Recent Developments in Islamic World; Islamic Awakening or Arab Spring; a Conceptual Study

In the face of different opinions proposed about the Islamic awakening and Arab spring, one point that has preoccupied the minds of political analysts is that which one of these two terms better describes recent developments. Various points have been put forth by advocates of both terms and each term indicates some aspects of the events. The hypothesis of this article is based on this viewpoint that although terming the recent events in Islamic world as "Arab Spring" has managed to describe and investigate part of recent events, it is an improper and incomplete description and it is "Islamic awakening" that, as a more comprehensive term but with a regional approach, can provide an internal and more realistic analysis to study the reasons behind these events while endorsing many reasons proposed by thinkers who believe in Arab spring. Not only this term clarifies the recent events but also helps describe their past and future in a more tangible and acceptable fashion.