So what does the rise of electoral Islamist politics mean for the Middle East and North Africa? "Islamism is a term that has been used to describe two very different trends," wrote Maha Azzam, an associate fellow at Chatham House, in a recent paper on the implications of the Arab Spring.
"First, [it describes] the non-violent quest for an Islamic-friendly society based on the 'principles of Islam', which can involve a more liberal application of Islamic teachings or a more strict interpretation. Second, Islamism is associated with violent extremism, most notably of al-Qaeda in the promotion of terrorism."
Azzam and other experts believe the Arab Spring has demonstrated how those cleaving to the second, violent definition have become ever more marginalised in the Arab world.
Azzam said it was early days but the policies of the Islamist parties thrown to the fore of the Arab Spring were, for now, looking to the centre.
"In Tunisia, Ennahda was always more open-minded with a more liberal attitude towards secular politics. Now we have the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt leaning more towards the centre."
Ennahda founder Rachid Ghanouchi has firmly disavowed the Iranian theocratic model in favour of the Turkish one - represented by the moderate Islamist AKP of President Abdullah Gul and the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Turkish model has seen a pragmatic approach to the country's largely secular institutions that has avoided conflict with the military while trying to raise living standards and the economy.
But the case of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood shows the huge challenges facing the resurgent Islamist parties as they attempt to govern. "It has learned from what happened in Algeria and also in Gaza with Hamas' conflict with the West," said Omar Ashour, lecturer in political Islam at Exeter University.
He believes the Brotherhood will negotiate a difficult period of democratic transition in which the generals cling to "power but not legitimacy" and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, dominates the new Parliament with a "popular mandate but little power".
Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Doha Centre says the Brotherhood will focus on economic and social policies rather than religious and cultural rhetoric.
The Freedom and Justice Party, which includes a minority of Christian Copts, has gone out of its way to say it seeks a constitution that respects Muslims and non-Muslims, will not impose Islamic law and is committed to a pluralistic and democratic Egypt.
It will operate in an entirely new political landscape, where strong polling by the more fundamentalist Salafist al-Nour party pulls from one side while liberal secularists and Egypt's middle classes push for their own agenda.
This may be why the Freedom and Justice Party's "manifesto" is so pick-and-mix, appealing to as wide an audience as possible - women and Christians could stand for government; a "civil" state should be led by neither military nor clerics but guided by sharia law's underlying objectives; and the economy should be one of free markets and private ownership.
This one-step-at-a-time approach has depressed most educated, middle-class Cairenes, who'd hoped Hosni Mubarak's overthrow would lead to a liberal democracy that would include moderate Islamists, says journalist Issander El Amrani. He believes if the Brotherhood are serious about consolidating electoral democracy, there will be other elections where people can vote against them.
THE ISLAMIST WAVE
Egypt
The Muslim Brotherhood is in line to win 40 per cent of votes. It is religiously conservative but rejects violence while insisting on the need for a transition to civilian rule. It hopes to form a unity government with more-liberal parties.
Morocco
The Justice and Development party elected last month models itself on Turkey's moderate Islamist government, describing its politics as a "progressive approach to Islam" focusing on social justice and economic issues.
Tunisia
The Ennahda party says its model is Turkey's AKP, which was itself influenced by the writings in exile of Ennahda founder Rachid Ghanouchi. It won 40 per cent of seats in recent elections and is opposed to sharia law and rejects comparisons with Saudi Arabia and Iran or with the Taleban.
Turkey
Turkey's AKP, or Justice and Development party, led by President Abdullah Gul, is a model for Islamist movements. It has overseen economic growth and insists it is democratic, but critics say it harbours an Islamist agenda.
Yemen
Al-Islah, the main Islamist opposition party, has been locked in conflict with forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh. It makes up 40 per cent of the Joint Meeting Party, a coalition of opposition groups. Critics fear it would herald a fundamentalist Yemen.
Libya
The new National Gathering for Freedom, Justice and Development - named with a nod towards Turkey's AKP - was formed in November. Likely to garner broad support.
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