The past week, your readings focused on Islamist movements in the region. In our current 'post-Arab Revolts' environment, why do you think Islamists in particular have yielded such successes at the ballot box, in both Tunisia and Egypt?

There are a few possible reasons why Islamist experience such success at the ballot box. Even amidst the changes toward secularization and modernization in the MENA region, Islamist movements still prove to be very popular in the region. This could be because the Islamist beliefs resonate with a large portion of the population in the region, mostly due to Islam being the dominate religion. Their ideas feel a lot more principle in comparison to “new,” democratic ideas, and voters may feel more comfortable voting for someone within the same religion. Another explanation for the success of Islamist movements is best shown by Egypt. In Egypt, the people experienced many failing regimes coming from the military. When an Islamist was up at the ballot box, the Egyptian public voted for them not just because of their religion, but because they were looking for a new change within their government. When politicians in Egypt began incorporating Shariah Law into their campaign, it was a fresh new look at the government the people had not seen in a long time, since before the 1952 revolution. Both Egypt and Tunisia both experienced unsuccessful military regimes for many years, so people look to Islam as a way to connect with their government, and as a way to for them to feel comfortable with the law deciding process.