The Muslim Brotherhood: The Rise of an Invisible Power

The Muslim Brotherhood: The Rise of an Invisible Power

The Origins of the Muslim Brotherhood: Hassan al-Banna and the Birth of Political Islam
HighlightThe Origins of the Muslim Brotherhood: Hassan al-Banna and the Birth of Political Islam

Ismailia, 1928. In this city on the Suez Canal under British control, Hassan al-Banna, the 22-year-old schoolteacher and son of an imam, gathered six workers around a single pledge: to restore the greatness of Islam. From this modest circle would emerge a movement that would leave a profound mark on the Middle East throughout the twentieth ...

The Muslim Brotherhood: From Faith to Global Influence
VideosThe Muslim Brotherhood: From Faith to Global Influence

Who are the Muslim Brotherhood? How did this century-old Egyptian movement expand its reach from Cairo to Doha, Ankara, and across Europe? Explore the alliances, breakups, and enduring ideology shaping their global influence in a special series of articles by Malo Pinatel and Marie de la Roche Saint-André.

Sayyid Qutb: From the Muslim Brotherhood to Global Influence
HighlightSayyid Qutb: From the Muslim Brotherhood to Global Influence

Born in 1906 into a devout family in a village of Upper Egypt, he studied educational sciences, much like Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood’s founder. Alongside his career as a teacher and civil servant in the Ministry of Education, Sayyid Qutb gained recognition as a literary figure, moving within Egypt’s intellectual circles, including ...

From Cairo to the World: The Global Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood
HighlightFrom Cairo to the World: The Global Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood

Founded in 1928 in Ismailia by Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood swiftly expanded beyond Egypt’s borders to become a major transnational force across the Arab and Muslim world. Its reach was enabled by exile networks, grassroots activism, and a doctrine flexible enough to adapt to diverse political and cultural contexts. From its ...

Revolution, Power, and Repression: The Political Downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt
HighlightRevolution, Power, and Repression: The Political Downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

From the 2012 electoral victory to the upheavals that followed, the trajectory of the Muslim Brotherhood in contemporary Egypt reflects a decade of tensions, divisions, and radical transformation. On January 25, 2011, millions of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, and other major cities, demanding an end to Hosni Mubarak’s ...

Francophone Europe and the Muslim Brotherhood: Between Myth and Reality
HighlightFrancophone Europe and the Muslim Brotherhood: Between Myth and Reality

While the presence of Muslim Brotherhood members and sympathizers in France and, more broadly, across Francophone Europe has long been established, the issue only entered mainstream public debate recently, following the publication of a government report on the Brotherhood’s influence in France last May.  The report stirred widespread ...

London: The Muslim Brotherhood’s “Rear Base”?
HighlightLondon: The Muslim Brotherhood’s “Rear Base”?

The United Kingdom has long served as a haven for many members and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, often described as the movement’s “rear base in Europe.” The Brotherhood established itself in the UK during the 1960s. Most members settled in London and came from various national branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the ...

Muslim Brotherhood, Salafists, and Jihadists: Shared Influences, Divergent Trajectories
Muslim Brotherhood, Salafists, and Jihadists: Shared Influences, Divergent Trajectories

In Western media and public discourse, the terms Muslim Brotherhood, Salafists, and Jihadists are often conflated—blurred together in a way that obscures their distinct origins, ideologies, and modes of action. While these movements share certain historical roots, they represent fundamentally different trajectories. To better understand their ...

Turkey and Qatar: Key Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood?
HighlightTurkey and Qatar: Key Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood?

The outbreak of the Arab Spring in many Middle Eastern countries gave the Muslim Brotherhood a major opportunity to assert itself within newly emerging governments, most notably in Egypt and Tunisia. Behind this rise, Qatar and Turkey were accused by critics of actively supporting and promoting the movement through financial backing, diplomatic ...

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Emirates: The Anti–Muslim Brotherhood Crusade
HighlightSaudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Emirates: The Anti–Muslim Brotherhood Crusade

Among the major ideological fault lines in the Arab world, few are as decisive as the one between conservative authoritarian and self-proclaimed “secular” regimes and the Muslim Brotherhood. Today, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates form the core of a determined anti-Islamist front, seeking to neutralize the Brotherhood’s ...

Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood: Rivalry, Similarities, and Tactical Convergences
HighlightIran and the Muslim Brotherhood: Rivalry, Similarities, and Tactical Convergences

The relationship between Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood illustrates the paradoxes of political Islam in the Middle East. Temporary alliances, strategic interests, and deep sectarian divides intersect—from the war in Syria to Palestinian factions—producing a shifting balance between cooperation and antagonism. On June 19, 2025, amid the ...

Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood: Between Ideological Lineage and National Adaptation
HighlightHamas and the Muslim Brotherhood: Between Ideological Lineage and National Adaptation

On April 23, 2025, Jordan’s Ministry of Interior formally banned Brotherhood-related activities in Jordan, citing  an alleged plot threatening national security, orchestrated by a group linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. The decision came amid heightened regional tensions. In the west of the kingdom, the Israel-Hamas war was raging, and public ...

The Maghreb: The Muslim Brotherhood and the Challenge of Power
HighlightThe Maghreb: The Muslim Brotherhood and the Challenge of Power

As the Arab Spring unfolded, several political movements inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood sought to rise to power across the Maghreb. In Tunisia, it was Ennahda; in Morocco, the Justice and Development Party (PJD); and in Algeria, the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP). The period proved favorable to the Muslim Brotherhood and its ideology, ...