Moderate Islam’s Next Generation: The Complexity and Adaptability of the Islamic Mainstream in Egypt

FAIN: FT-51434-03

Raymond Baker
Trinity College (Hartford, CT 06106-3100)

In the mid-nineties the Egyptian government embarked on the repression of the Islamic wave. Such efforts invariably provoked violent attacks by extremists. Instead, in 1996 young centrist Islamists seized the initiative by petitioning to form a political party. Their platform embraced gradual gradualism and renounced violence. Using an interpretive approach that draws on complexity theory, this project analyzes this "outbreak" of Islamic moderation and assesses its prospects as a model of gradualist Islamic reform. From this perspective, at once historically grounded and theoretical informed, the project addresses questions of interest to social scientists and humanists alike concerning the future of mainstream Islam.