The West and the Islamists

The West and the Islamists

It seems the decision-makers in the United States and Europe began to realize the political role of Islamic movements in the Arab world and its impact on Western interests.


 


They no longer classify them as present or potential enemies of the West, and they no longer classify them as moderate or radical simply by their renunciation of violence or recognition of Israel.


 


I believe they now classify them into four categories:


 


1) Political parties and organizations, such as the Moroccan Justice and Development and the Constitutional Movement in Kuwait, that are normal political forces that raise no suspicion.


 


2) Islamists, as in the case of the Reform Party in Yemen and the Shiite Reconciliation Society in Bahrain, that the West interacts with and encourages their NGOs to train cadres. However, their tense relationship with the regimes that are pro-West makes the United States and Europe prefer to keep them in the framework of the opposition for the foreseeable future.


 


3) Movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Islamic Action Front in Jordan, whose activity is not clear, so they should not be dealt with publicly.


 


4) Then there is Hamas, Hezbollah and el-Sadr in Iraq that the United States and Europe publicly condemn and fight, but perhaps still hold some dialogue with at a minor diplomatic level just in case.


 


Western pragmatism would not allow continuing to deal with the Islamists file in a generalized manner for eve