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| Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Muslim Brotherhood |
| Formation | 1928 |
| Founder | Hassan al-Banna |
| Type | Islamist organization |
| Headquarters | Cairo, Egypt |
| Region served | Middle East and North Africa; international branches |
| Leader title | Guide |
Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) is a transnational Islamist movement founded in 1928 in Cairo by Hassan al-Banna that seeks to integrate Islamic principles into public life. It has played major roles in Egyptian, Sudanese, Jordanian, Syrian, Palestinean, and Tunisian politics, maintained social service networks, and influenced Islamist currents across the Middle East and North Africa. The Brotherhood’s trajectory intersects with events such as the 1948 Palestine war, the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, the Arab Spring, and regional rivalries involving Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the United States.
Founded in 1928 in Ismailia and Cairo by Hassan al-Banna, the movement emerged amid debates over British occupation of Egypt, secular nationalism led by Wafd Party, and pan-Islamist thought associated with Rashid Rida and Jamal al-Din al-Afghani. In the 1940s the Brotherhood entered urban politics, clashed with the Free Officers Movement, and faced repression after assassinations attributed to affiliates during the premierships of Mustafa el-Nahhas and Mahmoud El Nokrashy Pasha. After the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, founder al-Banna was assassinated in 1949 and the organization was banned under Gamal Abdel Nasser following the 1954 crackdown linked to the Lavon Affair and attempted assassination of Nasser. During the 1970s and 1980s the Brotherhood reemerged under Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak with cautious political accommodation and periods of detention. The 2011 Egyptian revolution enabled the Brotherhood’s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, to win seats in the Egyptian parliamentary election, 2011–12 and the presidency with Mohamed Morsi before the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état led by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and renewed proscription. Elsewhere, branches evolved into parties such as the Islamic Liberation Party (Hizb al-Tahrir)-adjacent groups, participated in Syrian Civil War factions, and influenced movements like Ennahda in Tunisia and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Rooted in the writings of Hassan al-Banna and later thinkers like Sayyid Qutb, the Brotherhood advocates for governance based on Islamic jurisprudence derived from Sunni Islam and Sharia while engaging with concepts discussed by Abul A'la Maududi and Muhammad Abduh. Its ideological evolution includes debates between proponents of gradualist political participation exemplified by leaders such as Mustafa Mashhur and radical critics influenced by Sayyid Qutb’s critique of jahiliyyah, which informed groups like Al-Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The movement’s goals have ranged from social reform and charitable work to establishing Islamic frameworks within state institutions, intersecting with issues debated by Salafi currents, Wahhabism, and contemporary thinkers including Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
The Brotherhood historically uses a hierarchical model with a supreme leader titled General Guide (Murshid) and a network of local societies, professional syndicates, and charitable bodies, mirroring organizational patterns seen in Hizb ut-Tahrir and Muslim World League affiliates. Internal organs have included shura councils, regional bureaux, and youth wings that coordinate with student groups at institutions like Al-Azhar University and unions such as the Egyptian Trade Union Federation. Rival factions and schisms produced splinter groups and independent currents comparable to structures in Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood and Sudanese Islamic Movement.
The Brotherhood has pursued electoral strategies through formal parties and independent candidates, culminating in the establishment of the Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt, participation in the House of Representatives (Egypt) elections, and alliances in Tunisia with Ennahda-led coalitions. It has engaged in parliamentary politics in Jordan via the Islamic Action Front, in Palestine through Hamas’s political role in the Palestinian Legislative Council, and in Sudan through the National Islamic Front and later Islamic Movement in Sudan. Electoral participation has alternated with periods of illegality and underground activity, and has been shaped by relationships with regional actors including Turkey’s Justice and Development Party and international observers such as United Nations missions.
The Brotherhood operates extensive social welfare networks providing health clinics, schools, orphanages, and charitable relief, comparable to service provision by Red Crescent societies and Islamic Relief. Institutions tied to the movement have included charitable committees, zakat collections, and educational initiatives linked to madrasa and informal study circles in urban and rural settings across Egypt, Gaza Strip, Jordan, and Morocco. These services bolstered grassroots legitimacy and intersected with NGOs, professional syndicates, and religious institutions such as Al-Azhar.
The Brotherhood’s record involves controversy over alleged links to political violence, accusations of covert operations, and designations as a terrorist organization by states including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates, while other governments and bodies such as Qatar and segments of the European Parliament have treated it differently. High-profile prosecutions, mass trials during the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état, and the imprisonment of leaders like Mohamed Badie prompted debates in forums including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Critics cite ideologues like Sayyid Qutb as inspiration for militancy in groups such as Al-Qaeda; supporters point to nonviolent electoral participation and social services as evidence of moderate practice.
The Brotherhood’s transnational branches and affiliated movements have influenced actors from Hamas in the Gaza Strip to Ennahda in Tunisia, and have fostered links with parties such as Justice and Development Party (Turkey) and Islamist networks in Malaysia and Indonesia. Funding, diaspora chapters, and media outlets connected to the movement have generated ties to states like Qatar and non-state actors across the Levant and Maghreb, affecting regional diplomacy involving Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Iran. Its global footprint has been examined in studies by think tanks in Washington, D.C., London, and Doha.
Category:Islamist organizations