Transformations of islamic political movements in the post Arab revolutions period: The case of Egypt

After the 25 January revolution in Egypt, Islamist movements have been heavily involved in public affairs. For the first time in Egypt's history, a representative reached the presidency. This interaction was marked by shifts in Islamists' ideas and political practices. The first trend was towards greater engagement in democratic and national frameworks. After the 2013 coup, there was a new shift towards violence. The thesis explores the manifestations and consequences of these shifts during the period 2011-2024. The researcher examines the depth and seriousness of these shifts. The thesis assumes that the determinants that created these shifts are a combination of external pressures and some of the leaders of Islamic movements own conviction, while claiming that this conviction was also generated by the same pressures, and that these shifts are not fundamental. These pressures are: Domestically, authoritarianism and the nature of the state in Egypt. Internationally, the contexts related to the war on terror and the Islamophobia agenda. Between the local and the international are the interests of the counter-revolutionary forces. The researcher argues that it is best to combine several perspectives to understand the determinants that led Islamists to undertake these transformations. One is the religious approach, i.e. by recognizing their sharia-justified goals. And secondly: The theory of rational choice, represented by the jurisprudence of interest, and the perspective of the conflict lens to understand the repercussions of repression and exclusion that these movements face locally or internationally. The thesis constitutes an addition to the literature on revolution and Islamic movements, and serves a large segment of the oppressed in the Arab world who fight against tyranny and Western hegemony.