The Muslim Brotherhood in Contemporary Egypt: Democracy Redefined or Confined?

The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the oldest and most influential Islamist movements. As the party ascends to power in Egypt, it is poised to adopt a new system of governance and state-society relations, the effects of which are likely to extend well beyond Egypt's national borders. This book examines the Brotherhood's visions and practices, from its inception in 1928, up to its response to the 2011 uprising, as it moves to redefine democracy along Islamic lines. The book analyses the Muslim Brotherhood's position on key issues such as gender, religious minorities, and political plurality, and critically analyses whether claims that the Brotherhood has abandoned extremism and should be engaged with as a moderate political force can be substantiated. It also considers the wider political context of the region, and assesses the extent to which the Brotherhood has the potential to transform politics in the Middle East.

Mariz Tadros is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. She spent three years as an Assistant Professor at the American University of Cairo, has worked as a consultant for both local and international NGOs, and was a journalist for Al-Ahram Weekly newspaper for almost ten years, covering human rights, women's rights, civil society organizations and activism, poverty and a plethora of development-related topics.

1. Introduction 2. A reformed or reframed movement? 3. The Muslim Brotherhood on government and governance 4. The Muslim Brotherhood on political and cultural pluralism 5. The Muslim Brotherhood on the question of religious pluralism 6. The Muslim Brotherhood and the gender question 7. Conclusions