November 18-19, 2011
Participants: Olivier Roy, Amaney Jamal, Farhad Khosrokhavar, Teije Donker, Virginie Collombier, Sari Hanafi, Marwa Daoudy, Rabab El Mahdi, Ellen Lust, Carol Hakim, Bernard Haykel
Two themes and sets of questions were covered in this workshop that relate to the political developments of the “Arab Spring.” They are:
1) Can we articulate the contours of a “counter-revolutionary” coalition? What is the new political landscape that is emerging? What is the fate of the actors and activists that are engaged in contestation? What is the role of women in these revolutions and that of minorities of various kind?
2) What are the ways in which Islam is being invoked and by whom? How are Islamist movements and actors positioning themselves vis-à-vis these developments? What is the internal debate within these movements? What is the fate of the trend or movement that labels itself Salafi? How are Salafis reacting to the challenge of democratization? How is the question of the role of the Sharia being posed by the Islamic institutions and actors, in particular the Azhar, the Council of Higher Scholars (Saudi Arabia), the Muslim World League, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists?
