Donald Trump’s election has sent shock waves throughout the loosely knit community of religious-minded Muslims working to gain political power through democratic means.

From Washington to London to Istanbul, the broad spectrum of so-called political Islamists are bracing for what many fear is becoming a witch hunt that threatens to undo the few gains they were able to secure post-Arab Spring. For the past several weeks, they’ve been debating how best to convey their beliefs to an incoming US administration that’s skeptical if not outright hostile of any effort to shake up the Middle East’s authoritarian establishment.

At its heart, their argument is that by bowing to domestic Islamophobia and foreign autocrats, the United States risks alienating millions of mostly young people who still believe that peaceful transitions of power are both possible and desirable. That in turn could delay Islamists’ democratic evolution, undermine US allies that have worked to incorporate them into the political structure, prolong the region’s conflicts and ultimately fuel more terrorism.

“What needs to be understood is that the most important element of that broad spectrum of political Islam in my view is the pro-democracy element. That is the element that was part and parcel of the revolution in Tunisia, and Egypt, and Libya, and Syria. It’s the element that is mobilizing and motivating voters,” said Anas Altikriti, the chairman of the Muslim Association of Britain, which is ideologically close to the Muslim Brotherhood. “You’re not talking about fringe parties. You’re talking about real major political players who have, regardless of whether you agree or not with their ideology … rejected violence and espoused democracy.”