2021: A year of major Brotherhood losses
Islamist movements used to view the Arab Maghreb as their last resort.
This came hard on the heels of the failure
of what came to be known as 'Arab Spring revolutions' in Syria and the collapse
of the ISIS caliphate in Iraq.
These defeats were compounded by the
downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood project in Egypt earlier.
The Arab Maghreb was the only area
where Islamist movements continued to occupy a position on the political stage.
These movements had their own
political parties that participated in elections, led governments and had presence
in parliaments.
Nevertheless, all this changed after
the political alterations that took place in some Maghreb countries in 2021.
Tunisia was the Islamists' biggest
loss during that year.
The Ennahda Movement, the political
arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Tunisia, used to dominate the country's
political scene for a long time after 2011.
It won a majority of seats in the
Tunisian parliament and controlled the government.
However, on July 25 this year, Tunisian
President Kais Saied changed this political reality altogether by marginalizing
Ennahda through a series of decisions.
These decisions included a freezing
of the parliament, the dissolution of the government, and launching an inquiry
into rampant corruption.
Today, Ennahda is at the center of
accusations, including of involvement in obtaining foreign funds to finance its
electoral campaigns during the recent legislative elections.
If proven true, these charges can
deprive Ennahda of participation in any elections in the future.
Rifts are also rocking the Islamist
movement on all sides as members demand its leader, Rached Ghannouchi to step
down.
The Moroccan Justice and Development
Party was also another example of the losses the Muslim Brotherhood is
sustaining in the Arab Maghreb.
The party followed in the footsteps
of Ennahad by losing the latest legislative elections in Morocco.
It came in eighth position in the
elections that took place in September this year.
