Islamists dominated Muslim opposition because liberal and leftist alternatives had collapsed

Evidence

Broadly speaking, a confluence of three factors helped pave the way for the rise of Islamism: the failure of secular nationalism, the weakness of the left, and the onslaught of economic crises. In what follows, I examine each of these in greater detail. While these are the overarching conditions that enable Islamists to vie for hegemony, there are specific local and regional factors that play a role. It is beyond the scope of this chapter to speak to these local conditions. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 323 (#expands, via linked claim)

All in all, Islamic revivalism might have been confined to the dustbin of history had it not been for the collapse and defeat of secular nationalism in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is to this failure that we turn next in order to understand the conditions that have allowed political Islam to develop and grow. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 312 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Islamism rose as the left’s demise left Muslim rage with no other outlet — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 1439; An anticommunist Islam strategy failed because elites preferred communism and socialism — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 403; Fragmented secular revolutionary vote split the round and guaranteed an Islamist-regime runoff — Vincent Bevins, If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and…, 306 (+8 more)

Broader Connections

• Islamism rose from secular nationalist failure, left weakness, and economic crises #expands (0.95) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 323
• Political Islam’s rise depended on the collapse of secular nationalism #corroborates (0.93) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 312