As I have mentioned before, my last month in Jordan is being spent doing research on the relationship between Jordan’s main Islamist party, the Islamic Action Front, and the Hashemite monarchy.  The bulk of my research is being done through interviews.  So far I have interviewed various elites that range from the country’s former foreign minister, a few journalists, and the head of the country’s main secular party; however, today I went straight to the source of my research as I engaged in interviews today at the offices of both Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Action Front, which is more or less the political wing of the Brotherhood.

I was both very excited and very intimidated by this occasion, for while I know that being an Islamist does not necessarily make one a terrorist by any means, I still had the idea going into my head that I was going into the offices of the political movement that the United States deems as the world’s greatest post-Cold War threat.

My first meeting was in the office of the Muslim Brotherhood, and was actually not an interview.  Rather it was an informational meeting where I was to be screened by the head of the organization’s information department.  My first encounter with a member of the party did not help to calm my nerves as I was confronted by a guard of the organization interrogating me about my business with the organization; however, was I gave him my student ID he became much more amicable.

As I walked up the stairs of the building (the organization’s headquarters are in the same building of the Islamic hospital that they run) I was a little shaken by the environment.  Not only were the walls of the organization covered by posters glorifying ideas and people that were viewed as entirely extremist in the United States, but also the office was very chaotic and filled with many people as a large press conference had just finished.

Once I walked into the office I was greeted by Yehya Shaqra, a very friendly man in his late 60’s with whom I had set my appointment up with the day before.  My meeting with him went very well as he approved my questions and agreed to set up an interview for me.  In addition, he also gave me many internal IAF documents that would further aid me in my research.  Following this meeting, I headed to the office of the Islamic Action Front, which was unsurprisingly only a short walk away.

At the Islamic Action Front headquarters, I had an interview with the party’s vice president, Dr. Ruhayl Gharaibeh.  Compared to the Muslim’s Brotherhood’s, this office was much more spartan and quiet.  There were a few posters here and there, but those were the only main decorations in the office space.  Expectedly, my interview with Dr. Gharaibeh was very interesting.  I asked him many questions regarding political Islam that had always been in the back of my mind.  For instance I questioned him about whether there is any inherent economic policy in political Islam.  He responded that the party believed Jordan should follow more traditional Arab models rather than privatization being set forth by the International Monetary Fund.