It looks like the worst nightmare for those who hope for democratic reforms in the Muslim world is coming true — Islamists keep getting elected. First, an Islamic party won a sweeping victory in Turkey, and now, hard line Islamists are winning regional elections in Pakistan. What remains to be seen is whether wielding actual power has a moderating influence on these parties. As getting re-elected takes precedence over shoving their agendas through, hopefully they’ll be forced to put aside some of their more controversial policies.
Elected Islamists
It looks like the worst nightmare for those who hope for democratic reforms in the Muslim world is coming true — Islamists keep getting elected. First, an Islamic party won a sweeping victory in Turkey, and now, hard line Islamists are winning regional elections in Pakistan. What remains to be seen is whether wielding actual power has a moderating influence on these parties. As getting re-elected takes precedence over shoving their agendas through, hopefully they’ll be forced to put aside some of their more controversial policies.
Commentary
Previous post
Naming namesNext post
World AIDS Day