An Islamist Party, Constraints, Opportunities and Transformation to Post-Islamism: The Tajik Case
An Islamist Party, Constraints, Opportunities and Transformation to Post-Islamism: The Tajik Case

Summary/Abstract: Tajikistan is the only Central Asian state to politically include an Islamist political party—Hizbi Nahzati Islomii Todjikiston (the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan— IRPT) and to allow it to participate at the electoral process. This study argues that a combination of political opportunity structures together with constraints imposed by the constitutional framework and repressive attitudes of the semi-authoritarian regime towards political pluralism has been a decisive factor, among others, that has brought about the transformation of the Tajik Islamism to Tajik post-Islamism. The case of the IRPT shows that the Islamists are inclined to ideological moderation provided that political opportunity structures are available to them and they are politically included, even if the politico-legal framework is semi-authoritarian or liberalized autocracy. The IRPT has calculated the impact of its forms of activism and discourse according to political circumstances and changes, to opportunities and disincentives, while their normative frameworks, doctrine and discourses take on a subordinate role and remain subject to transformation.

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