Muslim Democratic Parties in the Middle East

<p>A.Kadir Yildirim and other scholars have used the term Muslim Democrat to describe moderate Islamist political parties suggesting a parallel with Christian Democratic parties in Europe. These parties (MDPs) are marked by their adherence to a secular political regime normative commitment to the rules of a democratic political system and the democratic political representation of a religious identity. In this book Yildirim draws on extensive field research in Turkey Egypt and Morocco to examine this phenomenon and assess the interaction of economic and political factors in the development of MDPs. Distinguishing between competitive [economic] liberalization and crony liberalization he argues that MDPs are more likely to emerge and succeed in the context of the former. He summarizes that the broader implication is that the economic liberalization models adopted by governments in the region in the wake of the Arab Spring have significant implications for the future direction of party systems and democratic reform.</p>