What explains the breakout of violence following the repression of moderate
Islamist groups in some Muslim countries? Part of the answer can lie in the
political organization style of those groups, which can constrain or expand
their long-term strategy choices in unpredicted ways. Using examples from
Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, and Turkey, this study suggests that organizing as a
political party can initially restrict the means of action otherwise available
to a moderate Islamist movement, while the loose framework of a political front
reduces its organizational costs and lends remarkable flexibility to attract a
wider range of followers. Later, paradoxically, the political party framework
can enable limited access of an Islamist group into the political system
otherwise completely inaccessible earlier, and help to enhance its power, while
political fronts are exposed to attacks from both incumbent regimes and radical
Islamists groups alike.