Political Islam's Opportunity in Jordan

In the run-up to municipal elections, the Islamic Action Front is steering clear of divisive social themes, such as whether women must be veiled, alcohol banned and school curriculums changed to more closely mirror Islamic belief. Instead, it raises clean government as an electoral banner, to exploit the perception that the Jordanian government and the monarch's inner circle are corrupt. An anti-corruption platform was instrumental in Hamas's appeal in Palestinian elections.

The party is a wing of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, an umbrella movement that began in Egypt more than 80 years ago and has inspired Islamic political groups throughout the Middle East. Because the front has long been legal here, it is relatively easy to observe how it works to broaden its appeal. It recruits young activists and trains them both in Islamic belief and professional fulfillment.

Mustafa Mubarak, for instance, is a Muslim Brotherhood activist who has been in training for five years. "It was nothing shocking for me. One thing that the Front calls us to do is to implement the Koran's rules. Not by force, but through substantial dialogue," he said in an interview.

In Mubarak's view, the main difference between an Islamic party and secular groups is that in the Brotherhood and the Front, members live the program of moral and political action under Islamic law, which regulates many forms of behavior and interaction, including diet, marital relations and social welfare. "We don't live a life of contradictions," said Mubarak, who proudly announced he had persuaded his mother to cover her head for modesty.

Mubarak, 23, whose family is of Palestinian origin, began studying at "Koran centers" and joined an Islamic Boy Scouts group. "They taught me social equality and also that I could be something someday," he said. He teaches high school chemistry. "God sent us to save people who want to be saved," he said.

Mubarak recruits other members in universities and is preparing to campaign for Islamic candidates in the municipal and parliamentary contests. His activism has attracted police attention; he said police called him in recently, asked about people he meets with and advised him to stop. "But we are legal," he said. "The frontiers are opening to us."

The Front benefits by its association with the Muslim Brotherhood's charitable and educational organizations, funded in part by donations.

At the Arkam School, a showcase institution with students from kindergarten through 12th grade, Khalil Askar, the headmaster, was cautious about linking the Brotherhood's social activity with political ambitions. "We stay out of politics. That's for the Islamic Action Front," he said. "Of course, schools like this do encourage people vote for Islamic politicians. In the Middle East, other ideologies have tried and failed. Islam is the solution."

Tuition at the school, about $700 a year, is about a tenth of what parents would pay to send their children to equivalent nonsectarian academies. Beyond that, Askar said, the school provides "Islamic education and morals. We don't have scandals here."

After the seventh grade, girls wear head scarves and long caftans, although Askar said such dress was optional. They are segregated from boys. "We consider it respect to women. They can act as they want and talk as they want," Askar said.

Academic classes are brought into line with Islamic thought. The other day, in a high school science class, girls were discussing biology in the context of Islamic teaching. "We reject evolution. God created people, and people began as human beings from the beginning," said one student, Batul Ahmed Ali.

The Brotherhood's Islamic charities operate clinics in poor neighborhoods that offer treatment and medicine and have expanded into providing food, job training and school clothing.

Fawaz Mazrawi, a Brotherhood activist, operates one in the working-class Jebel Nasr neighborhood. It is a clean, bright place plastered with Koranic sayings and hygienic advice. Mazrawi said the goal is to supplement, not compete with state services. "We have to be fair. The government can provide more comprehensive care. But we fill in gaps," he said.

"We are not terrorists," he said, answering a question that had not been asked. "We are here to provide services."