ABSTRACT
The renewed relevance of Islam to Middle Eastern politics has received much attention since the late 1970s; scholars have focused almost exclusively on two aspects of this phenomenon. One has been the political manipulation of Islamic symbols and concepts by regimes and opposition groups. The other has been the presumed ideological and structural causes of Islamic movements, including the lack of legitimacy of Middle Eastern regimes, rapid modernization and the stresses and tensions it generates, the search for cultural authenticity and meaning, the "exhaustion" of the modern secular state in the Middle East, and a general disillusionment with Western-inspired ideologies, values, and ways of life. Islamic networks constitute the road toward the building of much larger Islamic Utopia. They are at once arenas of communal life for their members and centers of opposition to the authorities. The ability of informal networks to provide powerful avenues for political dissent is clearly not limited to the Middle East or to Arab-Muslim cultures.
