Regionalism from Islamic views: the case of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region
Regional experiences have certain assumptions in common and have been framed within a common globalist perspective. Nevertheless, each regional cooperation process has its own distinctive features. This diversity reflects the differential local characteristics of regionalism which need to be incl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Academic Inspired Network
2019
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| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/75230/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/75230/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/75230/1/75230_Regionalism%20from%20Islamic.pdf |
| Summary: | Regional experiences have certain assumptions in common and have been framed
within a common globalist perspective. Nevertheless, each regional cooperation process has
its own distinctive features. This diversity reflects the differential local characteristics of
regionalism which need to be included in any discussion about the subject. The case of the
Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) stands out clearly in this context. This study
addresses two major research questions. Firstly, what is the Islamic perspective on regional
cooperation? secondly, is there any role of Islam in reshaping MENA’s regional
cooperation? The objectives are to investigate the Islamic perspective of regional
cooperation with regard to MENA and to examine the role of Islam in shaping MENA’s
cooperation. This study uses Islamic perspective and regional cooperation as its conceptual
framework. It is found that despite some positive motives of regionalism, MENA suffers from
poor regionalism. It is characterised by slow and weak regional cooperation process and the
absence or less dependency on Islamic values. On the other hand, the dependence of MENA
on the political processes and economic development of the West; conflicts and weak
governance; and the suffering in promoting a collective identity have continued to preserve
the MENA region as an under-developed, less integrated and poorly cohesive regional unit. |
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