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The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 to resist secularization. It expanded into politics and supported Palestinians in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The group used terrorism in Egypt and was banned in 1954. Members remained politically active and won 20% of parliamentary seats in 2005. The group has over 70 branches worldwide and has spawned other violent wings, including Hamas. The Brotherhood is viewed as a terrorist organization in the West but supported by many Muslims.
Founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hasan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood, also called the Brotherhood, is the oldest and largest religious-political organization in the world, formed to resist the secularization of areas that were formerly under Ottoman Islamic rule. The fundamental principle of the Muslim Brotherhood is that Islam is not just a religion, but a way of life. Initially, the Muslim Brotherhood was a movement that included education and religion, however when the organization disagreed with the Egyptian government’s passive treatment of the Zionists, it ventured into political territory when it began supporting the Palestinians in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Al-Banna’s brother, ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Banna, was responsible for establishing the Muslim Brotherhood in the Palestinian territories.
At that time the Brotherhood used terrorism inside Egypt as a tool of expression, forcing the Egyptian government to ban the organization for a short time. When the ban was lifted in 1948, the Muslim Brotherhood was recognized as a religious group only. In stark opposition to the secularizing policies pursued by the Egyptian government, the Muslim Brotherhood assassinated the Egyptian prime minister in late 1948 and were responsible for future assassination attempts against President Gamel Abdel Nasser.
Furthermore, they successfully assassinated Nasser’s successor, Anwar Sadat. After years of tension between the organization and the Egyptian government, it was finally banned in 1954, after the first attempt on Nasser’s life. Even though the Brotherhood had been banned, members of the group were still able to remain politically active in Egypt by running for Parliament as independents. In 2005, they won about 20% of the total parliamentary seats in Egypt.
After the permanent ban on the Muslim Brotherhood, many of the “brothers” fled to other parts of the Arab Levant, such as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. There are now more than 70 branches worldwide. The group is also the root of other wings which have pursued a more violent role in implementing a pure Islamic society.
In an effort to end Israel’s alleged occupation of the Palestinian territories, the Islamic Resistance Front, more commonly referred to as Hamas, was created in 1987. Hamas and other wings of the Muslim Brotherhood were widely viewed as terrorist organizations in the West , whereas most Muslims, while they may disagree with terror as a means to political ends, agree with the agendas of these groups.
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