Ibrahim was first elected to the Peoples Assembly in the 2000 parliamentary elections and later reelected in 2005, during which time he served as deputy chairman of the Brotherhoods parliamentary bloc under Saad al-Katatni. Their main goal is to radicalize Islamic communities in Europe. ). A former Muslim Brotherhood member himself, some thirty years ago, the al-Qaeda leader wrote Al Hissad Al Murr ("The Bitter Harvest"), a scathing book condemning the Brotherhood for "taking advantage of the Muslim youths' fervor by steer[ing] their onetime passionate, Islamic zeal for jihad to conferences and elections." Although a doctor by training, el Erian also holds a degree in law and, in contrast to his colleagues few of whom have any formal religious training, he also earned a degree from al Azhar University in Islamic law. The MB is the oldest political Islamist group in the Arab world. Since 2011 Ennahda has therefore had to rebuild itself virtually from scratch. Some simply wanted to swap them for demonstrators captured and beaten by the Muslim Brotherhood itself. "Andthen they discuss this book with me. But were they? Each pays a portion of their income to help fund the movement. Waging jihad against both of these infidels is a commandment of Allah that cannot be disregarded. Amer served as a Muslim Brotherhood representative in the Peoples Assembly from 2005 to 2010. A longtime labor leader, he first entered politics in 1987, when he ran for parliament as part of the Brotherhood-dominated Islamic Alliance but failed to win a seat. Beltagy is enormously popular with Egypts revolutionaries for his early and lasting support for the January 25thuprising and his advocacy for political, civil, and human rights during the Mubarak era. "If you are loyal and you follow all your instructions," says one of the Brotherhood's 1 million estimated members, "then you can get a higher rank.". Although the group itself remained formally banned, in the 2000 elections Brotherhood supporters running as independent candidates were able to win 17 seats, making it the largest opposition bloc in the parliament. Starting in 2004, he served as second deputy to former general guide Mahdi Akef and was instrumental in negotiating with the regime regarding the Brotherhoods participation in the 2005 parliamentary elections, in which the group won 88 of 454 seats. From 1991 to 1995, he served as treasurer of the engineers syndicate in Sharqiyah, later becoming undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity in Ismailia governorate. In April, he denounced hospitals that had issued a ban on nurses wearing niqab (full veils), saying, We must thanknot punisha nurse wearing the niqab but doing her job right.. A Muslim Brotherhood member shouts slogans in front of riot police during a demonstration in front of the Press Syndicate in Cairo, Egypt, April 15, 2016. A botanist by training, Katatni, who is 60 years old, is among a relatively younger group of Brothers who have advocated for the organization to become more actively involved in politics in contrast to the more traditional, circumspect approach to politics that older and more conservative members of the organization hold. In Tunisia, the wellspring of the 2011 uprisings, the ruling party is Ennahda a movement regarded as the Tunisian manifestation of the Brotherhood that, before the revolution, was practically in exile. ", "We are a civil party built on an Islamic background," Al-Haddad. Following Mubaraks ouster a month later, he participated in the committee that drafted amendments to Egypts constitution, which were passed by a national referendum on March 19. : (1949-1972) Hassan al-Hudaybi 3rd G.L. In January 2012, he was appointed chairman of the parliamentary Youth Committee. This first installment of Brotherhood profiles examines top figures from the Guidance Office, the Freedom and Justice Party (the groups political arm), the parliamentary leadership, and members of Morsis presidential office. . The first step in gaining a better grasp of the Brothers and what they want is understanding who they are. He is considered close to deputy supreme guide Shater and is a key figure in coordinating policy decisions between the Guidance Office and the Freedom and Justice Party. Despite attempts in the 80s to bring its various wings closer together, the Brotherhood's international committee "doesn't really have binding control over the constituent branches," says Hamid. He is also vice president of the Islamic Medical Association. He joined the Muslim Brotherhood around 1982, rising through the groups leadership structure and serving in its administrative office in Sharqiyah. According to a statement by the Muslim Brotherhood, Munir died in London . But who are the men who make up this uniquely cohesive and secretive "society," and what impact will they have on the country's domestic and foreign policy? Anger at the government and at the Brotherhood may be rising across all echelons of Egyptian society, as unemployment rises along with the cost of living. Also, the Empowerment Removal Committee was formed in a bid to confront Muslim Brotherhood members spread . Currently, he is secretary of the