A Variety of Theoretical Paradigms of the Middle East - Essay Example

A variety of theoretical paradigms have grown out of the Middle East in recent times. Arab nationalism and Islamism are political and social theories that seek to address the particular concerns facing the Arab world. Islam is a world religion that is one of the three great monotheistic religions and has its heart in the Middle East. While each is important, Arab nationalism may be waning and Islamism remains a potent force in the post-Cold War world. What are the key differences in the understanding of problems and the prescription for action for each ideological movement (Khater, 2004; Bloom, 2005)?

Arab nationalism is an ideology that grew out of the new states of the Arab world following the demise of the Ottoman Empire and was articulated first by Gamel Abd Nasser in Egypt. The basic premise behind Arab nationalism is that the Middle East has been artificially divided and that the Arab people constitute one nation. In a modern context, Ba’athism is the last true Arab nationalist ideology and the Ba’th party under Saddam Hussein was in power in Iraq prior to his overthrow and remains the dominant political party in Syria under Bashar al Asad. Unlike Islamism, secular Arab nationalism sees a strong central government, socialist economic policies and Arab unification as the means through which global challenges can be overcome. Only through Arab unity, according to secular Arab nationalism, can the present problems of the Arab world be overcome. What does Islamism have to say? (Khater, 2004; Gelvin, 2005; CIA, 2009).

Islam began in the Middle East around 600 A.D. and was shepherded into this world by the Prophet Mohammad. Seeking to address the plight of the people of the Middle East around the seventh century A.D. and growing out of Judaism and Christianity, Islam has now become a world religion with more than 1 billion adherents worldwide. There are two main streams or branches of Islam, Sunni and Shi’a, and the divisions between the two sects are centuries old. Sunni Islam is the more prominent sect while Shi’a accounts for between 15-20% of the total Muslim world (Gelvin, 2005; Khater, 2004). Islamism is an ideology that stresses Islam as a guiding political force. Islamism has frequently come into conflict with secular ideologies and regimes, including in Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian territories. Islamism has been tied to violence and terrorism and remains an important threat to the stability of the region. The present power in the semi-autonomous Gaza Strip Hamas, self-identifies as an Islamist organization (Khater, 2004).

The Muslim resurgence in the past sixty years has been caused by persistent underdevelopment in the Middle East, a legacy of authoritarian rule and rising expectations in a global world. The West has many difficulties with Islam and many in the Western world, before 9/11 as well as after, have little understanding of the faith and subsequently of its adherents. The result has been an upsurge in grievances in the Islamic world and the appropriation of terror as a tactic. Islam is said to provide justification for terror and terrorist activities and many terrorists cite the Koran when committing acts of violence. Read More