The rise of Islamic politics – just another mode of global capitalism?
Ever since the Iranian revolution up until the aftermath of the Arab Spring most of us were made to believe that the advent of Islamic regimes is the ultimate rise of the common man and woman in societies previously repressed and exploited by ruthless dictators. Against entrenched élites of crony regimes and their entourage, Islamic politics could be perceived as the overdue liberation of the impoverished masses from pseudo-nobility, military dictators or other élites, having had nothing other in mind than to line their pockets for decades and transfer their wealth to Swiss bank accounts. It is about time to get rid of this stereotype. Recent evidence comes from Iran, as it were the prototype of this type of regime change. Former president and revolution-veteran Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in his attempt to re-enter political life now turns out to be a billionaire – as do many of his fellow ‘religious’ leaders . Now this may appear just a co-incidence of yet another political cl...