companys zakat committee and cofounder of the committee for charitable operations. October 31, 2022 Muslim Brotherhood. READ MORE: The Muslim Brotherhood and Trumps terror list. January 31, 2022, A Guide to Global COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts, Backgrounder Even if the move seemed dictatorial in the short term, it served to enshrine a constitution that in the long-term actually curtails Morsi's power which to the Brotherhood makes his actions well-intentioned, if clumsy. Haddad was arrested in 2009 while attending a demonstration in support of the Palestinians alongside then Guidance Office member Abdel Monem Abouel Fetouh. Contemporaries report that he would happily change from a suit to a traditional jalabiya and back again to appeal to his different audiences. In the media, Ezzat has been personified as the Brotherhoods iron man, embodying its reputation for top-down decisionmaking. Which countries call the Muslim Brotherhood a "terrorist organisation"? October 27, 2022 According to various sources, Al Shater holds no less than seven educational degrees. They cite the constitution debacle, the so-called Ikhwanisation, and claim that draft electoral legislation drawn up by FJP politicians will allow the FJPtogerrymander upcoming parliamentary elections. He was reelected in 2000 and 2005, making him the longest consecutively serving MB parliamentarian. Its founder, Rachid Ghannouchi, studied in Cairo where he was heavily inspired by the Egyptian Brotherhood before founding Ennahda in the 1970s. Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images. It's sharing ideas. He continues to play a key role in the Brotherhoods political strategizing and policymaking, however, and remains a key point of contact between the MB and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. But they feel that support was grudgingly given. "We won't hurt you. Brotherhood members played a sizeable role in Tahrir but at the time, even Morsi claimed the group had little interest in power. During the January 28, 2011, Friday of Rage protests against Mubaraks rule, Shaer's son sustained extensive injuries and is therefore frequently referred to as a hero of the revolution. ", So could power be the Brotherhood's undoing? He currently sits on the Constituent Assembly, which is writing Egypts next constitution. brand of Sunni Islamism that called for political participation and electoral legitimacy, of which the Muslim Brotherhood is perhaps the best example, was seen as almost an existential threat, because it offered a different model of Islamist politics to that of the Saudi state. in medicine and surgery (1989). To the Brotherhood, last November's decision to fast-track the new constitution would be an example of this maturity. In February 2012, he announced that the council will not rest until every inch of occupied Arab land is freed, as we will give our best efforts to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque from the aggressors. In June 2012, he was appointed to the Constituent Assembly, which will write Egypts next constitution; he resigned on July 15, however, citing doubts about the legality of including Shura Council members on the assembly. In Libya, the Brotherhood's political offshoot did not do as well as expected in last year's elections but still came second. Many of its most senior figures had been in exile for many years, and "were essentially being introduced to a society they don't really know any more," says Hamid. These profiles will be updated as new information surfaces, and new ones will be added over time. Beneath the council, there are several rungs ranging from regional chiefs to those in charge of urban districts, or even small neighbourhoods. "It's not just that he hasn't delivered on any changes," says Heba Morayef, the head of Human Rights Watch in Egypt, "it's that he hasn't publicly acknowledged that there is a serious problem of police abuse.". An attempt to assassinate Egyptian Pres. His children were born in California and are U.S. citizens. ", But other protesters disagreed. The Brotherhoods new adherents aimed to reorganize society and government according to Islamic doctrines, and they were vehemently anti-Western. In January 2012, he was appointed chairman of the Legislation Committee. Still, the perception remains that many ministers prime minister Hisham Qandil included are at the very least Brotherhood-sympathisers. "In Tunisia, there have always been indigenous Islamist and secular parties," says Yusra Ghannouchi, "and I think that diversity will always be there.". He was detailed along with fifty other MB leaders in 1995 and tried before a military court. Negidah has a long history of participation in Islamist political groups. Midterm Elections, Virtual Event On June 3, 2015 Bill Gertz reported in the Washington Times "President Obama and his administration continue to support the global Islamist militant group known as the Muslim Brotherhood. These include Hamas in Palestine, the Ennahda party in Tunisia, and Kuwaits Islamic Constitutional Movement. His brother Medhat serves with him on the MBs internal shura committee, which votes on strategy and policy. Morsi