Abstract
The Muslim Brotherhood (in Arabic Jamiat al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun) stands a great source of inspiration for Islamic revivalism throughout the world. Since its establishment in 1928, the Brotherhood confronted multiple enemies (especially political authorities in the Middle East) but eventually emerged as the forefather of contemporary Islamism. This chapter provides an overview of the historical conditions that fostered the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and expands on the core ideological foundations of the group. This contribution then discusses the Brotherhood’s views on controversial topics, such as the role of women, nationalism, and economy. This chapter also examines the causes for the existence of different methodologies among the Brotherhood branches and discusses the use of violence, jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance), jihad, and martyrdom. Ultimately, this contribution unfolds current relevant debates on the Brothers stressing why they still stand as a “contested” Islamist actor.
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Orofino, E. (2021). The Muslim Brotherhood A Contested Islamist Actor. In: Lukens-Bull, R., Woodward, M. (eds) Handbook of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Lives. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32626-5_103
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