Islamic Revival in the Middle East
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ISLAMIC REVIVAL IN THE MIDDLE EAST: THE CASE OF THE QUBAISYATE MOVEMENT IN SYRIA By SANA MAHMANDAR A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School-Newark Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in The Division of Global Affairs Written under the direction of Jean-Marc Coicaud And approved by _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ Newark, New Jersey October 2015 Copyright Page © [2014] Sana Mahmandar ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Abstract of The Dissertation Syria has prided itself throughout modern history of being a secular state, with no official religion, in the heart of the Islamic and Arab world. The reality however, is that the country is facing the same wave that is overcoming the whole region and battling the same issues as other Islamic and Arab states that are currently being overwhelmed with the phenomenon of religious revivalism. One of the major instruments of Islamic revivalism in Syria is an all-women grassroots social movement called the Qubaisyate, which was successful in becoming a substantial driving force behind the rise toward religious conservatism, not only in Syria, but also in other Arab and Muslim countries, reaching as far as Europe and the United States. This study argues that the emergence of the Qubaisyate Islamic movement in the heart of the capital of Ba’athist Syria since the early 1960s, and multiplying to hundreds of thousands of followers in the present day, is due to the rising influence of Islamic revivalism in the Middle East which had influenced the growth of the Islamic sector in Syria, including the Qubaisyate movement. This study will embark on the major theoretical approaches to studying social movements; by combining the concept of political opportunities that reflect the state- centered approach of Political Process theory, mobilizing structures that draw on the entrepreneurial-organizational version of Resource Mobilization theory, as well as the concept of cultural framing and identities in order to bring in ideas, meanings and cultural element. In addressing these three general areas, this research tries to answer how and why the Qubaisyate movement is rising as a significant socio-religious player in Syria despite the totalitarian and secular environment of Syrian politics, which was enforced by the Ba’ath regime for more than five decades. ii Dedication For the most, Kind Honest Amazing Loving Encouraging Devoted Human being in my life; The eternal. iii Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction ........................................................................................ 1 I. Idea...........................................................................................................................................................................1 II. The Subject ..........................................................................................................................................................2 III. Goals......................................................................................................................................................................4 IV. Research Questions ........................................................................................................................................8 V. Research hypotheses.......................................................................................................................................9 a. First dimension: State-centered approach............................................................................................10 b. Second dimension: Entrepreneur-Organizational .............................................................................11 c. Third dimension: Identities and Cultural Framing............................................................................12 Chapter Two: Literature Review............................................................................. 14 I. Definition of Terms.........................................................................................................................................14 II. Religion and Social Movements...............................................................................................................19 III. Theories of social movements................................................................................................................22 a. Collective behavior theory (Structural Strains)..................................................................................22 b. Resource Mobilization theory ....................................................................................................................28 c. Political Process Theory ..............................................................................................................................33 d. Identities and Framing Processes; a synthetic approach ...............................................................38 Chapter Three: Research Methods.......................................................................... 46 I. The Researcher.................................................................................................................................................47 II. Theoretical Paradigms and prospective..............................................................................................48 III. Research Design and Strategies.............................................................................................................49 IV. Methods of collection..................................................................................................................................50 V. Methods of Analysis......................................................................................................................................53 VI. Validity..............................................................................................................................................................54 VII. Chapters Outline .........................................................................................................................................56 Chapter Four: State Centered Approach ................................................................ 58 Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................58 I. Islamic Revival in the Middle East ...........................................................................................................59 a. Historical background ..................................................................................................................................59 b. Origins of contemporary Islamic Revival..............................................................................................61 c. Islamic revival in Syria .................................................................................................................................64 II. Government Discourse....................................................................................................................................68 a. Secularism: Ba’ath rise to power (1963-1970)...................................................................................68 b. Confrontation: The Muslim Brotherhood (1970-1982)....................................................................72 c. Co-optation: state-sponsored Islam (1982-2004)...............................................................................75 d. Threat/revolution: Losing control over the Islamic sector (2004-revolution)........................79 III. Rise of Qubaisyate............................................................................................................................................84 a. Secularism: During Ba’ath secularism initiatives 1963-1970 ......................................................84 b. Confrontation: During Muslim Brotherhood conflict (1970-1982) ............................................88 c. Co-optation: During state-sponsored Islam approach 1982-2010..............................................92 d. Threat/revolution: the position the movement took (2004-revolution) ......................................96 Analysis .................................................................................................................................................................... 103 a. The international context .......................................................................................................................... 104 b. Political access in Syria ............................................................................................................................ 106 c. Influential allies ............................................................................................................................................ 108 d. Divided elites ................................................................................................................................................. 110 iv e. State repression............................................................................................................................................. 112 Conclusion..............................................................................................................................................................