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The Muslim Brotherhood: The Legacy of the Prison Years
Abstract
Current debates on the Muslim Brotherhood center on the question of whether the organization supports a radical ideology or whether there is a shift towards political moderation. Discussions on this issue often focus on Sayyid Qutb and his thought. Sayyid Qutb is undoubtedly one of the most significant, yet controversial, writers of our time. His most important works were produced or revised during his imprisonment, between 1954- 1966. Looking at the volume of his work, his books are more widespread than those of any other Muslim Brother. It is a fact that his theories influenced generations of militant Islamists, who adapted his ideas to justify violence in the name of Islam. The fact that Qutb is still revered by the Muslim Brotherhood gives doubt to whether the Muslim Brotherhood indeed adopted a moderate political theology. The purpose of the lecture is to show that Sayyid Qutb's radical ideas were subsequently clarified, one could say refuted, by the leadership of the Brotherhood. In the book 'Preachers not Judges', which is generally attributed to Murshid Hasan al-Hudaybi, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood takes a decisive step towards non-violent political engagement.
Discipline
Religious Studies/Theology
Geographic Area
Egypt
Sub Area
19th-21st Centuries