Women have played a central role in the uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, and now, as some of these countries undergo transitions, women’s rights must be incorporated into broader demands for social, economic, and political reform. In the latest POMED policy brief, Isobel Coleman examines the women’s movements in Tunisia and Egypt in the context of the Arab Spring. A transition to an inclusive, authentic democracy will ...

In an interview with Toni Johnson from the Council on Foreign Relations, Ebrahim Moosa, professor of religion and Islamic studies at Duke University speaks on the role of political Islam in new governments across the region, including Egypt and Tunisia.  Moosa argues that Islam will be a factor in the emerging governments, but "people will be cautious about allowing too much of a blurring between political and religious boundaries." In addition, Moosa ...

On Tuesday, the Middle East Program hosted an event at the Woodrow Wilson Center entitled “Arab Spring or Arab Winter (or Both)? Implications for U.S. Policy” featuring expert panelists: Marwan Muasher, Vice President for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Ellen Laipson, President and CEO of the Stimson Center; Rami G.Khouri, Director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of ...

President and Founder of the National Iranian American Council Trita Parsi and Research Director Reza Marashi write about how Iran views the Arab Spring "as a challenge not only to the status quo powers investing in an order that suppresses the streets, but also the powers that claim to champion them."  Both Parsi and Marashi argue that Tehran's decision-makers are more concerned with winning over the soft power of the ...

Cited in a report by the National Journal, the once 'new face' of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has excommunicated from the organization in order to create the populist Egyptian Current Party. Islam Lofty believes that Islam should not play a prominent role in Egyptian politics, and defines his new and more secular group as a "civic party with an Islamic frame of reference." Lofty created the new party to reflect the wants and ...

Geneive Abdo released the "New Green Movement Manifesto" authored by Iranian  intellectuals, who are the leaders of the Green Movement in Tehran.  It was released today in the Iran Primer by the United States Institute of Peace.  The manifesto outlined suggestions for future actions, inspirations and the organization of Iran's Green Movement. The authors recommended the formation of a Green Council led by about ten "leading and known" political and intellectual ...

Writing in USA Today, Irena L. Sargsyan argues that contrary to Western fears, the  "Islamicization of politics" occurs not when Islamist parties participate in elections, but rather when a new government fails to implement promised reforms. Sargsyan asserts, "leaders often use Islam as a political tool to avoid reform, or when reform proves too difficult to implement. The same risk holds true for countries transitioning to democratic systems of government." In order to counter ...

Many Salafi Islamists believe it is forbidden for Christians to have control over Muslims through holding positions like governors or mayors.  As a result, attacks have increased on the Christian Coptic in Egypt specifically, in Qena, located in the upper Nile,  as almost a third of the inhabitants are Copts. In April, Egypt's new government appointed a Christian to be Qena's new governor. The Salafis by organizing mass protests in an effort to ...

Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Islamist al-Nahda movement, fears violence will erupt if the election is delayed. He said "we have real misgivings that those who have decided to postpone the date of the first election can do it for a second time." He fears that postponing the election "may drag the country into a spiral of violence." The election was due to take place on July 24 but has ...

Last week, following President Barack Obama's address on the Middle East, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) delivered the Dean Acheson Lecture at the United States Institute of Peace where he discussed the Arab Spring.  McCain opened by noting that the uprisings  in the Middle East represent a repudiation of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda and stated that Arab Spring should be "a clarifying event for the United States" which presents an ...

Leigh Nolan, in a Brookings Institute report, discusses the recent social unrest in the country, the Al-Saud regime's response and the potential for further further uprisings in the country.  Nolan notes that "the burgeoning youth population is straining the capacity of the Saudi welfare state at the same time as it is becoming more urban and educated—all characteristics of other societies that have experienced political upheaval."  Nolan also states while ...

Gamal al-Banna, scholar and younger brother of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, in an interview with Egyptian newspaper AlMasry AlYoum, rejected the idea of of Egypt as a 'civil state with an Islamic reference.'  Al-Banna said that such a concept was a fallacy as such a state would become a religious state.  He stated that the religious outlook would win out over the civilian outlook, if such a system were ...