The History of the Muslim Brotherhood
- Subject Matter of Report
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- In the report we review the Muslim Brotherhood’s objectives and growth strategy since its inception in 1928, up to the present day. There is analysis of the underlying tenets of the Muslim Brotherhood and its support and the methods employed to achieve its political goals.
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- We have also looked at the organisational structure of the Muslim Brotherhood – a structure that has been substantially unchanged since its formation in the early 1930s. This has caused us to focus upon the origins of the Muslim Brotherhood’s paramilitary branch, the ‘Secret Apparatus’, and the central role it has held within the movement throughout its history. The key figures in the history of the Muslim Brotherhood are discussed, as is the formation and structure of the‘international’ Muslim Brotherhood network.
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- There is also analysis of the underlying ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood from which various militant Islamists groups have originated. Specifically in Chapter 4 we examine the origins of groups such as : Al-Qa’ida, Islamic State, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, Al-Qassam Brigades and Sinai Province and their association with the Muslim Brotherhood. This review also includes the Muslim Brotherhood’s continued material support for these groups.
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- The report in Chapter 5 goes on to examine the Muslim Brotherhood as a political force in Egypt and how in the 1980s it became the main opposition party. The group’s political trajectory and the consequent social effects of its rise in prominence are also discussed.
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- There is a brief introduction in the concluding Chapter 6 to the current status of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt following the revolution against President Morsi’s government in 2013.
- The topics discussed in this Chapter and other related topics are to be analysed in greater detail in a series of subsequent reports that have been commissioned by the State Lawsuit (Litigation) Authority, namely: The Egyptian experience of the Muslim Brotherhood in power 2012-2013; The Egyptian Revolution against the Muslim Brotherhood 2013; and The current situation in Egypt. All these are due for completion within 2015.
Purpose and Objective of the Reports-
- The reports will, together, present a comprehensive and effective review of the Muslim Brotherhood so that independent assessments may be made as to the nature of the organisation and its allied groups and organisations. We have not produced a document that has been tied to a chronology of development of the Muslim Brotherhood, but we have approached the project by looking at the issues and used a comparative approach.
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- The reports will be evidence-based documents that also provide the necessary historical, social and political context in order to accurately demonstrate the true nature of the Muslim Brotherhood as an organisation.
They will also review the impact of the brief period in which it was in power in Egypt and during which it managed to cause significant social, economic and political (as well as national reputational) damage.- Current Report: Methodology This report was wholly produced using open-source materials,
- drawing heavily on academic literature of the history and ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as news reports of significant events in which it was involved.
Where reference is made to sources freely available on-line, hyperlinks have been inserted for ease of reference.
