Ключевые слова: Ближний Восток, исламизм, религия, политика, политическая система.
The current situation in the Middle East occupies a special place in the world political community. This is not
surprising, since the Arab world is unique in its political nature. In addition, in connection with the current events
on the territory – the Middle East conflict, the ongoing civil war in Syria, international activities of some terrorist
groups, the geopolitical rivalry of regional countries, etc., the region is considered an object of the attention of
politicians and the media.
The region exists with its own views on life and political processes, which strengthens the interest to the Arab
countries. In this case, it is known that the most acute problems associated with the study of political processes in
the Middle East is the phenomenon of politicization of Islam. This is the core of attention of leading experts in the
field of World Politics and Oriental Studies. In many countries of this region, various political actions are
supported by the dogmas of religion. As a result, this turns into a political ideology called Islamism, videlicet,
there are attempts to Islamize politics. In this context, the increasingly active influence of the Islamist movement
on the political situation in the Middle East makes theoretical comprehension necessary and urgent. In the
framework of the theories of international relations, the world political role of religion is not given due attention.
However, given the recent transformations of political Islam and its impact on global security at the national and
international levels, religion has become more important.
Today a lot is said about Islamism or Political Islam. There are different opinions as to what exactly Islamism
means, where and when this movement appeared, what are the main causes for this trend, and what role religion
plays in it. The obvious is that this phenomenon in theoretical understanding is a rather young ideology.
Experts in the field of Oriental Studies are increasingly turning to the topic of Islamism as one of the most
difficult problems for conception in contemporary reality. Two stages are distinguished in studying these
problems:
The first stage can be attributed to the late 60's - early 80's XX c. During this period, national liberation
movements were taking place in the number of Muslim countries. In addition to this, the revolutions in
Afghanistan and Iran have led to a heightened interest in the problems of modernization of Islam and
manifestations of Political Islam. Political scientists began to talk about a religious renaissance [1, p. 174]. There
were such terms as “politicization of religion” and “religious politics”, talking about the revival of religious ideals
in many regions of the world. In the International Crisis Group (Crisis Group) report is noted that the concept of
“political Islam” appeared after the Iranian Revolution in 1979 [2, p.1], before when Islam was more apolitical in
this country.
The second stage, at the turn of the XX-XXI, includes an interest in studying the problems of Islamism. A
huge interest in the definition of Islamism emerged from the context of international extremism and terrorism.
During this period, these movements are the subject of discussion, therefore questions arise regarding the nature
of Islamism.
At present, under the concept of Islamism it is customary to understand the theory and practice of political
movements that set themselves the goal of bringing the social and state structure in those countries where
Muslims live in accordance with the provisions of Islam.
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