Faith in Moderation

Abstract

Much that has been written about political Islam emphasizes the negative images of suicide bombings, bearded and seemingly blind proponents of jihad, patriarchal gender ideologies, and intolerance toward non-Muslims. Jillian Schwedler’s comparative study of two “Islamist” political parties in Jordan and Yemen, respectively, is a welcome reminder that Muslims are just as capable of protecting their faith in moderation as anyone else. Her book provides a valuable record of the historical development of both Jordan’s Islamic Action Front (IAF: Jabhat al-`Aml al-Islami) and the Yemeni Congregation for Reform, better known simply as the Islah (Reform) party.A political scientist with first-hand experience in both countries, she has researched the previous literature on each party and conducted over three dozen formal on-the-record interviews with party officials and other relevant individuals (and more than 200 political actors overall, p. 31). The bulk of the interviews were conducted between 1995 and 1998, with follow-up trips as recently as 2003 ...