Mubarak and the Islamists: Why Did the “Honeymoon” End?

This article argues that the reasons behind Egyptian President Husni Mubarak's policy changes towards moderate Islamists was based on their ability to provide social services via an organized network of contacts. The outcome of this was that Islamists gained informal legitimacy from society but not from the state. This legitimacy was politicized to impel the state officially to recognize the Islamists, but instead of conceding to Islamist pressures, the state launched an offensive campaign to uproot their influence.