MAS's Muslim Brotherhood Problem

MAS's Muslim Brotherhood Problem: "THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD is an international Islamist group that largely operates underground and behind the scenes, with branches in about 70 countries. The Brotherhood was founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, an Egyptian schoolteacher who--in the wake of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and abolition of the caliphate--bemoaned the sickness of the Ummah, or larger Muslim community. The Brotherhood's response to this perceived sickness

was to emphasize doctrinally that Islam encompasses all the affairs of man. As al-Banna wrote, 'Islam is faith and worship, a country and a citizenship, a religion and a state. It is spirituality and hard work. It is a Qur'an and a sword.' The group also emphasizes that Islam is a universal faith. As al-Banna put it, Islam 'has encompassed all aspects of human life, for all peoples and nations, and for all times and ages.'

Because the Brotherhood views Islam as all-encompassing and universal, one of its highest goals is to spread Islamic law. The Chicago Tribune explains that the controversial 'ultimate goal' of the U.S. Brotherhood is 'to create Muslim states overseas and, they hope, someday in America as well.' Brotherhood members did emphasize to the Tribune that they operate within the laws of the countries where they live:

They stress that they do not believe in overthrowing the U.S. government, but rather that they want as many people as possible to convert to Islam so that one day--perhaps generations from now--a majority of Americans will support a society governed by Islamic law.

Despite these pronouncements, the Muslim Brotherhood has not always been known for non-violence. The 'Qur'an and a sword' outlook trumpeted by al-Banna is, for example, evident in the organization's militant motto: 'Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.' Consistent with this motto, Muslim Brotherhood members have been involved in such episodes as the assassination of Egyptian Prime Minister Mahmud Fahmi Nokrashi and the attempted assassination of Gamal Abdel Nasser."
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