INTERVIEW: Author Tarek Osman on the past and future of Islamism

Clashes between secular and Islamist political forces came out into the open in many places after the Arab uprisings of 2011. The revolts lifted the lid on tensions that had long bubbled under the surface, though in places like Turkey the divide had defined politics for many years. 

Sectarian strife across much of the Middle East is commanding most headlines today, but the question of the role of religion within majority-Muslim societies remains crucial. A new book by writer and broadcaster Tarek Osman, "Islamism: What it Means for the Middle East and the World" (reviewed in HDN here) explores these questions and imagines possible future paths for religious politics in the region. 

Osman spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News about his book.

What is your working definition of "Islamism"?

Islamism is the manifestation of any view or interpretation of Islam in governing, legislation, political legitimacy, or invoking that view or interpretation as the identity of any society. It is not another term for political Islam; and so it is not political groups or parties having their interpretation of Islamic heritage as a frame of reference or of inspiration. It is a much wider umbrella.

The uprisings across the Arab world in 2011 were largely led by young secular-minded activists. But Islamist groups with greater organization and social reach were among the main beneficiaries in the immediate aftermath. How did this happen?

The groups that came together in 2011 in different Arab countries did not have clear political objectives. Keep in mind that the slogan "the people want the fall of the regime," which became a symbol of many of these uprisings, did not appear in the first few days of these uprisings, whether in Tunisia,...