To enhance its political position and expand its constituency after participating in electoral politics during the 1980s, the brotherhood. An egyptian schoolteacher from a rural town north of cairo, banna engaged in islamist activities from a young age, joining a local group that intimidated and harassed christians and nonobserving muslims in his hometown. Is the muslim brotherhood a terrorist organization or a. Pierre durrani is a former member of the muslim brotherhood with considerable inside information on the movements members organizational and tactical philosophies. Such relative moderation offers washington a notable opportunity for engagement as long as policymakers recognize the considerable variation between the groups different branches and tendencies. This article will contrast leiken and brookes main arguments with facts taken from official, public muslim brotherhood sources. The meir amit intelligence and terrorism information center. Leiken and steven brooke, the moderate muslim brotherhood, foreign affairs marchapril 2007. The muslim brotherhood, at least in postcoup egypt, no longer enjoys a strong presence in society with an elaborate network of social services and a tolerated public presence. Leiken is director of the immigration and national security programs at the nixon center and the author of the forthcoming europes angry muslims.
Muslim brotherhood simple english wikipedia, the free. Many western pundits claim the muslim brotherhood has little power and simply wants to play a peaceful role in egyptian democracy. Moderate islam and moderate muslim is a label used within counterterrorism discourse as the complement of islamic extremism, implying that the support of islamic terrorism is the characteristic of a radical faction within islam, and that there is a moderate faction of muslims who denounce extremist violence such as islamic terrorism, militant jihadism and radical. The muslim brotherhoods conception of citizenship rights. Protestors in tahrir square and other sites across egypt demanded political reform, an end to the hated emergency law and free and fair elections. The muslim brotherhood s bylaws make clear the ikhwans objectives and means to achieve them. To the extent that circumstances permit, it will attempt to gather. Fifty years ago, during nasser dictatorship, i lived in cairo where the secret police oppressed all the citizens, and the population had no recourse to defend itself against th. The brotherhood s ideology and political discourse underwent significant changes over the past few decades alanani 2007, brown 2012, elghobashy 2005.
The muslim brotherhood is a transnational organization whose organizing principle is. Justice department is currently prosecuting in federal court. Sixty years later, akef confirms that a person who is in the global arena and believes in the muslim brotherhood s path is. In my research on the muslim brotherhood, i have travelled numerous times to each of the countries in question, interviewed leaders, parliamentarians, activists, critics, former. Founded in egypt in 1928, the brotherhood is the countrys oldest islamist organization and has branches throughout the world. There is analysis of the underlying tenets of the muslim brotherhood and its. The president should instruct the secretary of state immediately to designate the muslim brotherhood, its fronts and controlled organizations, as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists. You might find many di2erent types of epublication along with other literatures from our paperwork data bank.
The muslim brotherhood, fountain of islamist violence. Throughout the 80s and 90s, major moderate islamist movements such as the muslim brotherhood and the ennahda were excluded from democratic political participation. It is also the most controversial, condemned by both conventional opinion in the west and radical opinion in the middle east. As the civil war in syria continues into its eighth year, it is more important than ever to understand how this moderate islamist group failed, especially given the postarab spring success of muslim brotherhood branches in egypt and tunisia. The muslim brotherhood alikhwan almuslimun1 was founded as an islamic revivalist movement in the egyptian town of ismailiyaa in march 1928 by school teacher hassan. Designate the muslim brotherhood as a foreign terrorist. At home in egypt, parliamentary elections in 2005 saw the muslim brotherhood winning 20 percent of the available legislative seats, comprising the largest opposition party block. This study uses competing theoretical approaches to understand the reasons behind the muslim brotherhood s decision to abide by a moderate strategy. Scholarly discourse on the growth of the islamist movement in the middle east. You are not a terrorist organization, again, according to the u. Yesterday, i briefly visited a bookstore and glanced at the latest issue marchapril 2007 of foreign affairs. The process of settlement is a civilizationjihadist.
Analysis of muslim brotherhood s general stategic goals for north america memorandum stephen coughlin 7 september 2007 introduction the following is a brief analysis of a muslim brotherhood document entered into evidence in the u. Sami moubayed in middecember, the jordanian branch of the muslim brotherhood, known as the muslim brotherhood society mbs, wrapped up its third annual muslim brotherhood eyes jordan as a plan b. The brotherhood was antiarab nationalist and the feeling of. In the ranks of a muslim militia i was only when the muslim brotherhood, an extremist muslim group, recruited me two years before the lebanese civil war broke out in 1975. For the better part of two decades, a debate has raged in american research and policy circles about whether the muslim brotherhood in egypt is a moderate political force that could enhance a democratic and liberal process in the country. The muslim brotherhood is not a moderate organization or movement, but a terrorist one. However, this assessment is not entirely sufficient, since saudi arabia is accustomed to confronting extremism by supporting a more moderate interpretation of islam from their perspective, at least. Time to reverse barack husseins cuddling of anything related to the muslim brotherhood he called moderate, defended and even promoted. The moderate muslim brotherhood essay 86 foreign affairs 2007.
