"Little has been published on militant Islam in Syria since Hafez Assad's regime destroyed the Islamist movement in its stronghold of Hama in February 1982. This book bridges that gap by providing readers with the first comprehensive account of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood's history to date. In this ground-breaking account of Syria's most prominent, yet highly secretive, Islamist organisation, the author draws on previously untapped sources: the memoirs of former Syrian jihadists; British and American archives; and also a series of wide-ranging interviews with the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood's historical leaders as well as those who battled against them--many speaking on the record for the first time. Ashes of Hama uncovers the major aspects of the Islamist struggle: from the Brotherhood's radicalisation and its "jihad" against the Ba'athist regime and subsequent exile, to a spectacular comeback at the forefront of the Syrian revolution in 2011--a remarkable turnaround for an Islamist movement which all analysts had pronounced dead amid the ruins of Hama in 1982." -- Publisher website.

Includes index.

pt. I. Politicizing Islam (1860-1963). 1. The emergence of a politicized Islam in Syria (1860-1944) : The "Damascus school": the Salafiyya movement in Syria ; Politicizing Islam: the rise of the "Islamic populists" -- 2. Islam and democracy: the Muslim Brotherhood in post-independence Syria (1946-1963) : Egyptian roots ; The Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood ; Competing for power in Syria's parliamentary democracy ; Defending Islam with pragmatism ; "'Islamic socialism': a Muslim drink in a Marxist cup" ; Losing ground to the Ba'ath Party -- pt. II. The Islamic opposition to Ba'athism (1963-1982). 3. The Islamic reaction to the Ba'athist Revolution : A clash of ideologies ; A clash of constituencies ; The ideological failure of Ba'athism ; Urban uprisings -- 4. "A minority cannot forever rule a majority" : Sunnis and Alawis: a history of mistrust ; The "revenge of a minority"? ; The "Alawization" of the Syrian regime: myth or reality? ; Atmosphere of sectarian civil war -- pt. III. The rise of jihadism in late 1970s Syria (1963-1982). 5. The radicalization of the Islamic movement (1963-1980) : The moderation of the Damascus Ikhwan ; The split in the "Damascus wing" ; The radicalization of the Islamic movement ; Birth of an extremist organization: the fighting vanguard -- 6. Endorsing jihad against the Ba'ath (1980-1982) : State repression ; The Muslim Brotherhood's jihad ; A last stand: the Hama uprising ; A "Camp David conspiracy"? -- pt. IV. Ashes of Hama: the Syrian Islamist movement since 1982. 7. Militant Islam after Hama : Al-Qaeda: the Syrian connection ; The Syrian mukhabarat and radical Islam: a blowback? ; Taming political Islam -- 8. Struggling for relevance: the Muslim Brotherhood's exile : Divided between the "Hama clan" and the "Aleppo faction" ; Back to basics: the ideological evolution ; Engaging with the Syrian opposition -- 10. Uprisings in Syria: revenge on history : Fostering Islamic radicalization ; The Brotherhood's rebirth from ashes ; Back to Syria: opportunities and challenges -- Appendixes : 1. List of the successive leaders of Syria's Muslim Brotherhood ; 2. Abdullah Azzam on the role of Marwan Hadid during the 1964 Hama riots ; 3. Abdullah Azzam on Marwan Hadid's death ; 5. Abu Musʼab al-Suri on the training tactic of al-Talia al-Muqatila ; 5. Abu Musʼab al-Suri on the Battle of Hama in February 1982 ; 6. The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood's most important statement regarding their evolution and their vision of Syria's future.