The Muslim Brotherhood: Evolution of an Islamist Movement

Raymond William Baker praised the book as an excellent resource for understanding the Muslim Brotherhood's role in Egypt's political landscape. He noted that despite the book's coverage ending with Mohamed Morsi's election in 2012, the subsequent events have only increased its relevance. Baker highlighted Wickham's nuanced portrayal of the Brotherhood, particularly her debunking of the idea that it is a "monolithic bloc with a fixed trajectory." He also pointed out that while the book had some limitations, such as a liberal bias, its overall contribution to the subject was significant.^{[citation needed]}

Dalal Daoud noted that Wickham's work effectively traced the group's strategic responses and ideological shifts over time, emphasizing how the Brotherhood has adopted more liberal interpretations of Islam. However, Daoud critiqued the book for not fully considering the influence of Egypt's rural conservatism on the Brotherhood's ideology, stating that "the rural element of the Muslim Brotherhood has influenced many of its positions, including the group’s position on women’s role in society." Despite this critique, Daoud acknowledged the book as a valuable contribution to the study of Islamist movements.^{[citation needed]}

Angela Joya highlighted the author's in-depth detailed approach, which she said "dispels simplistic boxing of the Brotherhood into moderate or radical" and instead offers a complex portrayal of the group's evolution within Egypt's changing political and social landscape. She noted that the book forces readers to reconsider common generalizations about Islamic movements, making it a significant contribution to Middle Eastern studies.^[3]

Tarek Masoud praised Wickham's nuanced analysis of the Muslim Brotherhood, highlighting her argument that the group cannot simply be categorized as "for" or "against" democracy, nor as "moderate" or "extremist." Masoud commended Wickham for demonstrating that the Brotherhood, like any large collective, contained diverse viewpoints, with some members embracing reform and others clinging to older habits of mind and behavior. He noted Wickham's significant contribution to understanding ideological change within political movements, stating, "Wickham’s account of the dynamics and scope of the Brotherhood’s changes is of undeniable importance."^[4]

In her review, Brooke Sherrard praised the book for its examination of the Muslim Brotherhood's development. Sherrard applauded Wickham's avoidance of oversimplifications, emphasizing that labeling the group with terms like "radical" or "moderate" "does violence to its complexity." She said the book provides the tools to foster more sophisticated discussions of Islamism and more generally, to analyze the internal dynamics of political organizations.

However, Sherrard noted that a chapter on Muslim Brotherhood organizations in Jordan, Kuwait, and Morocco felt somewhat out of place in the overall narrative. She suggested that this might have been due to the book being in progress when the Arab Spring occurred. Despite this, Sherrard acknowledged that the chapter still contributed valuable insights into the internal divisions and debates within these movements, adding layers of complexity to Wickham’s broader arguments.^[5]

Joshua Sinai's review of the book was largely positive, acknowledging the book as an important and authoritative study on the evolution and influence of the Muslim Brotherhood. Sinai highlighted Wickham's extensive research, which included over 100 in-depth interviews and utilization of numerous Arabic language sources. He praised the book for systematically tracing the Brotherhood's evolution in Egypt from its founding in 1928 to its electoral victories in 2011-2012, as well as comparing its trajectory with similar Islamist movements in other Middle Eastern countries.^[6]

Joshua Stacher agreed with Wickham's argument that ideational development within the Brotherhood is influenced by the social environment in which its members operate. She divides the group into reformers, pragmatists, and conservatives, arguing that the group's ideological shifts are more complex than previously thought. However, Stacher criticized the book for overemphasizing the reformists at the expense of other factions within the Brotherhood. He also pointed out that the book's focus is heavily on Egypt, with less attention given to other countries where the Brotherhood operates. Further attention to groups outside Egypt, he suggests, might have enriched the book’s overall theoretical findings.^[7]

Lorenzo Vidino stressed Wickham's balanced approach in addressing the complexities surrounding the topic, particularly the debate on whether participation in the political system leads to the moderation of Islamist groups. He also lauded the author for avoiding a polarized view and instead providing an evidence-based analysis that considers the nuanced evolution of Islamist groups, particularly the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Vidino said that while the book's research largely predates the overthrow of Mohammed Mursi, it remains a valuable resource for understanding the possible future directions of the Brotherhood.^[8] He wrote:

Wickham’s research seems therefore to show that the truth is somewhere in between. Islamist groups have changed in a direction that could be seen as more ‘moderate’ over time, but some of that change is not entirely genuine.

John Waterbury considered the work as an extensive study of the Muslim Brotherhood, noting that Wickham has researched the group for over 20 years and has conducted interviews with nearly all of its leaders. Waterbury pointed out that although the author suggests that political participation might lead to moderation among Islamists, there is also evidence that state repression can have a similar effect. This nuanced view is further supported by examples from other countries like Morocco, Syria, and Turkey, where Islamist groups have moderated their stances in response to repression.^[9]

Lawrence Ziring said the work is meticulous and penetrating. Ziring highlighted Wickham's fluency in Arabic and her ability to shed new light on the Brotherhood's internal struggles, its influence across the Arab world, and its position as a significant political force in Egypt. The reviewer liked the balanced portrayal of the Brotherhood's complex relationship with the Egyptian military and its ongoing struggle to define Egypt's future between secularism and religious governance.^[10]

Barbara Zollner emphasized that the book offers a particularly valuable analysis of the Brotherhood's political decisions, challenges, and failures, especially during the period surrounding Egypt's Arab Spring and the subsequent rise and fall of the Brotherhood in power. Zollner also discussed Wickham's challenge to the "participation-moderation" thesis, which argues that political participation directly leads to moderation. Instead, Wickham suggests that religious beliefs can limit political reform.^[11]

• Honorable Mention in the Hubert Morken Award for Best Book (2015).^{[citation needed]}
• Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles (2014).^{[citation needed]}
• The Middle East Channel’s Top Five Books (2013)^[1]