Muhammad Fawaz is a very serious college junior with a stern gaze and a reluctant smile that barely cloaks suppressed anger. He never wanted to attend Jordan University. He hates spending hours each day commuting.<\/p>\n
As a high school student, Mr. Fawaz, 20, had dreamed of earning a scholarship to study abroad. But that was impossible, he said, because he did not have a \u201cwasta,\u201d\u009d or connection. In Jordan, connections are seen as essential for advancement and the wasta system is routinely cited by young people as their primary grievance with their country.<\/p>\n
So Mr. Fawaz decided to rebel. He adopted the serene, disciplined demeanor of an Islamic activist. In his sophomore year he was accepted into the student group affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, Jordan\u2019s largest, most influential religious, social and political movement, one that would ultimately like to see the state governed by Islamic law, or Shariah. Now he works to recruit other students to the cause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI find there is justice in the Islamic movement,\u201d\u009d Mr. Fawaz said one day as he walked beneath the towering cypress trees at Jordan University. \u201cI can express myself. There is no wasta needed.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n