Muslim BrotherhoodCircumstances Surrounding its Establishment

The Muslim Brotherhood is a phenomenon worthy of investigation given its geographical reach and the depth of its social and political influence, not only in the Arab and Muslim regions, but throughout the whole world. An analytical view of the historical circumstances surrounding the Group's emergence in Egypt is key to understanding the factors that have shaped its followers, its ideological vision and its tools of change. An examination of the social, economic and cultural environment which witnessed the inception of the Muslim Brotherhood is of special importance, as it allows us to envision the overall conditions that prevailed in Egypt at the time of the Group's founding. Such a study is an attempt not only to understand the events and developments that accompanied the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood, but to identify the ways in which these developments have colored events of the recent past.The study highlights the intellectual origins of the Muslim Brotherhood as embodied in Sunni Orthodoxy, the ideology of the Khawarij, and pioneers of the Arab-Islamic Renaissance (Nahda), such as Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh, Muhammad Rashid Rida, and Abul A'la Maududi, whose thought deeply impacted the formulation of the Brotherhood's ideas.The study also addresses the role played by figures such as Hasan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb, who entrenched violence within the Group's rhetoric, worldview and actions. No less importantly, the study addresses the theoretical foundations of the Brotherhood's thought and approach, which are highly generalized and ambiguous despite the Brotherhood's claim that they are authentic and deeply rooted in the Islamic legal and juristic tradition.