Negotiating religion-state relations in the MENA region: actors’ dynamics, modes, and norms

ABSTRACT Religion-state relations in the MENA region have been shaped by two main dynamics. First is the modern political elites’ interest in shaping their own versions of Islam to legitimise their rule. Second is the desire of religious actors to use modern state structures to impose their religious norms on society. Despite moments of tension, political and religious leaders have often reached a compromise on regulating the relationship between Islam and the state. In different cases, different agreements that reflect the different balances of power between political and religious actors have been reached. These agreements between political and religious authorities have been contested twice, leading in some cases to a renegotiation of their terms: the first time with the religious revival in 1970s, and the second after the 2011 popular uprisings known as the Arab Spring. This contribution seeks to unpack these dynamics between political and religious elites, their impact on the rules governing religion-state relations, how they have been renegotiated over time, and how these different institutional arrangements have created their own norms, policies, and practices, highlighting the gaps between formal mechanisms and informal practices.