The role of the state & the rise of islamism

• Main Author: Amaran, Arina
• Other Authors: Ana Cristina Dias Alves
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Political science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/72222
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

With the occurrences of 9/11 and the Charlie Hebdo Shooting in 2015, Islam has been accused of promoting terror. However, over the years, Islamism has occurred in numerous forms such as the Arab Spring and the Iranian Revolution. In seeking to understand the resurgence of Islamism, there is a need to acknowledge political Islam as a multifaceted ideology. Further, some authors have suggested that weak states can play a role in providing a conducive environment for terrorism to occur. However, current literature has yet to determine the role of states in influencing the resurgence of Islamism. As such, this paper seeks to establish a correlation between the failures of a state in enabling the expansion of political Islam movements and groups. By investigating the political, social, and economic contexts from which these movements emerge, this paper will substantiate the relationship between the development of Islamism and the functions of a state. Furthermore, there is evidence to support that the presence of mobilising institutions and opportunity windows provide catalysts for collective action to occur.