Return to the Shadows: The Rise and Fall of the Muslim Brotherhood

by Alison Pargeter

The Arab Spring heralded the most profound shift in the region for decades. Most notably, it saw the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood and affiliated movements in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. But navigating their respective countries through difficult and painful transitions ultimately proved too challenging, and, just as suddenly, the Brotherhood was dramatically overthrown in Egypt and left severely weakened in Libya and Tunisia.

In this authoritative account, Alison Pargeter expertly charts the Brotherhood's ascent and subsequent fall from power. Based on extensive research and exclusive interviews with high ranking members of the Brotherhood and An-Nahda, she offers the first comparative analysis of the movement, and the first detailed study of the Brotherhood in Libya.

As the political crisis within the movement worsens, Pargeter considers the consequences of the Brotherhood's decline on both the region and the wider Islamist political project.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published December 13, 2016

About the author

Alison Pargeter is a freelance North Africa and Middle East expert with a particular focus on Libya, Tunisia, Iraq (including the Kurdish region), and Egypt, as well as on political Islamist movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood.
A senior Research Associate at RUSI (Royal United Services Institute, Ms. Pargeter has also held a range of academic posts including at the University of Cambridge and Kings College, London. She is regularly called upon to brief policymakers in the UK and internationally, and has addressed a wide range of international audiences, including the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the International Atomic Energy Agency and various foreign ministries. She has given expert evidence to the UK Foreign Affairs Select Committee and has acted as an expert witness in cases in the UK courts.

Reviews

[Jonathan Fryer · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone interested in the rise and fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, as well as the chequered fate of Tunisia's An Nahda and Libya's Islamists, this is an authoritative and well documented account, impeccably researched but accessible in style. Highly recommended.

[Jumatil Fajar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Selalu senang membaca buku tentang Ikhwanul Muslimin di Mesir di berbagai negara lainnya. Buku ini kembali menunjukkan bagaimana kesulitan Ikhwanul Muslimin dalam mewujudkan apa yang mereka impikan selama ini ketika berhasil menduduki jabatan tertinggi di sebuah negara.

Ini menjadi pelajaran yang berharga bahwa meraih kedudukan tertinggi di sebuah negara tidak akan menjamin keberhasilan apabila tidak ditunjang dengan kemampuan untuk mengisi kemenangan tersebut. Untuk itu Ikhwanul Muslimin perlu banyak belajar bagaimana mengelola negara dengan baik, belajar untuk membumikan nilai-nilai yang mereka miliki selama ini, sehingga ketika diberikan kesempatan lagi untuk memimpin sebuah negara, mereka bisa mewujudkannya dengan baik.