Society of the Righteous

Book excerpt: ""This is a highly original work, a signal contribution not only to the emerging field of Ibadi studies, but also to students and scholars of Islamic, African, and Middle Eastern studies. ... Wortmann demonstrates familiarity with a wide range of scholarship and considers multiple factors in her analysis, including history, language, ethnicity, nationalism, education, social structure, the function of charitable associations, and economics." - Valerie Hoffman, author of The Essentials of Ibadi Islam. "This is a major contribution to understanding contemporary Ibadi society in Tanzania and how it remains shaped by cross-regional networks of belonging. It also goes deep into its daily ways of operation and the role of Ibadi women in shaping Ibadi presence in Tanzania. The chapter on Ibadi women in particular is a welcome addition to the literature on Muslim communities in East Africa." - Amal Ghazal, author of Islamic Reform and Arab Nationalism: Expanding the Crescent from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, 1880s-1930s.