Violence,Legitimacy, and Control: The Microdynamics of Support Relationships between Militant Groups and their Social Environment

When police moved against a mosque known to be a stronghold of al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya (The Islamic Group) in a neighbourhood in northeastern Cairo in summer 1988, they quickly became involved in street battles in which they were confronted not only by members of the militant Islamist group but also by many ordinary residents, including teenagers and elderly women throwing stones from balconies. It was obvious that the group had built a considerable base of support in the area: ‘They were very good young people’, one resident explained. The Islamists ‘used to have very active social work around their mosque. …] They collected donations for needy families and intervened in family disputes;’ and people, as he recounted, ‘admired their bravery to voice something the government does not want’ (Interview with residents of Ayn Shams, Cairo, March 2005). Yet, the resistance proved short-lived. When the neighbourhood was put under a curfew after the riots, people gradually withdrew from the group and many young followers shaved and changed their white galabiyya for a pair of trousers.