Understanding the Confluence of Online Islamism and Counterpublicity: An Ideological Study of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's Rhetoric in Ikhwanweb
type: CreativeWork
description: My dissertation addresses two fundamental problems confronting most Islamist organizations: (a) their monolithic treatment by Western advocates of secular and democratic change, who by default associate Islamism with extremism; and (b) their struggle to function as unencumbered civil society actors and legitimate political entities in authoritarian political societies. In that endeavor, I carry out an ideological analysis of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's (MB) English-language rhetoric in its website, Ikhwanweb: (a) to interpret the worldview manifest in its cyber rhetoric, and identify the rhetorical strategies that support this worldview; and b) to examine Ikhwanweb's potential as a tool for counterpublic expression under President Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian regime. My analysis unearths a Counterpublic Cyber Islamic worldview characterized by endemic dialectical tensions. These dialectics point to four core elements: (a) distrust towards the Hosni Mubarak regime, and Western agents who aid authoritarian governments; (b) the need to be valued--respected, considered equals, understood without prejudices, and acknowledged despite differences--by Western agents; (c) the significance of caution in its online communications; and (d) the flux resulting from its efforts at transitioning into an organization with an Islamic essence and democratic aspirations. Through the paradigms--show of support, portrayal of opposition, and display of contradiction--the Egyptian MB rhetoric effectively conjures this worldview. These paradigms are demonstrated through the rhetorical tactics--consubstantiation, resource sharing, testimony, epithet, negative other-presentation, action over substance, generalization, implication, and antithesis. Based on these findings I assert that the Egyptian MB has genuine democratic intentions. Inherent in its worldview is a need for "˜Islamic reformulation' and an effort at becoming an entity within the Egyptian society that can counter authorit…
abstract: My dissertation addresses two fundamental problems confronting most Islamist organizations: (a) their monolithic treatment by Western advocates of secular and democratic change, who by default associate Islamism with extremism; and (b) their struggle to function as unencumbered civil society actors and legitimate political entities in authoritarian political societies. In that endeavor, I carry out an ideological analysis of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's (MB) English-language rhetoric in its website, Ikhwanweb: (a) to interpret the worldview manifest in its cyber rhetoric, and identify the rhetorical strategies that support this worldview; and b) to examine Ikhwanweb's potential as a tool for counterpublic expression under President Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian regime. My analysis unearths a Counterpublic Cyber Islamic worldview characterized by endemic dialectical tensions. These dialectics point to four core elements: (a) distrust towards the Hosni Mubarak regime, and Western agents who aid authoritarian governments; (b) the need to be valued--respected, considered equals, understood without prejudices, and acknowledged despite differences--by Western agents; (c) the significance of caution in its online communications; and (d) the flux resulting from its efforts at transitioning into an organization with an Islamic essence and democratic aspirations. Through the paradigms--show of support, portrayal of opposition, and display of contradiction--the Egyptian MB rhetoric effectively conjures this worldview. These paradigms are demonstrated through the rhetorical tactics--consubstantiation, resource sharing, testimony, epithet, negative other-presentation, action over substance, generalization, implication, and antithesis. Based on these findings I assert that the Egyptian MB has genuine democratic intentions. Inherent in its worldview is a need for "˜Islamic reformulation' and an effort at becoming an entity within the Egyptian society that can counter authorit…
author: Dhar, Soumia
language: English
keywords: Islamism, Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt, Counterpublic, Rhetoric, Ideology, Democracy, Islam
date published: 2011-07-01T07:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:25:53Z
provider: University of New Mexico
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of New Mexico

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/1928/13134