Maghreb Islamist movements go mainstream
Text and photos by Imrane Binoual in Casablanca for Magharebia – 07/03/2014 Salafist movements face tough challenges if their goal is political integration, analyst and writer Amel Boubekeur says. French-Algerian Amel Boubekeur is an internationally-recognised expert on political Islam. Her books include "Whatever Happened to the Islamists?: Salafis, Heavy Metal Muslims, and the Lure of Consumerist Islam". Magharebia met with Boubekeur in Casablanca to learn more about what she calls the "transformation" of salafist and Islamist movements in the Maghreb. Magharebia : What is the first thing people need to know about Islamists in the Maghreb region? Amel Boubekeur : These movements can be viewed in terms of how much access they have to political power. It is more meaningful to talk about whether parties have been legalised or not than to distinguish between "moderate" or "radical" Islam. In Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, we find legalised parties t