Muslim Brotherhood

The advocates of Muslim Brotherhood see the organization as a message from the early generations bearing the Sunni (largest denomination of Islam) ways. They perceive it as a Sufi truth, an inner, mythical and psycho-spiritual dimension of their faith. For them, the brotherhood is not just a mere political organization, nor an athletic group, a scientific and cultural union, but also an economic endeavor and a social idea. Thus, the Muslim Brotherhood is being professed by its followers as the wholeness of everything, an organization of the blessed and the chosen few.

However, many issues have clouded the great visions of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as raging protests from different sectors were being thrown on their way. Things have grown more complicated when the organization is gaining more and more power, prompting the government to ban them from holding their activities. Significant events then followed after the brotherhood stood on their ground and follow the saying "when words are banned, hands make their move".

This paper aims to reveal the truth behind all the conflicting beliefs that resulted into many unwanted consequences. This is not a propaganda against the brotherhood or against the government, taking sides is not an objective of this paper. The reality of both sides will be analyzed, all events will be investigated and presented; everything will be considered to see the contradicting beliefs.

Looking Back: The History of Muslim Brotherhood

Hassan al-Banna started this Islamic organization in 1928 which grew and turned into a political group at the onset of 1939. From the very start, the brotherhood has rooted and focused all its social and moral reform in Islam.

After the declaration of war against all shapes, forms and faces of Islam in almost all Muslim countries in 1924, an Islamic revival transpired into a movement stage as Muslims in Egypt established "Al-Ikhwan Al-Moslemoon" (Muslim Brotherhood). The organization spread widely outside Egypt as well as its principal Islamic conception that the Islam is "creed and state, book and sword, and a way of life". These principles took everybody, including Muslim scholars by surprise as it was once thought that Islam is restricted within the four corners of the mosque.

After a few years, the brotherhood was banned and even tortured in most Muslim countries. Despite of all these events, the deeply rooted movement kept on growing and working "underground". Like a sailing boat that's being thrown back and forth by the wave under a raging storm, the organization has been sailing back and forth to the (and with the) government. At times the brotherhood is close to the government, then at many times, the government banned them. Through all these swaying events, the Muslim Brotherhood has been proven and tested as extraordinary powerful as it has been seen as a "state within a state". It was believed that in the early 1950's, they've been a crucial arm of the government in fighting the revolutionaries. But it has grown dangerous after it has achieved supremacy. The organization has passed through five development stages but the transition between the stages took almost a century as recorded in the table below:

Year - Historical Event

1928 - Hassan al-Banna founded the organization as a youth club.

1936 - The brotherhood took the pro-Arab stand after the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty that started the uprising of Palestinians against the settlement of Zionist in Palestine.

1939 - The leaders of the organization defined the brotherhood as a political organization based on their teachings from the Koran and the oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of their prophet Muhammad.

1940 - The organization spread into 500 branches, each having its own center, mosque, educational institution and a club.

1940 -1945 - World War II; it is during this time that the organization experienced fast growth, having been joined by people across the lower and middle echelons of the society.

1946 - The organization claimed that it has grown into more than 5,000 branches with 500,000 members and sympathizers.

1948 - The brotherhood took the side of the Palestinians as they joined the war against the Zionist of Palestine. It is also during this time that the brotherhood initiated terrorist attacks within Egypt as it blamed the Egyptian leaders for being passive in the Palestinian-Zionist war. It was on December of this year that the Egyptian government banned the Muslim Brotherhood which triggered the assassination of Prime Minister Mahmud Fahmi Nokrashi by a brotherhood loyalist. This event led into an even more repression from the authorities.

1949 - The founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al-Banna was killed by secret agents in Cairo.

1950 - The government lifted the ban against the brotherhood and thus it was legalized again only as a religious body.

