"Engaging
Moderate Islamists in the Democratic Process: Policy
Implications for Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan"
by Dr. Amr Hamzawy
Thursday, May 19, 2005
12:00 – 1:30 PM
Brown Bag--Cold Drinks Provided
CSID Conference Room
2121 K Street, NW , Suite 700
Washington DC, 20037
RSVP to Layla Sein: sein@islam-democracy.org
Summary:
It has become common to suggest that the West should
reach out to non-violent Islamist political movements in
the Arab world and integrate them in its democracy
promotion efforts. Two major factors have contributed to
the apparent shift in American and European perceptions
from an overall stigmatization of Islamists after 9/11
as irrational fanatics, to an operational distinction
between violent and non-violent, radical and moderate
actors: the problematic path of Arab democratization and
the newly discovered pragmatism within the Islamist
spectrum. However, both the United States and Europe are
yet to articulate clear policy guidelines that structure
their encounter with Islamist movements. Existing doubts
about the degree of their commitment to democratic
reforms and the real intentions behind their pragmatism
hamper attempts to move ahead in the direction of
engaging them.
About the Speaker:
Amr Hamzawy is a noted Egyptian political scientist who
previously taught at Cairo University and the Free
University of Berlin. Hamzawy has a deep knowledge of
Middle Eastern politics and specific expertise on
European efforts toward political reform in the region.
His research interests include the changing dynamics of
political participation in the Arab world, including the
role of Islamist opposition groups, with special
attention both to Egypt and the Gulf countries.
Hamzawy's studies at Cairo University focused on
political reform and democratization in the Arab world,
civil society, Islamism, and the cultural impacts of
globalization processes. He received his Ph.D. from the
Free University of Berlin, where he worked at the Center
for Middle Eastern Studies. He is an external expert on
Middle Eastern Politics for the German Ministry of
Economic Cooperation and Development and is widely
published in German and Arabic periodicals and media.
© Center for the
Study of Islam & Democracy, 2004. All rights reserved.
Last update:
2005-05-16
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