Il salafismo in Egitto tra moderazione e pragmatismo: i casi di al-Nur e Hizb al-Tahrir

Abstract

This essay focuses on the Egyptian salafism, under the light of the theory of the so-called post-Islamism. Paradoxically after the ousting of the President Muhammad Morsi by the military, salafi parties gained space, supporting the second transition and the amendments of the Constitution drafted by the Muslim Brotherhood. Salafisms bears a traditional interpretation of Islam which is at odd with several aspects of democracy and liberal-constitutionalism. But what does it mean, exactly, to be a salafi? And which are the possible outcomes that the salafi participation in politics could generate? After a brief description of the salafi nebula, this essay focuses on the political behavior of two main salafi parties: Hizb al-Nur and Hizb al-Tahrir. The first one is the political apparatus of the historical Daʻwa Salafiyya while the second one is the Egyptian wing of the transnational and pan-Islamic organization founded in Jerusalem in 1953. Both of these parties acted strategically, participating in the political arena, after decades of silent apolitical proselytism. This choice required the abandonment of certain extremist positions, at odd with institutional politics. The thesis of this essay is that moderation could be more apparent than substantial and could be just an instrument to participate to the benefits of democracy.