The moderation journey of Kurdish Islamism in the Kurdistan region of Iraq

Abstract

AbstractThis project assesses the process of moderation within three Islamist political parties, specifically, the Kurdistan Justice Party, the Kurdistan Islamic Union and the Islamic Movement in Kurdistan. The process of Islamist moderation is a gradual and complicated one and there are numerous factors affecting this process. In the literature, ‘inclusion‐moderation theory’ is a key thesis that outlines the factors concerning Islamist moderation. It argues that the inclusion of Islamists in the political arena consequently gives rise to their moderation. However, this study expands upon this thesis and argues that while it holds true for these three Islamist parties, there are other essential factors associated with the moderation journey experienced by these parties. These parties' behavioural changes, in the form of political moderation, are more common compared to ideological moderation. This conclusion is based on two distinct sources of evidence. First, the parties' formal documents, such as internal and programme guides and secondly, first‐hand data obtained by means of interviewing the political elites or leaders of these three Islamist parties.