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From Caliphate to Civil State: the Young Face of Political Islam In From Caliphate to Civil State: The Young Face of Political Islam in Jordan after the Arab Spring 2 From Caliphate to Civil State: The Young Face of Political Islam in Jordan after the Arab Spring The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan The Deposit Number at The National Library (2018/6/2327) 277 AbuRumman, Mohammad Suliman From Caliphate to Civil State: The Young Face of Political Islam in Jordan after the Arab Spring/ Mohammad Suliman AbuRumman, Niven "Mohammad Sufoh" Bondokji; translated by William Joseph Ward. - 2018 ﻋﲈﻥ: ﻣﺆﺳﺴﺔ ﻓﺮﻳﺪرﻳﺶ اﻳﱪت, (224) p. Deposit No.: 2018/5/2327 Descriptors: /Islam//Politics/ ﻳﺘﺤﻤﻞ اﳌﺆﻟﻒ ﻛﺎﻣﻞ اﳌﺴﺆﻭﻟﻴﺔ اﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮﻧﻴﺔ ﻋﻦ ﳏﺘﻮ￯ ﻣﺼﻨﻔﻪ ﻭﻻ ﹼﻳﻌﱪ ﻫﺬا اﳌﺼﻨﻒ ﻋﻦ رأﻱ داﺋﺮة اﳌﻜﺘﺒﺔ اﻟﻮﻃﻨﻴﺔ أﻭ أﻱ ﺟﻬﺔ ﺣﻜﻮﻣﻴﺔ أﺧﺮ￯. Published in 2018 by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Jordan & Iraq FES Jordan & Iraq P.O. Box 941876 Amman11194 Jordan Email: [email protected] Website: www.fes-jordan.org Not for Sale © FES Jordan & Iraq All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the publishers. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the original author. They do not necessarily represent those of the Friedrich-Ebert- Stiftung or the editor. Translation: Industry Arabic Cover design: Yousef Saraireh Lay-out: Eman Khattab Printing: Economic Press ISBN: 978-9957-484-82-8 Table of Contents 3 Dr. Mohammed Abu Rumman Dr. Neven Bondokji From Caliphate to Civil State: The Young Face of Political Islam in Jordan after the Arab Spring 4 From Caliphate to Civil State: The Young Face of Political Islam in Jordan after the Arab Spring FOREWORD Tim Petschulat, Resident Director Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Jordan and Iraq The “Arab Spring” brought change to most Arab countries in one way or another. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was effected economically, politically and demographically by events in neighbouring countries. Among the most notable direct impacts on Jordan was the change the “Arab Spring” brought for the Muslim Brotherhood. Before 2011 there was only one political party to represent it: the Islamic Action Front (IAF). This has changed. Disagreements between party leadership and party youth, controversial debates about the lessons learnt from regime changes in Egypt and Tunis and the exodus of many members with roots from the east bank of the River Jordan have let to the establishment of three new parties. Two of these parties are described by Mohammad Abu Rumman and Niveen Bondokji as Post Political Islam parties: They are deeply rooted in the history of the Muslim Brotherhood but have at the same time overcome some of its doctrines. I am grateful to both authors for providing us with insights on some significant changes of the map of political Islam in Jordan. By interviewing youth and leaders both from the National Conference Party (Zamzam) and Partnership & Rescue Party and comparing their intellectual discourse with the traditional approach of IAF members and leaders they gained a number of very interesting insights. The different approaches on the relation 2 From Caliphate to Civil State: The Young Face of Political Islam in Jordan after the Arab Spring between religious advocacy and politics are among the topics that I found most interesting. The authors also raise the important question whether the IAF will manage to remain a national political force or might rather turn into an entity that represents Jordanians with Palestinian roots only. FES Jordan started in 2007 a series of publication on Political Islam. Ever since 16 publications have seen the light of day, each one of them not for sale, but for open distribution among the interested public. Since Political Islam still has a quite notable influence on Arab and Muslim societies it is my believe that understanding its history, its development and the debates within the movements of Political Islam are crucial to the understanding of Arab and Muslim societies. I am convinced that a healthy knowledge of the developments in this field are of importance not only for academics of Social Sciences but for all who attempt to engage into development or governance related work in the region. FES seeks to contribute with its research and its programs to the vision of democratic transformation that His Majesty King Abdallah II formulated in his famous discussion papers (2012 to 2017). Table of Contents Introduction 9 Objectives of the Book 13 Methodology of the Study 15 Limitations of the Study 16 Chapter One The State and the Muslim Brotherhood: A Winding 21 In the Stage of Amity and Coexistence 22 Transformation in the Relationship: Reasons and Results 28 With King Abdullah II: Elements and Dynamics of the Crisis 34 The Relationship’s Constraints and Possibilities 41 Conclusion 45 Chapter Two: Internal Changes: Organizational Mobilization and Intellectual Debates 49 The Qutbist Wave 51 Attitude Towards Democracy 53 Controversy over the “National Question” 