Workshop Report: Promoting Constructive Political Participation of New Faith-Based Political Parties in the Arab Region in Istanbul, March 2013

Author: Lakhdar Ghettas

The second workshop on promoting constructive based political parties and movements in the Arab region was expanded to 12 parties and movements from six different countries, covering the region from Rabat, Morocco to Sana’, Yemen. It also included independent experts and academics from the Arab region as well as Evangelic and Protestant politicians from the U.S and U.K. Conducted under the Chatham House rules, the workshop aimed at deepening the process of inter-Salafi exchange of experiences. Given that the severe polarization between political parties with a religious reference resulted from the elections and constitution drafting processes in the Arab region, the workshop aimed at addressing the coalition building’s principle as a mechanism to defuse, or at least lessen polarization.