POLITICAL EDUCATION IN THE POST-ISLAMIST ERA: COMPARING THE PKS PARTY IN INDONESIA WITH THE AKP PARTY IN TURKEY
The ideological dynamics of Islamic parties in contemporary politics are always interesting to observe. On being faced with the acute threat of “extinction,” many have adjusted their ideological stances to suit the social changes that have occurred in Islamic society. This paper aims to examine how the process of ideological transformation for Islamic political parties has taken place in this post-Islamist era and how it has affected the existence of Islamic parties like the Prosperous Justice Party (Partai Keadilan Sejahtera – PKS) in Indonesia and the Justice and Development Party(Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi – AKP) in Turkey. This article highlights three important points: First, although the PKS and AKP both originated from Islamist movements in their respective countries, the AKP was the first to present itself as a party with a post-Islamist ideological vision, giving it the opportunity to build its image as a modern Islamic party. Second, in the post-Islamist context, both the AKP and PKS leverage middle-class Muslims as their support base during general elections, although the AKP has been much more progressive in terms of gaining grassroots support from villages and various minority groups in Turkey. Third, the AKP’s charismatic leadership system, with President Erdogan being associated with an admired Islamic profile, has given the AKP a political advantage. This contrasts with the PKS, whose political leaders have been mired in corruption scandals, and this has diminished people’s trust in the party.
Ideology, Post-Islamism, PKS, AKP, Comparative politics, Indonesia, Turkey