Governments’ own Cold War policies helped Islamists dominate Muslim political opposition

Evidence

The success of Islamist movements in dominating the opposition and establishing themselves as the only viable alternative to incumbent regimes was also greatly helped by the policies of those regimes. At one time or another during the Cold War many governments, including those of Algeria, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, and Israel, encouraged and supported Islamists as a counter to communist or hostile nationalist movements. At least until the Gulf War, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states provided massive funding to the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist groups in a variety of countries. The ability of Islamist groups to dominate the opposition was also enhanced by government suppression of secular oppositions. Fundamentalist strength generally varied inversely with that of secular democratic or nationalist parties and was weaker in countries, such as Morocco and Turkey, that allowed some degree of multiparty competition than it was in countries that suppressed all opposition. Secular opposition, however, is more vulnerable to repression than religious opposition. The latter can operate within and behind a network of mosques, welfare organizations, foundations, and other Muslim institutions which the government feels it cannot suppress. Liberal democrats have no such cover and hence are more easily controlled or eliminated by the government. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 313

Categorization

• CANDY: Israel and the US-backed states helped fund their own future adversaries during the Cold War — a compact ironic fact for conversation.
• XREF: The point that religious opposition has cover behind protected institutions while secular liberals have none echoes resource-mobilization theory in sociology of social movements. — connects to: Eisenhower’s doctrine secretly armed Islamist groups against secular nationalists.; US cold-war strategy deliberately weaponized religion against nationalism and communism in Muslim regions — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 388; The CIA deliberately cultivated Islamist groups as Cold War counterweights to Nasserism — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 389 (+2 more)