About the book
The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Hizbullah in Lebanon had or have as part of their raison d'etre the idea of pan-Islamist activism. But in addition to this, both are in reality serious players in the political system of the state in which they operate. Whilst their ideological discourses are often used to present the differences between Sunni and Shi'i movements, the tactics of both in their attempts to secure power reveal similarities between the two. Eva Dingel focuses on their behaviour as players within the political process and beyond, considering the question of why, at certain points, both movements choose to 'play by the rules', while during other periods, they apply different methods of political protest. By looking at the history of these two groups, Dingel examines the numerous influences on political movements, ranging from ideological change via generational conflict to transnational influences, and how state capacity is a key factor in influencing the strategy choices of these groups.
Islamist Movements
The Muslim Brotherhood
Hizbullah
Dingel makes a timely and important contribution to the debates surrounding the topic of political Islam. The book is an innovative, well-argued and thoroughly researched addition to the debates surrounding the development of political Islam, and very nicely complements the political science literature on power structures and transformation processes in the Middle East.
Rachid Ouaissa — Philipps-Universität, Marburg
A very timely and original book which tackles a research question of extremely high relevance in both academic terms and from a policy perspective. It is not only timely with regard to most recent events in the Arab world, but also speaks to the ongoing more general debate about whether or not Islamist movements and liberal democracy go together or not.'.
Thomas Risse — Freie Universität, Berlin
Projects & Initiatives
Eva Dingel founded fundyourdreams.eu an initiative that helps activits, startups and non-governmental organizations find the right donors, develop successful proposals and receive support in the monitoring and evaluation process. In addition, Eva is also the co-founder of Mixity.org an initiative for constructive dialogue across political boundaries in Germany.
Fund Your Dreams
Mixity e.V.
Get to know the author
About Eva Dingel
Eva Dingel holds a PhD in Politics from the Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin). She has held a research associate position at the Orient Institut in Beirut and is currently working with a non-governmental organization focused on Middle East politics and media.
Publications
Hezbollah's Rise and Decline?
Libanon: Das Abkommen von Doha
