Ambivalence in contemporary Sunni Islamism: a challenge for western liberal democracies?
-
-
[1] Universidade de Lisboa
Universidade de Lisboa
Socorro, Portugal
-
- Localización: Biblos: Revista da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra, ISSN-e 2183-7139, ISSN 0870-4112, Num. 11, 2025 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Liberdade), págs. 115-142
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
-
Resumen
This study examines the ambivalence of contemporary Sunni Islamism and its implications for West-ern liberal democracies. Its main objective is to clarify how Sunni Islamism operates as both a religious and political ideology—rooted in Islamic doctrine yet shaped by modern secular frameworks—thus challenging the conceptual boundaries of liberal democratic thought. The research addresses two cen-tral questions: To what extent can Sunni Islamism be considered an authoritarian secular ideology rather than a purely religious movement? How does this dual identity influence its relationship with Western liber-alism? The originality of the paper lies in interpreting Islamism not as a religious deviation or reaction-ary force, but as a modern ideological project employing religious discourse for political mobilization and legitimacy
