Neo-Islamism in the post-Arab Spring

The Arab Spring revealed the rise of Islamists and a wave of Islamic movements across the region. The Islamist agenda is debatable on issues regarding their commitment to democracy, pluralism and individual freedom. Central to this is understanding their evolving definition of Islamism and how the players view themselves. The article provides a brief background on which to describe and define the modern Islamist. The features of Islamist political parties are described. The article offers a definition of neo-Islamism that reflects its most modern trends, including these key characteristics: non-traditional religiosity, gradualism, Islam modernization, nationalism and pragmatic relations with the West.     

GC–MS studies on acylated derivatives of 3-methoxy-4-methyl- and 4-methoxy-3-methyl-phenethylamines: Regioisomers related to 3,4-MDMA

A series of side chain regioisomers of 3-methoxy-4-methyl- and 4-methoxy-4-methyl-phenethylamines have mass spectra essentially equivalent to the controlled drug substance 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (3,4-MDMA), all have molecular weight of 193 and major fragment ions in their electron ionization mass spectra at m/z 58 and 135/136. The acetyl, propionyl and trifluoroacetyl derivatives of the primary and secondary regioisomeric amines were prepared and evaluated in GC–MS studies. The mass spectra for these derivatives were significantly individualized and the resulting unique fragment ions allowed for specific side chain identification. The trifluoroacetyl derivatives provided more fragment ions for molecular individualization among these regioisomeric substances. These trifluoroacetyl derivatives showed excellent resolution on a non-polar stationary phase such as Rtx-1.     

GC-IRD studies on regioisomeric ring substituted methoxy methyl phenylacetones related to 3,4-methylenedioxyphenylacetone

The methoxy methyl phenylacetones share an isobaric relationship (equivalent mass but different elemental composition) to the controlled precursor substance 3,4-methylenedioxyphenylacetone (3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl-2-propanone; 3,4-MDP-2-P). The ten ring substituted methoxy methyl phenylacetones are resolved by capillary gas chromatography on a modified cyclodextrin stationary phase. All ten regioisomeric ketones eluted before the controlled precursor substance 3,4-methylenedioxyphenylacetone. The vapor phase infrared spectra generated from the capillary column effluent clearly differentiated 3,4-MDP-2-P from the various methoxy methyl phenylacetones. Additionally the methoxy methyl phenylacetones provide unique individual infrared spectra. Infrared absorption frequencies and patterns confirmed the relative position of the methoxy-group and the acetone side-chain for the regioisomeric ketones.     

Poverty and Divine Rewards: The Electoral Advantage of Islamist Political Parties

Political life in many Muslim‐majority countries has been marked by the electoral dominance of Islamist parties. Recent attempts to explain why have highlighted their material and organizational factors, such as the provision of social services. In this article, we revive an older literature that emphasizes the appeal of these parties’ religious nature to voters experiencing economic hardship. Individuals suffering economic strain may vote for Islamists because they believe this to be an intrinsically virtuous act that will be met with divine rewards in the afterlife. We explore this hypothesis through a series of laboratory experiments in Tunisia. Individuals assigned to treatment conditions instilling feelings of economic strain exhibit greater support for Islamist parties, and this support is causally mediated by an expectation of divine compensation in the hereafter. The evidence suggests that the religious nature of Islamist parties may thus be an important factor in their electoral success.     

The Fifth Wave: The New Tribalism? 1

In political disputes, issue frames set parameters for debate and shape which view dominates. This study expands issue framing research to examine the influence of frames on the perception of future terrorist threats as well as subsequent support for related counterterrorism policies. We test several hypotheses using data from an experimental field poll. We find that issue frames clearly influence perceptions of threat. However, our frames, which posit specific terrorism threats, only have a limited influence on respondent preferences for counter-terrorism policies. We consider a variety of explanations for these results and provide direction for future research.     

GC-MS studies on acylated derivatives of 3-methoxy-4-methyl- and 4-methoxy-3-methyl-phenethylamines: regioisomers related to 3,4-MDMA

A series of side chain regioisomers of 3-methoxy-4-methyl- and 4-methoxy-4-methyl-phenethylamines have mass spectra essentially equivalent to the controlled drug substance 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (3,4-MDMA), all have molecular weight of 193 and major fragment ions in their electron ionization mass spectra at m/z 58 and 135/136. The acetyl, propionyl and trifluoroacetyl derivatives of the primary and secondary regioisomeric amines were prepared and evaluated in GC-MS studies. The mass spectra for these derivatives were significantly individualized and the resulting unique fragment ions allowed for specific side chain identification. The trifluoroacetyl derivatives provided more fragment ions for molecular individualization among these regioisomeric substances. These trifluoroacetyl derivatives showed excellent resolution on a non-polar stationary phase such as Rtx-1.