Adopting the Turkish Model: The Post-revolution Political Development of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood
Format
Oral Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Daniel O'Neill
Faculty Mentor Department
Political Science
Abstract/Artist Statement
My research project aims to discover the policy path of the Egyptian sociopolitical organization, the Muslim Brotherhood and more specifically it’s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party in a post-revolution environment. I aim to determine whether or not the Islamic political party, the AKP, which has been in power in Turkey for over a decade, would provide a viable model for its new Egyptian counterpart. The Muslim Brotherhood has played a major role in Egyptian society since its founding in 1922, but since the 1952 revolution that overthrew the British instituted monarchy, the organization has been banned under new regulations of secularism in the government. This all came crashing down in February of 2011 when, after eleven days of protests in the streets of Cairo, President Hosni Mubarak was ousted. The revolution gave way to a new wave of political freedom and for the first time the Muslim Brotherhood was permitted to form a political party. Their subsequent success in the country’s parliamentary elections solidified their role in the political future of Egypt. The question then becomes what kind of political presence will they be? Will they implement the radical Islamic agenda the west has feared for so long or will they choose a more centrist, pragmatic approach focusing on economic growth and strong foreign policy. The Turkish AKP party offers a strong model for just that, a modern Islamist party and what I seek to discover is whether or not the stage is set for the Muslim Brotherhood to adopt that model and move their country forward in a way deemed appropriate by the western world.
Location
DeRosa University Center, Room 214
Start Date
21-4-2012 1:00 PM
End Date
21-4-2012 5:00 PM
Adopting the Turkish Model: The Post-revolution Political Development of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood
DeRosa University Center, Room 214
My research project aims to discover the policy path of the Egyptian sociopolitical organization, the Muslim Brotherhood and more specifically it’s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party in a post-revolution environment. I aim to determine whether or not the Islamic political party, the AKP, which has been in power in Turkey for over a decade, would provide a viable model for its new Egyptian counterpart. The Muslim Brotherhood has played a major role in Egyptian society since its founding in 1922, but since the 1952 revolution that overthrew the British instituted monarchy, the organization has been banned under new regulations of secularism in the government. This all came crashing down in February of 2011 when, after eleven days of protests in the streets of Cairo, President Hosni Mubarak was ousted. The revolution gave way to a new wave of political freedom and for the first time the Muslim Brotherhood was permitted to form a political party. Their subsequent success in the country’s parliamentary elections solidified their role in the political future of Egypt. The question then becomes what kind of political presence will they be? Will they implement the radical Islamic agenda the west has feared for so long or will they choose a more centrist, pragmatic approach focusing on economic growth and strong foreign policy. The Turkish AKP party offers a strong model for just that, a modern Islamist party and what I seek to discover is whether or not the stage is set for the Muslim Brotherhood to adopt that model and move their country forward in a way deemed appropriate by the western world.