The Failure of Political Islam Revisited

Abstract

In this chapter, Olivier Roy re-examines the failure of political Islam in the light of the Arab Spring revolutions. Noting that the notion of political Islam is itself problematic, he stresses that it is politics that defines the space for religion within a state. The chapter argues that Islamists are not doomed to failure, given their success in mobilizing support from the population and winning elections. However, it underlines that Islamists are likely to drop their Islamists objectives in favour of fostering democratic values. The failure of political Islam as such has also resulted in the rise of neo-fundamentalism reflected in Wahhabi-Salafism.