1952 - The brotherhood became active in the anti-British riots in Cairo

1954 - The brotherhood was banned again due to the differences on the appropriate government system for Cairo (whether Sharia - a body of Islamic religious law or secular law) It was on October of this year that an attempt assassination of the Egyptian President Nasser by a brother failed. This event was then followed by the execution of five and the arrest of 4,000 members. Because of this, thousands flee to Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

1964 - Imprisoned brothers were granted general amnesty as long as they join the newly formed government party and ward off the communism threat. This attempt for cooperation failed resulting to more assassination attempts of the Egyptian President.

1966 - Execution of the brotherhood's top leaders took place.

1968 - President Nasser released around 1,000 brothers.

1970 - The new president Anwar as-Sadat released all imprisoned brothers and promised to implement Sharia as the law of Egypt.

1976 - The Muslim Brotherhood was banned from the general elections, pushing them to run as independent candidates and gain 15 seats.

1979 - The organization went against the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel due to religious reasons.

1981 - 2,000 rebels were arrested, mostly members of the brotherhood, which prompted the assassination of President Sadat on October

1984 - The organization cooperated with the Neo-Wafd party and won 8 seats in the general elections

1987 - The organization cooperated with the Socialist Labor party in forming the Labor Islamic Alliance and won 37 seats in the general elections

1990 - The organization went against the government by boycotting the election, protesting that the authorities controlled the polls.

2005 - The brotherhood was prevented from running in the parliamentary elections as a political party. Their candidates ran as independents however and won 88 seats, making them the largest political opposition group.

They Came Together: The Brotherhood's Organization

At the present, the Muslim Brotherhood claimed to have branches in more than 70 countries all over the globe. It was said that the movement is flexible enough that is can be allowed to operate under the brotherhood name, other names or according to the country's preference or circumstances. Whatever the name is however, the organization came together as one brotherhood with the same methods as follows:

 Following the Salaf (righteous ancestors) which makes them invite people using nothing but the actions and principles of Quran (central religious text of Islam) or Sunna (a part of Islamic law).

 Establishing the Sunna which pushes them to spread the Islamic law in all and every aspect of human life.

 Increasing the Iman (religious belief) by focusing in the purification of hearts and the love and remembrance of Muslims for the sake of Allah.

 Political Activism by making government an Islamic authority in different countries

 Stressing Physical Health by building sports clubs and obligating members to regular physical exercises.

 Enriching Scientific Studies by augmenting the knowledge of both members and non-members about Islam.

 Establishing a sound Economic structure by funding, sponsoring and supporting Islamic projects through the financial aid of its own members (as they don't accept any funding from outside the organization).

 Fostering Social ties by preserving the brotherhood connections among members of the Islamic society.

Standing Tall: Theme, Principles and Objectives

"Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope."- Muslim Brotherhood

The above slogan has been the heart and soul of the Muslim Brotherhood from the very start. This simply means that the brotherhood will operate under the teachings of Islam. But they see Islam not only as a religious observance but an all-inclusive way of life.

What follows are the principles and goals of the brotherhood as they aim to enrich the lives of its members through the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad:

 Building each Muslim individual into a brother or a sister with healthy body, cultured manners and thoughts, strong faith, time consciousness, benefit to others, self-struggling traits, and strong ability to earn.

 Building every Muslim family by teaching them to choose a suitable husband or wife and educating children with Islamic standards and principles.

 Building the entire Muslim community by empowering individuals and families and realistically addressing social problems

 Building an ideal Islamic form of government (Khilafa) that represents political unity and leadership of the Muslim communities.

They've Been Through A Lot: Significant Events

Aside from the historical events which were enumerated at the beginning of this paper, several significant events have helped the brotherhood become one of the most important organizations in the world as follows:

 Liberation of Muslim Lands - the preference of the brotherhood to use actions instead of words allowed them the liberty of owning back their lands and this has been recorded by all sides when they showed bravery during the Palestinian war.

 Intellectual Development/s - The schools that were built by the brotherhood were able to mould and develop graduates who are perceives as thinkers and activists of the century. The list of these scholars includes Hassan Al-Banna, Sayyed Qutb, AbdelQader 'Audah, Mustapha al-Siba'yi, among others. These intellectual individuals contributed deeply in the existence of the Muslim thought in the twentieth century.

