Book Reviews 115

The Management of Islamic Activism: Salafis,
The Muslim Brotherhood, and State Power in Jordan

Quintan Wiktorowicz
State University of New York: Albany, 2001. 205 pages.

In his first book, The Management of Islamic Activism, Quintan Wiktor-
owicz examines the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis through
the lens of social movement theory. Unlike some political scientists who dis-
miss Islamic movements because of their informal networks, Wiktorowicz
contends that social movement theory is an apt framework through which
Islamic movements can be examined and studied. In this regard, his work
leads the field. Yet for all its promise, this book largely fails to deliver. 

The book is divided into four primary sections, through which he tries to
construct his conclusion: Jordanian political liberalization has occurred
because of structural necessities, not because of its commitment to democra-
tization. In addition, the state has been masterful in what he dubs the “man-
agement of collective action,” (p. 3) which has, for all practical purposes, sti-
fled any real opposition. While his conclusion is certainly tenable, given his
extensive fieldwork, the book is poorly organized and much of the evidence
examined earlier in the work leaves many questions unanswered. 

The first chapter focuses rather heavily on the advent of Jordanian char-
itable NGOs and the state bureaucracy’s ability to effectively manipulate



116 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 23:1

and control them. Although a key component of his argument is that the state
bureaucracy has hampered and controlled the functionality of Islamic
NGOs, he fails to explain what distinguishes Islamic NGOs from their coun-
terparts. He clarifies: “The activities at most Islamic NGOs in Jordan do not
differ substantially from those of secular and non-Islamic voluntary organi-
zations” (p. 85). If this is correct, then what differentiates Islamic NGOs
from non-Islamic NGOs? He explains: “What differentiates Islamic NGOs
from their secular counterparts is … the volunteers’ beliefs that they are pro-
moting Islam through their work. It is an insider belief in the mission, more
than the activities themselves, that distinguishes them” (p. 85) It is quite
remarkable that Wiktorowicz was privy to this “insider” belief. In a Muslim
nation such as Jordan, it is hard to imagine that Islam is not a motivating fac-
tor in charitable work to some extent. The author argues that the state
bureaucracy hampers Islamic NGOs, but is this indeed the case, or does the
bureaucracy hamper all NGOs equally? This question remains unasked and
unanswered. He would have us believe that the state bureaucracy has taken
it upon itself to control Islamic NGOs, but does not thoroughly differentiate
them from the non-Islamic NGOs. 

The fundamental issue that the book examines is a religiously oriented
state opposition in Jordan. As such, Wiktorowicz focuses on demonstrating
the state’s control of such opposition through various means and mecha-
nisms. The second chapter masterfully shows the state’s ability to control
religion. The most important aspect of this control is the state’s control of
all Jordanian mosques, including privately funded ones. This, then, allows
it to effectively control and monitor the bulk of religious space. Friday ser-
mons (khutbahs) are heavily controlled, and preachers are screened to
ensure that their sermons do not criticize the state. Preachers that disregard
the “red lines” and preach against the state or state policy are punished.
However, there are ways around this. For example, some preachers couch
their implicit criticism in Qur’anic verses, thereby ensuring that if they are
questioned by the secret police (mukhabarat), they can claim that they
merely recited verses readily found in the Qur’an. In addition to mosques,
the state also controls the collection and distribution of zakat through vari-
ous neighborhood-based zakat committees, further maintaining state con-
trol of the religious space. Wiktorowicz astutely notes the importance of
Ramadan in the Islamic calendar and the subsequent increase in state con-
trol during this month.

The heart of the work is the third chapter, where his argument comes to
fruition. He effectively shows the historical ties that have been forged



Book Reviews 117

between the Jordanian state and the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood
enjoys great latitude, provided that it does not seek to radically alter the gov-
ernment and restricts its criticism to government policy. The greatest sub-
stance to this chapter lies not only in the Brotherhood’s history and early ties
to the Hashemite regime, but also in its clear demonstration of Brotherhood
institutions and their dissemination of their understanding of Islamic norms
and values. 

Wiktorowicz again seeks to use Islamic NGOs, in this case NGOs run
by Brotherhood members, and government-imposed restrictions to demon-
strate the effective use of the state bureaucracy in controlling NGOs. His
work would be better served if he either further clarified and defined Islamic
NGOs and how they have been co-opted in bureaucratic measures or
focused on the Brotherhood and the Salafis and how the state has controlled
their organizations. Instead, he attempts to do both and misses out on the
various complexities brought to light by his earlier evidence. The fourth
chapter, while providing some interesting history of the Salafi movement,
largely glosses over Salafis in Jordan. In addition, while comparing the
Brotherhood and the Salafis, the author does not clarify their ultimate objec-
tives. We learn that the two have different theological outlooks, but we learn
nothing about their respective missions. 

This work is certainly a step in the right direction and makes strides in
demonstrating both the informal nature of Islamic activism and its manage-
ment by the Jordanian state. Unfortunately, it also ignores many issues that
require greater clarification. Such clarity would, in great likelihood, bolster
the author’s claims. One reason why the book fails to deliver is its length: It
is a short work that does not allow much room for greater analytical depth.
Even then, Wiktorowicz does not take full advantage of the pages. For
example, instead of focusing on the necessary evidence to validate his argu-
ment, he pays considerable attention to such irrelevant issues as the nature
of Ramadan and bid`ah (innovation). It seems that the book’s target audi-
ence lies somewhere between Middle East specialists and political scientists.
Ultimately, the book remains disjointed and does not effectively weave the
various strands of his argument together in a way designed to reach his ulti-
mate conclusion. This deficiency could have been overcome with greater
length and clarification. 

Faisal Ghori
BA, Middle Eastern Studies; BA, History

University of California, Berkeley, California