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The Closed Circle offers an unprecedented inside view into how one of the world's most influential Islamist groups operates. Lorenzo Vidino marshals unique interviews with prominent former members and associates of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West, shedding light on why and how people join and leave the organization.
List of contents
Preface and Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
1. What Is the Muslim Brotherhood in the West?
2. Joining and Leaving the Brotherhood
3. Kamal Helbawy
4. Ahmed Akkari
5. Pierre Durrani
6. Mohamed Louizi
7. Omero Marongiu
8. Pernilla Ouis
9. The American Brothers
10. Joining and Leaving: What the Evidence Suggests
11. The Western Brotherhood’s Future: From the Arab Spring and Beyond
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Summary
The Muslim Brotherhood in the West remains a mysterious entity. In The Closed Circle, Lorenzo Vidino offers an unprecedented inside view into how one of the world’s most influential Islamist groups operates. He marshals unique interviews with prominent former members and associates from Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America, shedding light on why and how people join and leave Western outfits of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Drawing on these striking personal accounts, Vidino weaves together the experiences of individuals who participated in and later renounced Brotherhood groups. Their perspectives provide a wealth of new information about the Brotherhood’s secretive inner workings and the networks that connecting the small yet highly organized cluster of Brotherhood-influenced groups. The Closed Circle examines the tactics the Brotherhood uses to recruit and retain participants as well as how and why individuals make the difficult decision to leave. Through the stories of diverse former members, Vidino paints a portrait of a highly structured, tight-knit movement. His unprecedented access and understanding of the group’s activities and motivations has significant policy implications concerning Western Brotherhood organizations and also illuminates the underlying mechanisms found in a range of extremist groups.
Additional text
Offers a new analytical framework for conceptualizing the reasons why people have chosen to join and leave the largest Islamist movement in the West...Recommended.
