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The Rise and Fall of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) David Schenker - A year ago, the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood's power was surging at a time of burgeoning demonstrations against King Abdullah II's government. But by the end of last year, protesters stopped coming out. In January, the Brotherhood boycotted parliamentary elections and the moderate Islamist Wasat (Center) party stepped in and won 16 of 150 seats. As a result, the Brotherhood lost its claim to the mantle of Islamist leadership in the kingdom. Moreover, the emergence of al-Qaeda-affiliated militants in Syria's civil war has drained popular enthusiasm for the Brotherhood in Jordan. Yet part of the Islamist population in Jordan is growing disenchanted with the Brotherhood because it is not extreme enough. The writer is director of the Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute.