Barry Rubin 
Revolutionaries and Reformers 
Contemporary Islamist Movements in the Middle East

Islamist movements seeking power today are faced with difficult choices regarding strategy, ranging from armed struggle to electoral efforts. An emerging alternative consists of a rethinking of Islamist politics, where the goal of a ‘totally Islamic’ polity would be abandoned in favor of some form of Islamic-oriented society. In this reformulation, Islamist politics would function as a pressure group to make society more Islamic, reinforcing the walls of semi-separate internal communities and reinterpreting Islam in more liberal ways. The September 11, 2001 terror attack on the United States, however, demonstrates that the radical approach remains attractive to many Islamists. Addressing these issues, the contributors look at the countries where Islamist movements have been most important. Case studies of revolutionary and reformist groups are followed by chapters discussing future alternatives for Islamist politics, presenting arguments both advocating and critical of a potential liberal, reformist, interest-group Islamism.

Table of Content

Preface

1. Why Radical Muslims Aren’t Taking Over Governments
Emmanuel Sivan

2. Radical Islam in Egypt: A Comparison of Two Groups
David Zeidan

3. The Development of Palestinian Islamic Groups
Reuven Paz

4. Radical Islamist Movements in Turkey
Ely Karmon

5. Islamism and the State in North Africa
Bruce Maddy-Weitzman and Meir Litvak

6. Hizballah: Between Armed Struggle and Domestic Politics
Eyal Zisser

7. Balancing State and Society: The Islamic Movement in Kuwait
Shafeeq N. Ghabra

8. The Rise of the Islamist Movement in Turkey
Nilufer Narli

9. Fethullah Gulen and His Liberal ‘Turkish Islam’ Movement
Bulent Aras and Omer Caha

10. Islam and Democracy
Ali R. Abootalebi

11. Mediating Middle East Conflicts: An Alternative Approach
George E. Irani

12. Liberal Islam: Prospects and Challenges
Charles Kurzman

13. Inside the Islamic Reformation
Dale F. Eickelman

14. Islamist Movements in the Middle East: A Survey and Balance Sheet
Barry Rubin

List of Contributors

Index

About the author

Barry Rubin is Director of the Global Research in International Affairs Center and editor of the
Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal. He is the author of many books, including most recently,
The Transformation of Palestinian Politics: From Revolution to State-Building, and the editor of many more, including (with Ian S. Lustick)
Critical Essays on Israeli Society, Politics, and Culture: Books on Israel, Volume II, also published by SUNY Press.