The muslim brotherhood is a transnational sunni islamist movement that seeks to implement sharia islamic law under a global caliphate. An exercise in ambiguity roel meijer we are a salafiyya message, a sunni way, a sufi truth, a political organisation, an athletic group, a culturaleducational union, an economic company, and a social idea. Us partnership with the egyptian muslim brotherhood and. Nowconvicted brotherhood leaders may have colluded with saudi officials to help hijackers. Hspi issue brief series the global muslim brotherhood. The debate about the moderate muslim brotherhood continues. Muslim brotherhood proceeds in a gradual approach, cooperating with other opposition parties and movements intending to run for the parliament elections, presenting an ostensibly moderate political line to reduce concerns among the public, the regime, and in the west. A recent report by sky news arabia implicates tunisian moderate muslim brotherhood leader rachid ghannouchi in a qatarfunded assassination of one of his political rivals and vocal critics. Today, it exists in many states and often is one of the largest political opposition groups. Sami moubayed in middecember, the jordanian branch of the muslim brotherhood, known as the muslim brotherhood society mbs, wrapped up. Muslim brotherhood eyes jordan as a plan b european eye. Finally, it intends to examine the geopolitical and ideological motivations behind the notion of moderate islam promoted by the saudi leadership. Even as western commentators condemn the muslim brotherhood for its islamism, radicals in the middle east condemn it for rejecting jihad and embracing democracy. This was the first true tremor for the ikhwans activism here in america as these brothers started to demand clearer ikhwan formulas, clearer commitment and means or ones with a specific and.
Policymakers should instead analyze each national and local group independently and seek out those that are open to engagement. American commentators have called the muslim brothers radical. That designation could be made by president donald trump, or secretary of state rex tillerson, as explained below, but not so far. The muslim brotherhood was founded in 1928 by hassan albanna third from left. Leiken and brooke, the moderate muslim brotherhood 21 burgat, face to face with political islam, 54. Our professional services was released using a aspire to work as a complete online electronic library that provides entry to great number of pdf file ebook assortment. Investigative project on terrorism the muslim brotherhood introduction. Among those warranting special attention are what amounts to the mission statement of the muslim brotherhood in america. A lot has been said and published lately about the muslim brotherhood by western researchers, but by far the moderate muslim brotherhood study published in foreign affairs by steven brooke and robert leiken, has been one of the most stimulating and accurate accounts, and helped to open a serious and rational debate about our movement. However, the muslim brotherhood s efforts to rebrand itself as a. Much of the resulting literature thus touted the brotherhood s supposedly. And at one point in time, the muslim brotherhood had represented that moderate interpretation. Acknowledgements this paper originated from an interest in the jordanian muslim brotherhood while i was collecting material for my phd dissertation under the supervision of the late prof.
The group is the worlds oldest and largest islamic political group, and the worlds most influential islamist movement. Many of the ideas presented here were discussed with. Having sporadically engaged in this debate, i have often argued that the muslim brotherhood s. The bill, the muslim brotherhood terrorism designation act, failed for two terms, 201516, and 201718. The muslim brotherhood is the worlds oldest, largest, and most influential islamist organization. The major finding of this study is that, over time, a.
Leiken and brooke based their recommendation on the assumptions that the muslim brotherhood is moderate, has a constructive approach to democracy, and is a potential partner foramericaand the west. The following muslim brotherhood document was entered into evidence in the u. In the anxious and often fruitless search for muslim moderates, policymakers should recognize that the muslim brotherhood. From a muslim brotherhood member to a follower of jesus. Flames latest public relations message printable pdf the truth about the muslim brotherhood is it a moderate egyptian party committed to democracy. In the decade following the 911 terrorist attacks, western analysts search for a moderate islamist alternative to alqaeda often brought them to the muslim brotherhood, whose rhetorical rejection of terrorism and embrace of electoral politics was seductive. The group in lebanon adopted another name, algamaa alislamiyya. The muslim brotherhood are simply a backward organized terrorist gang.