Mobilizing Islam - by Carrie Rosefsky Wickham (Paperback)

About the Book

The book explains how Islamist groups captured the hearts and minds of educated youth in Egypt. It focuses on the first twelve years of Hosni Mubarak's presidency, from 1981 to 1993, the period when participation in the movement reached its peak and before a wave of repression brought it to an abrupt end.

Book Synopsis

Mobilizing Islam explores how and why Islamic groups succeeded in galvanizing educated youth into politics under the shadow of Egypt's authoritarian state, offering important and surprising answers to a series of pressing questions. Under what conditions does mobilization by opposition groups become possible in authoritarian settings? Why did Islamist groups have more success attracting recruits and overcoming governmental restraints than their secular rivals? And finally, how can Islamist mobilization contribute to broader and more enduring forms of political change throughout the Muslim world?

Moving beyond the simplistic accounts of "Islamic fundamentalism" offered by much of the Western media, Mobilizing Islam offers a balanced and persuasive explanation of the Islamic movement's dramatic growth in the world's largest Arab state.

Review Quotes

Mobilizing Islam is easily one of the best books on Islamic activism. Wickham's use of social movement theory and remarkable fieldwork produced a book that speaks to area specialists and students of contentious politics alike. Amidst the onslaught of ill-informed books on Islam in the post-September 11 period, Wickham provides a refreshing reminder that there is rigorous scholarship on Islamic activism.--Quintan Wiktorowicz "Perspectives on Politics"

Intellectually ambitious.-- "Middle East Journal"

The book is one of the best texts available for studying a major Islamic political movement in its proper context.--Kristin Tassin "Arab Studies Journal"

This book has at least four great strengths... clarity... revives interest... effectively focused... content has enormous appeal.--Mohamed El Sayed Said "Journal of Islamic Studies"

About the Author

Carrie Rosefsky Wickham is associate professor of political science at Emory University. Her current project examines new trends in Islamic political thought and practice throughout the Middle East.