Full Description
Shows how the laws governing civil society are used to regulate Islamic activism in Jordan.
The Management of Islamic Activism examines the relationship between the changing nature of state power and patterns of Islamic activism in Jordan. Using extensive fieldwork, the author demonstrates how regimes continue to constrain the organization of Islamic opposition even after the advent of political liberalization. In the case of the Jordanian regime, control has been maintained through the "management of collective action"-the regulation of opposition through a complex array of bureaucratic and legal mechanisms. More specifically, laws governing civil society organizations are manipulated to encourage the formation of moderate Islamic groups while disempowering more radical activists. As a result, the radical activists have formed informal social networks that operate outside the state's control. Composed of like-minded Islamists, these networks evade attempts to manage Islamic activism through a loose web of personal relationships, small group interactions, and informal meetings. A comparison of the Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan demonstrates how state management strategies shape these patterns of social movement mobilization.
Contents
Acknowledgments
List of Tables Introduction
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis
Organizations, Informal Networks, and Collective Action
The Political Context of Islamic Activism in Jordan
The Structure of the Book
1. The Management of Collective Action
Political Liberalization and Organizational Growth
The Conditionality of Participation
Corporatism and Self-Discipline: The General Union of Voluntary Societies
Social Control and Alternative Forms of Collective Action
Conclusion
2. State Power and the Regulation of Islam
Islamic Legitimacy and State Power
Religious Legitimacy in Jordan
The Mosque
Imams, Preachers, and the Khutha
Zakat
Islamic Law and the Fatwa
Ramadan and the Effect of State Control
State Islamic Organizations
Conclusion
3. Islamic Social Movement Organizations and the Muslim Brotherhood
The Islamic NGO Community: An Overview
The Muslim Brotherhood and Cooperation
Muslim Brotherhood Organizations
Conclusion
4. The Salafi Movement and Informal Networks
Salafi Ideology
The Salafi Challenge
Organizational Experience
Informal Networks and Salafi Activism
Conclusion
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