is a prime example. The date was Friday 22 March, and the rest of Cairo was dulled by a pale fog of dust. Jubeirs statements came two days after Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Qatar in the worst rift to hit the GCC region. In the 2010 parliamentary elections the Mubarak administration continued to restrict the Muslim Brotherhood by arresting members and barring voters in areas where the organization had strong support. State-run newspapers have also censored criticism of the MB since his appointment. He is a member of the World Allergy Organization and a founding member of the Egyptian Pediatric Allergy and Immunity Group. But high up in Moqattam a vast hump of rock that rises from the slums in the east of the city, and houses the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood the air was clogged with something more menacing. "We are not for the Muslim Brotherhood only." Beltagy was elected to the Peoples Assembly in 2005, where he became a prominent critic of the regime. A grassroots Islamist movement with affiliates in several countries including Turkey's ruling AKP party and Tunisia's Ennahda, the Brotherhood has militant offshoots but officially renounced violence . In the 1960s and 70s the Brotherhoods activities remained largely clandestine; also in the 1970s the organization officially renounced violence. He became a full professor in 2004. He was also jailed in 2005 after he hinted that he might run for president, in 2006 for his participation in protests, in 2007 for his leadership role in the Brotherhood, and in January 2011 at the height of the anti-Mubarak revolt. The Muslim Brotherhood is relatively weak given that it is banned in several Arab states, but its doctrine of political Islam has been hugely influential. Two years later, while assisting the Brotherhood in its Shura Council campaigning, he was arrested for the first of ten times. : (1996-2002) Mustafa . Last June, many did not vote for Morsi because they strongly believed in political Islam, but because Morsi was marginally preferable to Ahmed Shafik his opponent in the election run-off, and a holdover from the Mubarak era. 2013, massacre of Muslim Brotherhood members and allies, in which hundreds were killed. So while Ennahda and the Egyptian Brotherhood may have the same broad aims, they operate within different political environments, and behave accordingly. For its opponents, the Muslim Brotherhood is now as much an enemy of the revolution's goals as the police, the army even Mubarak. Initially centred on religious and educational programs, the Muslim Brotherhood was seen as providing much-needed social services, and in the 1930s its membership grew swiftly. A member of the Muslim Brotherhood waves his hand from a defendants cage in a courtroom in Torah prison, southern Cairo, Egypt, August 22, 2015. The Muslim Brotherhood and Jama'at-i Islami are separate movements that tend to draw the bulk of their members from different ethnic groups (Arabs and South Asians, respectively). "Yes, there is consultation and some degree of coordination but it's not as if there's some Brotherhood international that is overseeing some mass regional conspiracy. "Khairat el-Shater has been in charge for 12 years." It broke formal ties with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood after the 2013 coup in Egypt. As a result, the Brotherhood maintains a unity of purpose that other Egyptian political groups have yet to achieve. Hopeless as its current actions may sometimes seem, the Brotherhood's years in opposition have left it with considerably more organisational know-how than most of its new secular rivals. Under the new secular government of dictator Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Muslim Brotherhood broke with the military. Eighty-five years last Saturday, in fact: the Brotherhood was born in Egypt in March 1928 founded by a teacher called Hassan al-Banna. Many members embrace a more pragmatic idea of achieving their goals, urging political participation and cooperation. The Brotherhood spread rapidly throughout Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and North Africa. He has also argued that Christians should not be allowed to criticize Islamic law. November 4, 2022 Following Mubaraks ouster, Erian played a leading role in establishing the Freedom and Justice Party and was named its vice chairman. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). "There's always been a sense that Ennahda was from the same school of thought as the Brotherhood. In the late 1930s the Brotherhood began to politicize its outlook, and, as an opponent of Egypts ruling Wafd party, during World War II it organized popular protests against the government. Significantly, it has also had to do so within a political environment that is more secular in outlook than its equivalent in Egypt. Here is a breakdown of the groups ideology and historic roots. He was later appointed chief of his local Brotherhood usra (family), ultimately rising through the ranks until he was appointed head of his qita (sector, the administrative level just below the Guidance Office), through which he oversaw MB activities in three