Overview

Scholars have long debated the intentions of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East. Some claim the organization supports terrorism, while others believe it is a positive force for democratization. Though the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe has attracted less attention, many feel they understand the group just as well. They assume it is closely tied to its Middle Eastern counterpart, with detractors regarding it to be a suspicious, secretive, and centrally-led organization increasing the alienation of Europe's Muslims. Sympathizers, on the other hand, see it as a moderate, westernized, and fully-integrated force for good. This volume complicates both these views, with experts providing richer and more impartial perspectives on the critical issues relating to Europe's Muslim Brotherhood. It follows the growth and operation of these organizations within different European contexts and captures their highly specific relationship with non-Muslim media and authority figures.

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9780231702904

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This volume is a rich documentation and critical assessment of political movements related to the Muslim Brothers and their changing ideologies in various European nation states since the 1960s. It systematically addresses not only the often negative perceptions by journalists and politicians in Europe, but also the contradictions and ambiguities within the organisations. It is a highly qualified academic approach that helps to paint a much-needed differentiated picture. -- Bettina Graf, Zentrum Moderner Orient Berlin, co-editor of Global Mufti: The Phenomenon of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

This volume richly documents and critically assesses political movements relating to the Muslim Brothers and their changing ideologies in various European nation states since the 1960s. It systematically addresses not only negative perceptions by western journalists and politicians but also the contradictions and ambiguities within these Muslim organizations. A highly qualified academic approach that helps paint a much-needed, differentiated picture. -- Bettina Graf, Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin, and coeditor of Global Mufti: The Phenomenon of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi A penetrating assessment of the origins and inner workings of an influential and diverse Islamist movement operating in Europe. Where the Brotherhood is widely portrayed as a counter-Enlightenment Trojan Horse, this volume offers an impressively more nuanced understanding of its evolution, moving away from its totalizing dogma and militancy towards political pragmatism as it engages with democracy, secularism, and Muslim minority status. -- Humayan Ansari, Royal Holloway, University of London, author of The Infidel Within: Muslims in Britain Since 1800

Author Information

Roel Meijer teaches modern Middle Eastern history at Radboud University in Nijmegen and is senior researcher at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations. He has published widely on Islamist movements, most recently the book Global Salafism: Islam's New Religious Movement. Edwin Bakker is professor of counterterrorism studies at Leiden University and director of the Centre for Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism at the Hague.

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