 Development of Institutions - educational and scholarly firms were established to enhance the knowledge of every individual on the Islamic teachings. Special interest organizations such as medical, scientific, cultural, and others were also given the chance to foster through building an architectural sanctuary for them.

 Economic Experiments - the brotherhood was the main motivator on the Islamic financing of national and international projects in a viable scale. They've established their own Islamic banking system under a practical theory and the teachings of Koran.

Breaking Past the Thundestorms: Issues and Impacts

There has been an existing debate over whether or not the Muslim Brotherhood will be held back and moderated by sharing or achieving power. This debate existed due to the fact that the organization has long been asking for this "power" to be given to them by the government. This power has not been given to them however because of the fear that this will cause them to act more and pursue on their radical agenda. Though the brotherhood argued that they are ready to take on a democratic role as they've been tireless in human rights activities, working for the cause of minorities, doubts still linger whether the organization can hold on to the democratic ideals and not return to their firm Islamic ideologies. Indeed, offering Islamic groups a piece of the power pie which will make them a strong force is nevertheless a topic that creates sparks and heated debates.

Dr. Ibrahim., a reputable member of the organization has expressed his sentiments that all citizens must be able to enjoy the right to a political participation and activities and hold all types of political posts even the presidency. But others are cautious about this because this might lead to manipulation and abuse of the democratic system. Because of this, many has pointed out the course of events that happened in Egypt in connection with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. What happened in Egypt could set as an example of what might happen if the integration of Islamist into politics does happen.

Several questions arose in this regard. First, why the sudden change of heart? What made the Muslim Brotherhood suddenly a sincere participant of the democratic system? Second, should we be cautious? To what level? What measures should be implemented to guard the political system in case the brotherhood is not really sincere?

Many watchers answer the first question with, "it's not really a change of heart, it's just a matter of establishing an Islamic state". This comment coincides with the brotherhood's mission to mould a Muslim individual, a Muslim family and build an Islamic rule to lead an Islamic state. To achieve this, drastic decisions have to be implemented which includes the following:

 Cleansing the media of anything that disagrees with the Islamic teachings

 Creating an economic system that is derived from Islam

 Establishing a democratic system that is completely compatible with Islam

 Focusing the education on learning the Koran by heart

 Creating alms institutions that will be in-charge of the distribution of wealth and income

 Allowing women to only hold posts that will preserve their virtue

 Banning Islamic-offensive series and television programs

The aforementioned decisions are perceived not as a reform initiative but a comprehensive Islamic Fascist state project. Also, the internal structure of the brotherhood is the exact opposite of democracy. All their decisions and programs are hidden in mystery and secrecy with no hint of diversity and transparency. According to the brotherhood itself, the purpose of wanting to gain power is to establish an Islamic unity similar to what prevailed in the 7th century. Going abck to that date however, it can be seen that such goal is not of the interest of Egypt and doesn't take a democratic form.

Therefore, it is but difficult and impossible to assume that the brotherhood will accept the values and principles of democracy and liberal society since it will be a total contradiction with their own proclaimed principles and values. As an analogy, it is like joining two complete opposites and like claiming that a "legal murder" or a "wise fool" does exists.

The Bottom Line: A Conclusion

The million dollar question in light of the militarization of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is whether this could be the start of a Muslim world. The Muslim Brotherhood has established a wide network of organizations in the various powerful countries including US - the Muslim American Society (MAS) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). This sent an alarming message to the American society since the organization recently had military parades in Cairo which proved their lengthy international duplicity.

The Muslim Brotherhood has been though a lot of rough times in trying to establish their principles and ideals. Through the years, they've allowed actions to speak louder than words. Their visions are good; they only wanted the best for the society under their perceived ideals. But their belief is not the only belief that exists in the world. Sad to say, people around the world live under different principles and they cannot force everybody to throw them away and accept their beliefs just like that. Thus, allowing the Muslim brotherhood the power that they've been craving for decades will give the way to more chaos and explosive debates. Contradicting beliefs will always clash; and the sooner the Muslim brotherhood accepts that, the better.