Inside the Muslim Brotherhood

Al-Anani's book is a significant contribution to the literature on the Brotherhood, filling in a significant gap by closely examining and explaining the organizational role of ideology and group identity in the movement's activism, organization, and decision-making. Though focused on the Egyptian Brotherhood, the book includes many relevant discussions to readers interested in Brotherhood groups in other countries as well as political Islam and Islamist movements more broadly. Theoretically sophisticated, it is written in clear prose and will be of great use and interest to students and researchers in Middle East politics, Islamic studies, and social movements. * Christopher Anzalone, Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online *
This is a must-read for understanding Islamist politics of our time Essential. * CHOICE *
Inside the Muslim Brotherhood is a valuable contribution to the study of Islamist movements in general, and the Muslim Brotherhood in particular. Al-Anani's combination of theoretical and ethnographic depth not only provides answers to key questions, it also presents a valuable agenda for future research. * Sociology of Islam *
Depending on its outcome, the current crisis within the Muslim Brotherhood could fundamentally reshape the terrain of Middle East politics and beyond * and yet we continue to know so little about the group. Enter Khalil al-Anani's Inside the Muslim Brotherhood, a uniquely informative portrait of dynamics within a vitally important social and political movement. This book is a must read for everyone seeking to understand the trajectory of Islamist politics today.Peter Mandaville, author of Islam & Politics *
How does a socio-religious movement endure over nine decades of ebb and flow and continue to operate? In this highly readable book, Khalil al-Anani sheds valuable light on the inner workings of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood * not just its rationale of leadership, organization, and recruiting, but in particular the craft of identity production that marks the oldest Islamist movement in the world.Asef Bayat, Catherine and Bruce Bastian Professor of Global and Transnational Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champign *
Khalil al-Anani offers a rigorous, compelling, and rich account of the internal structure, organization, and ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood. By examining how individual Muslim Brothers are recruited, socialized, and mobilized into a powerful collective identity, al-Anani has made a significant contribution to the scholarly study of Islamist movements. * Marc Lynch, author of The New Arab Wars: Anarchy and Uprising in the Middle East *
Interviews with members of the Muslim Brotherhood, internal documents, and detailed knowledge of the movement's long history make up the rich resources of this book. Khalil al-Anani discusses all of the above in a lucid prose informed by social movement theory, social psychology, and the sociology of religion. In the process, he provides us with one of the most useful books on one of the most important Islamic movements in a century. Unlike so much else that has been published on the Brotherhood recently, readers here will find a composed treatment that does not lose the larger portrait in the heat of the moment. * Mohammed Bamyeh, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Pittsburgh *