On Islamic politics and the resistance in Iraq

This article sketches the many manifestations of politico-Islamic constructs in the wider Islamic world with a particular emphasis on the issue of resistance against foreign domination. To that end, it engages with the paradigms of intellectuals and activists such as al-Afghani, Abduh, Rida, Maudoodi, al-Banna and others, linking their staunchly anti-colonial politics to the current situation in Iraq. One of the reasons why the US/UK alliance has not been able to “pacify” the country, it is argued, is the resistance of many Iraqis to any form of foreign dependence. This attitude, which permeates the wider Arab and Islamic worlds, has been reified by the discourse of the thinkers engaged in this article and inevitably exerts pressure on the national and international politics of Iraq.