Arab regimes in the 1970s deliberately backed Islamists against secular nationalists and the left

Evidence

Today, the ravages of imperialism and neoliberalism are plain to see. While tens of thousands have lost their lives in the US-led occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, millions more suffer under the daily depredations of the free market. But there is a major reconfiguration of forces taking place in the region. Secular nationalism, with its considerable mass appeal, was the main driving force of change in the area in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1970s, the Arab regimes made a concerted effort to stabilize the region, including supporting “Islamist” forces against secular nationalists and the left. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 372

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the Mubarak/Saudi regime sponsorship arguments in prior chapters; ties to how ‘moderate Islam’ is leveraged against the left. — connects to: Siyad’s 1975 execution of sheikhs catalyzed the Islam-versus-socialism conflict — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 521; The 1967 defeat and 1970s economic crisis fueled political Islam’s rise. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 250; Saudi economic influence after 1973 hardened religious politics and toppled Bhutto (+19 more)

Broader Connections

• Israel licensed Hamas’s predecessor because Islamists opposed the secular left #exemplifies (0.70) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 399
• Political Islam’s rise depended on the collapse of secular nationalism #corroborates (0.65) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 312