Islam, Charity, and Activism: Middle-Class Networks and Social Welfare in Egypt, Jordan, and Yemen; Why Muslims Rebel: Repression and Resistance in the Islamic World; and Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach

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Islam, Charity, and Activism: Middle-Class Networks and Social Welfare in Egypt, Jordan, and Yemen. By Janine A. Clark. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004. 256p. $49.95 cloth, $23.95 paper.

Why Muslims Rebel: Repression and Resistance in the Islamic World. By Mohammed M. Hafez. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2003. 240p. $52.00 cloth, $25.00 paper.

Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach. Edited by Quintan Wiktorowicz. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004. 320p. $59.95 cloth, $24.95 paper.

It is a pleasure to read three well-researched books that use a social movement approach to explain contemporary Islamic activism. A combination of rigorous fieldwork and focused use of theory offers an alternative viewing lens for a host of issues involving social work, women's activism, use of violence, recruitment strategies, protest movements, political participation, and economic reforms.