When authoritarian rule resumed in Egypt in 2013, the Islamic associations that had helped elevate the Muslim Brotherhood to power after the revolution were viewed as a threat. Al-Sisi's regime embarked on a crackdown on the deposed Muslim Brotherhood and this extended to welfare charities and mosques operated by Islamic associations.

This book challenges existing 'authoritarian upgrading' theories which emphasise the reliance on non-state services in sustaining authoritarian rule. Neil Russell argues instead, that when a process of democratic transition is reversed, the regime deems non-state services – such as Islamic associations – as untenable. In response, a form of reconstituted authoritarianism developed which extended direct state control over Islamic social and religious institutions providing services.

The book is based on interviews with exiled Muslim Brotherhood members and former members, Arabic-language newspapers, Islamic associations' web pages, statements and publications, as well as data gathered from government ministries' websites. By investigating changing patterns of state-society relations between Islamic movements and the state, it shows how Islamic movements behave during periods of transition and what this means for theories of authoritarian adaptation after nascent democratization.