governorates. Mosaad served as an education advisor for Muhammad Morsis 2012 presidential campaign and was named minister of education in August. Shortly after receiving his bachelors degree in veterinary medicine in 1965, Badie was arrested for his political activities (along with Muslim Brotherhood leader Sayyed Qutb) and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. Egypt has more vital issues to think of than phasing away MB . In light of his high academic achievement, he was awarded a full scholarship to the Azhar College of Medicine in 1982, where he remained a prominent student leader and was elected president of the student union in 1985. "But now the Brotherhood is so controversial in government, you may feel: well, they're too political, maybe I should consider a Salafi group that is less directly involved in politics.". In the 1987 parliamentary elections, he won a seat in the Peoples Assembly, where he served until the body's dissolution in 1990. A few hours later, the president issued a controversial constitutional declaration that included, among other things, the dismissal of the prosecutor. Finally, despite the fact that Brotherhood officials have never run a government ministry or wielded meaningful political power until recently, the group is confident that it has the expertise to lead Egypt because its members come from many different professional backgrounds. The MB officially renounced violence in the 1970s during the rule of Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat. Elsewhere, black smoke billowed skywards as protesters burned posters of Mohamed Morsi onetime Brotherhood stalwart and president of Egypt. Emblem of the fundamentalist Islamic movement founded in 1928, Society of the Muslim Brothers, on display during a press conference in their Cairo. ", It is quite some change. "Before 2011, we thoughtthat the Brotherhood were real Muslims. Most were recruited during high school or college and, in many cases, served in top administrative positions within the Brotherhoods nationwide structure before being promoted to the Guidance Office (the organizations top executive authority) or nominated for political office. Other than Egypt, which is the birthplace of the Muslim Brotherhood, there are parties that can be considered offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood in a number of Arab countries, as they were inspired by the core tenets of MB ideology. The Secretary General of the Muslim Brotherhood,Dr. Mahmoud Hussein, was born in Jaffa in 1947, but after the establishment of Israel was raised in Rafah. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. He serves as both the partys Secretary General for Greater Cairo and a member of the partys national committee. The tell . But if it was melted down to a single criticism, it might be this: democracy does not end at the ballot box and yet the Brotherhood and its affiliates behave as if it does. In reality, if you look at any terrorist, you will find that they were a Muslim Brother. But according to insiders, the real power is held by one of his deputies, Khairat el-Shater. "They have warm, friendly relationships and many of them lived together in exile in London for example," says Hamid. He added that the MB group considers the kings and presidents of the Arab and other countries as disbelievers . To some extent, this is typical of any political organization: veteran members tend to lead. He is currently the assistant secretary-general of the FJP and a member of the Constituent Assembly, which is writing Egypts next constitution. During his tenure with the Egyptian Iron and Steel Co., he has served on the board of directors for both the trade union (19911996) and the company itself (20012006). Al Shater was briefly the Brotherhoods candidate for president until he was disqualified from running by the Supreme Presidential Election Commission due to his past criminal record. The group, called al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun in Arabic, is a 90-year-old movement among members of Islam's majority Sunni branch that combines political activism with charity work. It won a decisive plurality in the winter 20112012 Peoples Assembly elections and a majority in the January 2012 Shura Council elections, thus gaining control over both houses of parliament and the committee that is writing the next constitution. In January 2012, he was appointed chair of the parliamentary Local Administration Committee; he is also a member of the engineers syndicate in Damietta. Badie does not have the gravitas of many of his predecessors and is widely regarded to have been a consensus candidate when he was elevated to the Brotherhoods leadership position on January 16, 2010. During the January 2011 uprising, he was imprisoned for three days. From one Muslim Brotherhood to many. But his allies say his best intentions are thwarted by a police hierarchy controlled by Mubarak-era holdovers. In July 2013, following mass protests against Morsy, the military forcibly removed him. But given the country . "If we want to arrange a demonstration, Khairat el-Shater does it He has a really strong personality. In the streets near the Brotherhood's