By all accounts, if they unite, Islamists might also secure the largest chunk of votes in Libya's forthcoming elections. Yet talk about an "Islamic Winter" may be premature. To start with, the Islamist parties entered the elections with their flags in their pockets, so to speak. They removed all reference to Islam, or religion in general, from their names and platforms.

In Tunisia, an-Nahda dropped the adjective Islamic (al-Islamiyah) from its name. In Morocco, the old Islamist movement of Sheikh Abdul-Salam Yassin dropped its well-established name to call itself the Justice and Development Party (JDP). In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood contested the election as the Freedom and Development Party. Even the radical Salafists in Egypt rebranded themselves as the an-Nour (Light) Party.  

The Islamists focused their campaigns on economic development, income redistribution and, above all, ending the corruption that has poisoned every Arab state. They steered clear of old Islamist obsessions such as the Israel-Palestine issue, anti-Americanism, vilification of minorities and anti-woman programmes.

The Egyptian and Tunisian Islamists publicly renounced their earlier threats to stop tourism, ban the sale of alcohol and force women to wear the hijab. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood "Supreme Guide" Muhammad Badie even claimed that his movement would try to attract 50 million tourists as opposed to fewer than five million at present.

In Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, again using Iraq as a model, Islamist parties asked that they be judged on the basis of their political platforms rather than religious sensibilities. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood went even further by claiming that, in accordance with the principle of Preaching God and Censuring Evil (amr bi-alma'arouf and nahy an al-munkar) protecting Islamic "values and traditions" was the duty of individuals, not the state.