Following the 25th January revolution, the Muslim Brotherhood emerged as the most organised and successful political force in Egypt as they cashed in on decades of grassroots mobilisation and growth. Through dominance in syndicates and unions, the provision of social services and participation in elections, this the Brotherhood steadily expanded under Mubarak. Hesham Al-Awadi's lucid and original argument frames this period as one of struggle over legitimacy between the regime and this then banned organisation, charting a cycle of accommodation and coercion. The Brotherhood failed to secure the recognition of the state, but gained an informal legitimacy as it occupied the spaces opened up by Mubarak in an early attempt to shore up the credibility of his regime. This social legitimacy became a threat to the regime, haunted by the regional rise of Islamists and a failure to legitimate its leadership, and ushered in an era of coercion. Through these complex dynamics of the conflict and control, and drawing on interviews with key figures such as Abdul Mun'em Abu Al-Futuh, Esam Al-Aryan and Mustafa Al-Fiqi, Al-Awadi sheds light on the Mubarak era and the Muslim Brotherhood that have risen out of it.
Argues that the growing impact of the Muslim Brotherhood on Egyptian politics and society is part of the movement's struggle to gain official legitimacy since its ban in 1954.About the AuthorHesham Al-Awadi is Associate Professor of History and International Relations at the American University of Kuwait. He was lecturer in Modern Middle East Politics at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at Exeter University, where he also did his PhD.
ReviewsA work of considerable insight... makes a contribution to knowledge both by presenting exciting new material on the Muslim Brotherhood in particular and by elucidating the choices of an Islamist movement in general. James Piscatori, Centre for Islamic Studies, Oxford University A very worthwhile subject Tim Niblock, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter
Book InformationISBN 9781780764306
Author Hesham Al-AwadiFormat Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint I.B. TaurisPublisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 322g