Islamism in Egypt: a brief history

Submitted by Janine on 5 March, 2004 - 9:52

At our meeting on 3 March, Haringey & Hackney AWL branch discussed Islamism in Egypt.

Clive Bradley gave a talk about the issue: this is a summary of what he said.
Egypt is one of the birthplaces of modern Islamism - that is, of political movements based on Islam that take the form of a modern political party. In 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood was formed in Egypt.

The Muslim Brotherhood began as a conservative social movement. It was concerned about the spread of 'Western culture' in Egypt: for example, it opposed increasing freedom for women.

It also opposed British colonialism, but its relationship with colonialism was ambivalent. For example:
- in the 1930s, the Muslim Brotherhood sent people to Palestine to fight against colonialism (and Jewish immigration);
- in the 1940s, it allied with the pro-British king of Egypt against a nationalist revolt.

The Muslim Brotherhood grew, and was based largely among the urban middle class, especially in Cairo.

In 1952, a military coup brought the Nasser Government to power in Egypt. There was radical change. In 1956, there was extensive land reform, and Nasser nationalised the Suez canal. Britain and France's subsequent war over the canal failed.

Nasser's regime extended nationalisation, allied with the Soviet Union, and called itself socialist.

The relationship between the Nasser Government and the Muslim Brotherhood was ambivalent. At first, the Government included people who were close associates of the Brotherhood.

But in 1966, the Egyptian state executed Said Qutb, an ideologue of the Muslim Brotherhood. In the 1950s, the Egyptian government had sent Qutb to the USA to study educational issues. Qutb had been shocked by US society, and was appalled by its liberalism - especially the (relatively free) position of women.

Ideologically, Qutb's innovation was to broaden the definition of an 'enemy of Islam' to include the domestic government, rather than just the colonial oppressor. This also involved narrowing the definition of a 'proper Muslim'.

In the 1970s, Nasser died, and was replaced by Sadat.

Sadat promoted the Islamists as an alternative to the communists. But at the same time, more militant Islamist groups were developing, and beginning to take military action against the 'apostate' government. One such group - Al-Jihad - assassinated Sadat for making peace with "the Jews" (Israel).

By the 1990s, there were three types of Islamist group in Egypt, all of which were illegal:

1. The Muslim Brotherhood, which was becoming more moderate or respectable. It took over the professional associations of, for example, lawyers and teachers. The Brotherhood made an electoral pact with nationalists, which enabled it to play a part in elections even though it was illegal.

2. Islamic associations, usually based on university campuses, but sometimes in localities. These made militant agitation for Islamist ideas, but were not themselves armed.

3. The armed groups, the largest of which was Al-Jihad.

The armed Islamist groups attacked government personnel, killed secular intellectuals, organised sectarian attacks on Christians (there is a large minority of Christians in Egypt: between 8m and 11m people), and attacked tourists (The Islamic Group killed many tourists in a single attack in Luxor in 1997).

This was an attempt to start a sectarian civil war, but it failed. So in 1997, the armed groups declared a truce with the government. This caused a split in their ranks, with one senior Al-Jihad leader joining Bin Laden.

Many Egyptian Islamist activists had spent time in Afghanistan, fighting the USSR's occupation.

The SWP's Chris Harman argues that Islamists can roughly be divided into two camps: the anti-imperialists, and those compromised by imperialism. But, to the extent that this is true, the 'anti-imperialists' are actually the worse group politically. For example, the attacks on tourists were justified by the argument that tourism is the means by which Jewish women spread diseases.

We should also consider whether the Muslim Brotherhood is as 'moderate' as it likes to portray itself. For example, the Brotherhood persistently persecutes Egyptian intellectuals - including Muslims - frequently suing them for blasphemy and/or apostasy.

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.