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2023-07-07The Muslim Brotherhood (MBS) organization exists in a relatively independent form in a number of countries in the Middle East, with the earliest, the Egyptian MBS, founded in 1928. However, the MBS has long been politically suppressed or marginalized. Since the end of 2010, the regional turmoil that began in Tunisia has led to regime changes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen; the unrest in Syria, which has lasted for more than a year, continues unabated; and countries such as Algeria, Morocco, and Jordan have been plagued for some time. Islamic political parties, represented by the MBS organization, have taken the opportunity to achieve a "major turnaround" and have taken to the political arena.
Long history and far-reaching impact
Founded in Ismailia, Egypt, in 1928 by the conservative Islamic scholar Hassan al-Banna, the MBS was the first organized political organization with a relatively complete ideology in the history of modern Islam. After more than 80 years of development, it has become the most influential and largest religious organization in the Islamic world today.
In 1932, the MBS established its first chapter in Cairo and later moved its headquarters to Cairo. Since then, the MBS has flourished in Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. The founder, al-Banna, believed that Islam was not just a religion but a mode of life that not only regulated faith and guided the spiritual life, but also implied the establishment of states, struggle and jihad. He therefore advocated the unification of all Islamic countries under one caliphate, creating an "empire from Spain to Indonesia".
Because the MBS advocates a return to the origins of Islam and holds up the banner of "jihad" and uses violent means such as assassination, it has been banned by the Government on many occasions. In Egypt, it has been repeatedly banned and prohibited by the Government, and its members have been arrested and sentenced. It has also been brutally suppressed by the Government in Syria and other countries.
have taken to the political arena
After the 1970s, some radical factions split from the MBS, while the moderate wing of the MBS advocated parliamentary struggle, freedom of the press and assembly, and declared its acceptance of democracy, political pluralism, and the peaceful rotation of power, and in turn organized political parties to participate in political life.
The MBS has been one of the key players in this wave of demonstrations in the volatile countries of the Middle East. In Syria, for example, where unrest has been going on for more than a year, the MUJA was an important part of the opposition. In the aftermath of the turmoil, these Islamist parties have become major players in the process of democratic political transition. The Islamic Renaissance Movement is now the largest party in Tunisia, and its leader, Jabali, is prime minister in the new government. The Islamic Renaissance Movement, while not explicitly related to the Muslim Brotherhood, is ideologically and organizationally similar.
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, on the other hand, became the largest political force in Egypt after Mubarak's ouster, forming the Freedom and Justice Party, which became the largest party in Parliament. The MBS has also announced its candidacy for a new president, underscoring the strong desire of the more than 80-year-old Egyptian MBS to monopolize power in parliament, government and the presidency.
At the beginning of March this year, the Libyan MBS, which is closer to the Egyptian MBS, announced the formation of the Justice and Development Party and stated that it would take the Islamic framework as a reference. The Libyan MBS has a history of more than 60 years, but has long been suppressed by the Qaddafi regime. After the fall of Qadhafi, the Justice and Development Party, relying on its national network, is poised to play an important role in Libya's political transition process.
Generalized pragmatism
The MBS organization is relatively independent in various countries, and its ideology is similar, but its specific principles and strategies are more or less different. The Egyptian MBS advocates Islam as the religion of the state, does not forcefully promote an Islamic system, favors a gradual and orderly route, and politically favors a parliamentary system that weakens presidential power.
In contrast to Egypt, the Islamic Renaissance movement in Tunisia, which was influenced by Western values, was more moderate and advocated the political choice of a republic. The transition process in Tunisia has been relatively smooth, and the Islamic Renaissance has been pragmatic in its policies by not choosing to monopolize all power.
The political transition process in Libya, on the other hand, has yet to make substantial progress, and the MBS in that country, while claiming to be committed to the establishment of a just and developed society based on religious values, has at the same time expressed its commitment to the restoration of security and stability first and foremost, reflecting the same attitude of moderation and pragmatism.
Analysts believe that. After the overthrow of the old regimes in some Arab countries, the rise of Islamic forces, which had long been politically suppressed in the past, have now begun to participate extensively in political life, and the people have given them a chance through elections. However, it will take time to see whether they can bring development and progress to the country after gaining power.
Increased volatility of the situation in the Middle East
The rise of the Islamic forces represented by the MBS has brought variables to the situation in the Middle East, and the Palestinian-Israeli issue and the Arab-Israeli dispute will face new challenges.
The rise of Islamic forces has caused great concern in Israel. Egypt as an important mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian issue, its relations with Israel in the aftermath of Mubarak's ouster from the original "not warm and fuzzy" to become more cold. Egypt's domestic calls for changes in the Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement continue to emerge. In March this year, after Israel launched a series of air strikes on Gaza, the Egyptian People's Assembly statement, calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Egypt, and urging Egypt to immediately stop exporting natural gas to Israel, claiming that "post-revolutionary Egypt will never be a friend of the Zionist entity," and Israel as the "Egyptian and Arab nation". "the number one enemy of Egypt and the Arab nation" and called for an Arab boycott of Israel.
Analysts believe that the changes in the Arab countries and the rise of Islamic forces, so that Israel is under pressure, more and more isolated, but Israel will not change its policy towards the Palestinians and Arab countries, the Arab-Israeli issue, especially the Palestinian-Israeli issue of the political settlement or more complicated.
Egypt is an important ally of the United States in the Middle East. After the fall of Mubarak, relations between the two countries were once strained over the issue of non-governmental organizations. U.S. officials have been in frequent contact with the MBS since it won the parliamentary elections. But the leader of the Freedom and Justice Party has made it clear that he wants a more balanced relationship between Egypt and the United States. The political rise of Islamist forces will undoubtedly require the United States to reexamine its Middle East strategy.