Power Struggles in the Middle East: The Islamist Politics of Hizbullah and the Muslim Brotherhood

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Who are the Muslim Brotherhood and Hizbullah What do the two movements - one Sunni and one Shi'a - have in common Despite being classified by a number of countries as 'terrorist' organisations, both are in fact serious political players in the states in which they operate - Egypt and Lebanon. Both have, at various points, advocated pan-Islamism: the unity of Muslims under an Islamic state or caliphate, but, rather than considering them as extremist religious movements, Eva Dingel here studies them as players within the political process. She considers why, at certain points, they have chosen to play by the conventional political rules, while during other periods, they have applied different, more extreme, methods of political protest. Dingel's comparative history of two of the most prominent political Islamist movements sheds light on the complex - and often misunderstood - interaction between Islam and politics in the Middle East. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the changing dynamics of politics in the Islamic world.

Reviews

'Dingel makes a timely and important contribution to the debates surrounding the topic of political Islam. The book is an innovative, well-argued and thoroughly researched addition to the debates surrounding the development of political Islam, and very nicely complements the political science literature on power structures and transformation processes in the Middle East.' - Rachid Ouaissa, Philipps-Universitaet Marburg, 'A very timely and original book which tackles a research question of extremely high relevance in both academic terms and from a policy perspective. It is not only timely with regard to most recent events in the Arab world, but also speaks to the ongoing more general debate about whether or not Islamist movements and liberal democracy go together or not.' - Thomas Risse, Freie Universitat Berlin

Author Bio

Eva Dingel holds a PhD in Politics from the Freie Universitat Berlin (FU Berlin). She has held a research associate position at the Orient Institut in Beirut and is currently working with a non-governmental organization focused on Middle East politics and media."