Islamism: the latest false prophet to fall?

“Be on your guard against false prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on the outside, but on the inside they are really like wild wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)

A decade after the fall from power of Zine El Abedine Ben Ali, Tunisia is experiencing another political convulsion. Protests against the incumbent government has been followed by President Kais Saeid moving to dismiss the government and suspend the Parliament.

But there’s something bigger to come out of this. One of the main targets of public anger is the Ennahda movement and the Islamism it represents. And that’s part of a wider trend in the Arab World where Political Islam is failing, just as the delusions of Arab nationalism (as represented by Saddam Hussein and the Assad crime clan) and Communism have also failed.

Islamism is simply the latest replacement ideology to wage war on Western Civilisation on one hand and seek to bring revolution to the so-called “Global South” on the other. What it really means is an Islamic form of Liberation Theology, with a Leftist political theory and worldview at its core. This is why the Western Left can so easily align with Islamist movements despite apparently incompatible social agendas, and why more seemingly incongruous alliances have be formed. This provides a support network for such ideologies and regimes to be able to perpetrate atrocities against their own people.

The results of such ideologies being implemented stifle the social and economic development of nations for generations. Nowhere this has been more evident in Iran, where people have been more united and determined than ever to overthrow the Islamic Republic. Islamism also does damage to religion itself - whereas traditional religious scholars are a respected and honoured part of society in the Arab World, in Iran the ruling Shia clergy are despised by much of the populace due to their arrogance, corruption and abuse.

These Islamist movements have also yoked themselves to the geopolitical ambitions of such states as Turkey and Qatar, in opposition to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain. Their alignment with Erdogan’s agenda also includes supporting his sinister foreign policy actions, and embracing Turkey’s dishonest version of history including Armenian Genocide denial. Nowhere was this better shown when Ilhan Omar voted “present” on Armenian Genocide recognition in Congress.

Like its “secular” competitors such as Baathism and Communism, Islamism is sold as an antidote to “Western imperialism”, but like those ideologies, serves as an agent for imperialist agendas. Just as Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and Hafez al-Assad occupied Syria, so the Islamic Republic regime in Iran squanders money on adventures in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen, reducing these countries to servitude and misery. Erdogan no doubt has the intention of using Islamist movements globally the same way.

If there is a counter-ideology, it’s in nationalism, royalism and a return to traditional religion as opposed to political religion. Islam, therefore, becomes just a religion again. And that’s the conclusion the Arab World has reached after a dramatic decade.