The leaders of Islamist governments in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia have condemned attacks on U.S. embassies and consulates in reaction to the offensive “Innocence of Muslims” film. In public statements and private contacts with American officials, all three leaders assured the United States that the assaults did not reflect government policy or public opinion among the majority in their countries. Each of them blamed small groups of extremists.

Three years after Facebook launched an Arabic interface, charismatic Muslim sheikhs are gaining a new generation of followers by tapping into interactive media. Since 2009, hundreds of 21st century preachers have created digital forums that allow distant audiences to communicate with them—and with each other. Tweets and Facebook updates keep the faithful engaged with Islamic content even if they miss their favorite sheikh’s television program.

Former Wilson Center Fellow Samer Shehata is the editor of a newly published book: Islamist Politics in the Middle East: Movements and Change (Routledge). Shehata wrote the book’s introduction and one of the chapters entitled “Political Da‘wa: Understanding the Muslim Brotherhood’s Participation in Semi-Authoritarian Elections.” He was a Fellow at the Center in 2008-2009.

Kristen Ghodsee has won two prizes for Muslim Lives in Eastern Europe: Gender, Ethnicity and the Transformation of Islam in Postsocialist Bulgaria, a book she worked on as a fellow at The Wilson Center from 2005 to 2006.