58 Findings and Conclusions for 2018 67 Conclusion 74 Chapter Three: “Post-Islamist” Parties 77 National Congress Party – Zamzam 79 A.Founding Circumstances 79 B.Intellectual Discourse 86 C.Organizational Structure 88 D. Activities and Political Orientation 91 Licensed Muslim Brotherhood Society 92 A.Founding Circumstances 92 B.New Methodology 95 Partnership and Rescue Party 97 A.Founding Circumstances 97 B.Party By-Laws 99 C.New Thinking and Different Discourse 101 Conclusion 104 6 From Caliphate to Civil State: The Young Face of Political Islam in Jordan after the Arab Spring Chapter Four: Islamists and the Debate on the Civil State and Freedoms 107 Ambiguity of term and concept 111 The Civil, Religious, and Secular State 117 “Supra-Constitutional” Principles 120 Conclusion 126 Chapter Five: Perceptions of Islamic Youth Regarding the Civil State 129 The Concept of the Civil State 130 The Civil State and the Islamic State 135 A. The Naïve Vision of the Islamic State 136 B. The Islamic State is a Civil State 138 C. Agreement on Values and Fears of Political Exploitation of the Concept 140 Islamic Reference 142 Conclusion 147 Chapter Six: Separating Da’wa from Politics 155 Functional Specialization 159 Society and Protecting Islamic Identity 161 Preventing the Exploitation of Religion in Politics 165 Changes in Rhetoric Versus Intellectual Constancy 166 Conclusion 168 Chapter Seven: Ambiguities of Application: Public Rights, Minority Rights and “Supra-Constitutional” Principles 173 General and Minority Rights 174 A.Equal citizenship and shared responsibility 174 B.Democracy, Majority Opinion, and Legal Authority 175 C.Competence and Trustworthiness 176 D.Da’wa and Political Role 177 E.Culture of Society 181 F.Concept of Freedom 183 “Supra-Constitutional” Principles 184 Conclusion 187 Chapter Eight: Causes of Change and Transformation 191 The Brotherhood’s Internal Crises and Organizational Rigidity Contradictions of Identity 192 Self-Education and Exposure to New Ideas 199 Table of Contents 7 Foreign Experiences, Both Successes and Failures 204 The Popular Movement and Rapprochement with Non-Islamists Accumulation of Practical Experience 209 Conclusion 210 Conclusion 215 Bibliography 221 8 From Caliphate to Civil State: The Young Face of Political Islam in Jordan after the Arab Spring INTRODUCTION The Arab Spring witnessed significant changes among Islamic movements. This moment acted as the main “test” of these movements’ intentions, and of the credibility of their previous statements regarding their belief in democracy and their acceptance of political pluralism and rotation of power. While the new Islamic experiment in governance was somewhat successful in some countries and failed in others, the questions related to the above-mentioned concepts remain open and controversial. Moreover, these questions are even more urgent given the rise of extremism, violence, and terror- ism, and the debate over the civil state, human rights, and the enforcement of Islamic Shari’a, as well as Islamic-secular polarization. The Islamists’ actual experiences in governance have not yet produced definitive and comprehensive answers. This is true whether one looks at what occurred in Egypt, with the reversal of democratic progress and the reinstatement of the ban on the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party (now considered terrorist movements), or what oc- curred in Tunisia and Morocco, where the Islamists partici- pate in governance and in drafting laws and constitutions. The negotiations and conversations regarding the Islamists’ true agenda are ongoing. The path of these experiences relies 10 From Caliphate to Civil State: The Young Face of Political Islam in Jordan after the Arab Spring more on the balance of power and the political characteristics of the regimes than on Islamic ideologies, and whether they exhibit or conceal a deep belief (or the contrary) in democra- cy as a definite system for governance and for the state. One of the problems of previous Islamic experiences was doubts regarding the credibility of the Islamic discourse on democracy, and whether this discourse has penetrated, and been accepted by, the Islamist base and by the young people that are active in these Islamist groups. Likewise, there are doubts surrounding the credibility of these groups’ renuncia- tion of their former ideas regarding the establishment of an Islamic state and the enforcement of Islamic Shari’a. There are also doubts regarding the degree to which Is- lamists understand the consequences of their announced ac- ceptance of democracy, human rights, public freedoms, and political pluralism. In other words, there are doubts regarding their conception of democracy and its tenets, significance, and philosophy generally. This type of “grey area” in the question of the Islamists and democracy raised a group of questions in the intense de- bate in Arab media and politics, and fueled the fears of many social groups towards the Islamists. These groups include religious minorities, women, and other secular and liberal currents.
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