Polislam Tour 2012

Kahlifah!!


Polislam - also nom d"guerr"d as political m"Hammedism - has been l"rage d"jour ever since that Tunisian cat ignited himself (in Tunisia - natch) and sparked off Arab Sprang. The concept is kinda elderly and the future may be about as suck as ancient history

As best understood, crazy assetted preachers in Persia, bits of Lebanon and the Strip  have failed to queer the mix on some of Arab League's recent revolutionary revolutions - the allure of a mythical m'Hammedist preacher's paradise is still powerful meds to the wretched realities of cats suffering under secular autocrazies - though in the Strip and Iran - the preacher's paradise IS the wretched reality. 

 For many on the American left and right, the "Arab Spring" has become the "Arab Winter" of triumphant fundamentalists.


Maybe - ricocheting from secular or royal autocrazies into the crazy hateful failed intolerance of holy autocrazies may be exactly what it takes to realize an embrace of secularism and the liberal values that spring from it. They have to arrive voluntarily at this understanding. 

So, kick back and enjoy this especial tour conducted by Globe & Mail (which funnily enough is NOT a Mail Order distance/deception/perception enhancement device for hoochies - despite the name)


Egypt


m"Hammedist role in girl hatin' Aegypt: Once barred from running for office, Ikwhan’s new Freedom and Justice Party has a plurality of seats in both houses of parliament. The more fundamentalist Nour Party is the leading opposition. m"Hammedists dominate the constitutional council (to the point that liberal and Coptic council members have withdrawn from the constitution-writing process.)


Place of sharia: Ikwhan says the new constitution should not alter the 1971 constitution that stipulates that the principles of sharia are the main source of legislation (but not the only source).


Outlook: A moderate m"Hammedist is likely to be elected president in the election, slated for late May, leaving the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces as possibly the sole defender of secular interests.


Wild card: Adverse reaction to the electoral commission’s banning of two leading m"Hammedist presidential candidates could force postponement of the election.


Jordan


m"Hammedist role


Ikwhan's m"Hammedist Action Front has boycotted the past two elections, arguing that Jordanian tribes have been given an unfair electoral advantage and that the government is appointed by the king, not the people.


Place of sharia


m"Hammedist law is cited in the constitution as one of two sources of legislation in Jordan (the other being adopted European law). Surveys show that a majority of Jordanians would like sharia to be the only source of laws.


Outlook


Growing popularity of m"Hammedist, especially Ikwhan, is pushing King Abdullah II to accept new election laws and constitutional reform, although he is facing strong resistance from the country's tribal leaders.


Wild card


Jordanian tribes are fighting back, using their parliamentary advantage to try to bar religious-oriented parties from running. It will be up to the king to decide who wins.


Libya


m"Hammedist role


m"Hammedist parties were long forbidden, but Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chairman of the transitional government who advocates “m"Hammedist democracy,” was made chairman of the interim National Transition Council in post-Gadhafi Libya. Almost all the political parties that will contest elections later this year are m"Hammedists of varying shades and personalities.


Place of sharia


The constitutional council drafting a new constitution favours making sharia the inspiration behind laws, but not the sole source of law.


Outlook


m"Hammedist, probably moderates, will win the parliamentary election. “Salafists,” says a Western diplomat who specializes in m"Hammedist movements, “barely show on the radar.”


Wild card


A militant  leader, Abd al-Hakim Belhadj, who's associated with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and was renditioned by the CIA to Libya where he was imprisoned and tortured, has emerged as a popular hero and could mount a political challenge.


Palestinian Territories


m"Hammedist role


Victorious in the 2006 election, Hamas's Reform and Change Party is relegated only to Gaza after conflict with the secular Fatah movement. Recent efforts by Egypt and, more recently, by Qatar, have led to a shaky reconciliation with Fatah that will allow for new elections.


Place of sharia


Hamas says m"Hammedist law will be the basis of legislation in a future Palestinian state only if the people vote for such an idea.


Outlook


Hamas's popularity has risen in the Fatah-controlled West Bank, and it could win an election if one is held this year as expected.


Wild card


Pro-Iranian elements within Hamas and other m"Hammedist groups could marginalize Hamas's pro-Qatar leadership of Khaled Meshaal.


Syria


m"Hammedist role


Long banned in Syria, Ikwhan is a major part of the opposition now challenging the regime of Bashar al-Assad.


Place of sharia


Syria is officially a secular, socialist state, though there are m"Hammedist courts that deal with family law and other religious legal areas.


Outlook


The current regime is likely to quash the current opposition, but the m"Hammedist genie has been let out of the bottle and is likely to grow in support.


Wild card


Extreme militant m"Hammedist, many from outside Syria, with sufficient military support, could carry on the civil war and unseat the al-Assad regime, leading to an m"Hammedist state.


Tunisia


m"Hammedist role


Banned for decades, the Ennahda [m"Hammedist Renaissance] Party is now the largest partner in a coalition government (with two moderate, non-m"Hammedist parties).


Place of sharia


m"Hammedist law is not mentioned in the constitution, though m"Hammedism is recognized as the state religion. “We are not going to use the law to impose religion,” Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi said, explaining why the government wants to leave it this way. However, challenged by the more fundamentalist Salafist movement, the government agreed to permit women to wear the niqab (full veil) in public facilities, including universities, where they had been banned.


Outlook


The m"Hammedist are popular but aren't likely to get an absolute majority any time soon.


Wild card


Salafist support could grow at the expense of the more moderate Ennahda.

Pic - "We vow here to fight until the last drop of our blood. We can't do it now, but we will win the elections, unite the people, strengthen our army and prepare the hearts and minds of the soldiers so that we will be able to go to war against Little Satan."