CHAPTER 3
The Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic Radicalism
Gary M. Servold
Introduction
“God is our purpose, the Prophet our leader, the Qur’an our
constitution, Jihad our way and dying for God’s cause our supreme
objective”
1
is the slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood, established in 1928
by Hassan Al-Banna. The Muslim Brotherhood or “Al-Ikhwan Al-
Muslimum” (in Arabic) represents the “mother movement”
2
of the
Islamic fundamentalist. With branches in “70 countries all over the
world,”
3
the Muslim Brotherhood is the most pervasive grass roots
Islamic fundamentalist movement in the world. The Brotherhood was
the first wide-ranging, well-organized, international Islamic movement
of modern times.
The Muslim Brotherhood requires scrutiny because most of the
leaders of the world’s Islamic terrorist groups have their roots in this
movement. Ramzi Yousef, the leader of the terrorist cell that attempted to
blow up the World Trade Center in 1993, was recruited into the
Brotherhood when he attended colleges in Wales. Osama bin Laden was
similarly recruited while attending university classes in Saudi Arabia.
They, and thousands of others now in terrorist organizations, have
embraced the radical Islamist vision articulated by the Brotherhood.
If one is to understand the thinking of activists in al Qaeda, Hamas,
the Islamic Jihad, and other extreme Islamic groups, the understanding of
the Muslim Brotherhood is the place to begin.
Although recent statements by Brotherhood leaders articulate non-
violent means for social change, Brotherhood members have resorted to
violent measures. One of the most notable episodes of violence was the
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