compound, there were molotovs and rocks, birdshot and teargas. On June 7, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters during a visit to Paris that Qatar must stop supporting Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. He has written several books about emergency law in Egypt and is a member of Amnesty International. Born into a Muslim Brotherhood family and named after MB founder Hassan al-Banna, Malek joined the organization at a young age. Who are these individuals? In 1995, he was imprisoned for being a leader of an illegal organization. A medical doctor, Yassin worked from 1994 to 2010 as a specialist and advisor in the pediatric unit of Ain Shams University hospital. Even a brief review of various MAS chapters' websites provides a revealing look at what the national organization is teaching its members. In August, he was appointed minister of manpower. From 1995 to 2000, he served out another prison sentence (along with fifty-four other MB members) for his role in reviving the Brotherhood, which at the time was an illegal organization. He also participated in the 2010 Turkish Freedom Flotilla to Gaza; Israeli forces captured him aboard the Mavi Marmara following the deadly confrontation. Help JNS grow! During his June 14th testimonybefore the House Committee on Foreign Relations, Tillerson pointed out thatthere are elements of the Muslim Brotherhood that have become parts of governments.. He was a member of the 2005 judicial movement to boycott supervising elections until the law was amended to allow them full supervisory powers. In 2006, the Higher Judiciary Council stripped him of his judicial immunity in order to investigate allegations of misconduct. Those with degrees and foreign languages are looked on morefavourably. After graduating with an engineering degree in 1982, he opened a small business and became active in the groups political wing in 1987, when he managed MB leader Mahfouz Helmys successful parliamentary campaign. A member of the Alexandria Religious Institute Student Union, he participated in Islamist activities beginning in 1978. He reportedly used his position there to encourage other Brotherhood faculty to teach the group's ideals. "It's scary for them to believe that that amount of people believe the same things and support the same guy," Gehad al-Haddad, a Brotherhood spokesman, told the Guardian earlier this year. This does not mean that internal divisions are impossible, but the tight, time-tested circle in which decisions are made makes this highly unlikely. He was pragmatic and versatile almost to the point of paradox characteristics that could also collectively describe his successors, who include thinkers as diverse as the gradualist Hassan al-Hodeibi and the fundamentalist Sayyid Qutb. Analysts argue that, before 2011, the Brotherhood's appeal lay in its ability to transcend the dirty game of secular politics both through its connection to ordinary Egyptians, and through its offer of a redeeming and untried alternative: Islamism. And in June, the group successfully campaigned to elect Brotherhood leader Muhammad Morsi as Egypts first civilian president. Sudanese supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi protest after the Friday noon prayers in front of the presidential palace, following the recent violence in Egypt, Khartoum, Sudan, Aug. 16, 2013. . Analysts have concluded that abrand of Sunni Islamism that called for political participation and electoral legitimacy, of which the Muslim Brotherhood is perhaps the best example, was seen as almost an existential threat, because it offered a different model of Islamist politics to that of the Saudi state. Not all Islamist parties are MB, a clear example of that is the Salafi movement of Egypt, which was Islamist in nature, but chose its own path in various political situations including the 2013 overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi by the armed forces in Egypt. When and where was the Muslim Brotherhood founded? His appointment has been very controversialteachers have protested that, as an engineering professor, he has no background in primary/secondary education, and they fear his appointment signals the Brotherhoods desire to dominate education. His official position is Deputy General Guide of the Brotherhood, but al Shater is widely believed to be the power behind the General Guide and now, President Morsy. ): (1928-1949) Hassan al-Banna 2nd G.L. "It's a big lie," says a former member of the party's election team. He remains active in various societal organizations: he is a member of the Solidarity Committee for the Palestinian People, the Egyptian Association for Development, and the board of directors of the Egyptian Center for Culture and Media. When asked during a March 2011 speech at al-Azhar University whether the Brotherhood would be able to establish an Islamic state to everyones liking, he replied, The Copts are deadlocked because they dont want an Islamic state. Given its growing control over key government institutions and its unmatched mobilizing capabilities, the Muslim Brotherhood will likely remain Egypt's most consequential political actor for many years to come.