Book Launch "From Caliphate to Civil State - The Young Faces of Politcal Islam in Jordan after the Arab Spring"

The Arab Spring, with both its successes and failures, has had a profound impact on young members of the Muslim Brotherhood and some of its leaders as well – especially those belonging to the moderate camp. It has pushed to the forefront fundamental questions on the Brotherhood’s political ambitions, their relationship with the organization in Egypt, their political participation with other forces in Jordan, and the closing off of prospects for political reform from the inside of the organization.

At this juncture, the political and intellectual context of the Brotherhood drove its young members to explore other political approaches and entities that adopt political concepts that represent them, such as sovereignty of the law and political and democratic participation. On the level of discourse, the political expression of these aspirations took the form of the civil state, the separation of da’wah from politics, and public and minority rights.

This book discusses changes in the thinking of the young people that belong or previously belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, who now consist of three ideologically-distinct entities: the Islamic Action Front, the National Congress Party – Zamzam, and the Partnership and Rescue Party, the first of which represents political Islam, while the latter two are post-Islamist parties.