previously published texts were thoroughly edited and amended. Moreover, three new chapters were added to reflect the 2010 elections in Jordan, to assess the trend of Jihadi Salafism and to examine the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami. The team of FES Amman wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude to the authors Dr. Mohammad Abu Rumman and Hassan Abu Hanieh, both of whom are renowned experts on the issue of Political Islam and who have proven to be invaluable resources in this field. Our thanks also goes to you, our readers, for your interest in the activities and publications of FES Amman. We wish you an interesting and insightful read of “The ‘Islamic Solution’ in Jordan”. Table of Contents Introduction: The Aim of This Compilation Preface: A General Mapping of Islamist Groups and Movements in Jordan Chapter One: Conservative Secularism: The Jordanian Approach to Managing the Relationship between the State and Religion Introduction 1. “Conservative Secularism”: The Relationship between the State and Religion 2. Dealing with the Islamists: The Dominance of Security and Political Approaches 3. A General Mapping of Religious Institutions and Policies Conclusion: “Religious Policy” Power Houses Chapter Two: A Deepening Crisis: The 2007 Parliamentary Elections Introduction 1. The Muslim Brotherhood and the Regime: From Alliance to Crisis 2. Explaining the Crisis and Its Dimensions 3. The Brotherhood’s Political Debates 4. The Brotherhood’s Political Discourse 5. A Stormy Internal Crisis 6. The Electoral Campaign 7. The Election’s Earthquake: The Brotherhood Setback Conclusion: After the 2007 Elections: The Crisis with the Regime Chapter Three: A New Political Role: The Muslim Brotherhood after the 2010 Elections Introduction 1. The Decision to Boycott: Key Factors and Rationale 2. An Absent Brotherhood: The Question of Political and Electoral Power 3. The Internal Debate and the “Organizational Crisis” 4. Contrasting Wagers on the Position of the State 5. Continuation of the Status Quo or a New Phase in the Political Equation? Conclusion: The Future of the Relationship between the State and the Muslim Brotherhood: Deal or Confrontation? Chapter Four: Jordanian Policy and the Hamas Challenge: Exploring Gray Areas and the Question of Mutual Interests Introduction 1. A Historical Prelude: The Meandering Path between Hamas and Jordan 2. Behind the Scenes: Domestic and External Factors Shape Transformations in the Relationship between the Jordanian State and Hamas 3. The Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas: Questions of Identity and Power 4. The Triumph of Apprehension, Ambiguity and the “Gap in Mutual Interests” Conclusion: Open-Ended Scenarios and Multiple Factors Chapter Five: Conservative Salafism in Jordan: A Strategy for the “Islamization of Society” and an Ambiguous Relationship with the State Introduction 1. Hybrid Ideological Maps: Conflicting and Converging Salafist Paths 2. Nasseruddin al-Albani: The “Founding Father” of Conservative Salafism in Jordan 3. The Evolution and Rise of Conservative Salafism: A Truce with the State and Conflict with other Islamists 4. The Conservative Salafist Ideology 5. An Ambiguous Stance towards Politics 6. The “Intellectual War” against Other Islamists: The Domination of the “Surviving Sect” 7. The Social Presence of Conservative Salafism: Spaces to Proliferate and Modes of Work 8. The State and the Conservative Salafists: The Policies of the “Security Game” Conclusion: Future Prospects Chapter Six: The Jihadi Salafist Movement in Jordan after Al-Zarqawi: Identity, Leadership Crisis, and Obscured Vision Introduction 1. The Jihadi Salafist Movement’s Nascent Stages and the Blueprint for Expansion: from “Bay‘at al-Imam” to the “Amman Hotel Bombings” 2. The Struggle over the Movement’s Identity and Priorities 3. The System of Governance and Khilafa in the Perspective of Jihadi Salafist 4. The Governing Principles of Jihadi Salafist Ideology 5. The Social Characteristics of the Movement and its Methods of Mobilization 6. The State’s Strategy in Confronting Jihadi Salafism Conclusion: Prevailing Conditions and Potential Scenarios Chapter Seven: The Jihadi Salafist Approach to the Arab Democratic Revolutions Introduction 1. The Arab Democratic Revolutions in the Perspective of Jihadi-Salafism 2. Perspectives on New Challenges: Engaging in the Public Sphere 3. Ideological Wavering: Between Al-Qaeda, Strategic Reassessment, or Ideological Retreat 4. The Question of Strength and Presence: The Lack of a Social Incubator 5. Factors behind the Retreat of Armed Resistance Conclusion: After the Security Clampdown Chapter Eight: Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami: Ideological and Organizational Evolution Introduction 1. Taqiuddin al-Nabhani: “The Founding Sheikh” of Hizb ut-Tahrir 2. The Concept of “Politics”: Between the State and the Caliphate 3. Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Stance towards Democracy and the Political Game 4. Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Methodology of Change and Mechanisms of Insurrection 5. The Self and the Other: Hizb ut-Tahrir and other Islamist Groups 6. Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Organizational and Party Structure Conclusion: Challenges and Future Prospects Conclusion: The “Islamic Solution” in Jordan: Islamists, the State, and the Ventures of Democracy and Security Appendix: Armed Operations Carried out by Jihadi-Salafists. Case Analyses of Justifications and Objectives Resources and References About the Authors Introduction: The Aim of This Compilation Political Islam has come to occupy a pivotal place in the Arab political and intellectual debate, sparked by the rise of the revolutionary democratic “Spring” in the region. This debate has been further fueled by the emergence of Islamist movements as important political players in many Arab countries, and by the expectation that these movements will play a very active role in demarcating the course of the upcoming phase and the competing stakes around it during this volatile period. It is expected that Islamists will be influential in the immediate future, whether they represent active political forces and parties on a local level or whether they yield their influence from larger countries, or even neighboring ones, where their presence and power have significantly increased in recent years. The proverbial iceberg has melted in many Arab countries; and, consequently, discussions about the power of the Islamists and their political and social presence can no longer be characterized by the typically speculative discourse, which has often been dominated by a logic imbued with exaggeration, scapegoating, disparagement or belittlement. Today, the realities emerging from