The Muslim brotherhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Muslim brotherhood - Essay Example The brotherhood was initially formed essentially as a small charitable society with religious goals. During the authoritarian regime in Egypt, the brotherhood became the most prominent and effective opposition sector. The brotherhood’s ambitions were shaped by the existing political and social scenario. It was during mid 1980s, that the brotherhood spread its activities and asserted its presence in different facets of public life. Starting from this period, the brotherhood designed its objectives towards global democracy and human rights (Wickham, 20,46). It is an organization whose ultimate goal is to establish a full Muslim state where there will be no extreme disparity of wealth distribution with the rich and poor holding equal status (Oliver & Atmore, 194). Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers or the Muslim Brotherhood was founded by Hasan al-Banna in the year 1928. Hasan was a scholar and schoolteacher born in Egypt. He was born to a local sheikh in Cairo , and his father instilled in him â€Å"classical and traditional religious learning and piety† (Wickham, 21). ... He made this his mission, and the way he chose was to preach and teach the Islamic ideals and concepts both to the young people and their parents. In the following years, he established himself as a powerful and intensely effective orator with the skill to spread his message. He began to give his sermons in local mosques and coffee houses. His mission of bringing to the forefront the Islamic way of life, and his dedication to look after the welfare of the Muslims influenced six labourers from a British military camp. These laborers approached him, and requested him to become their leader. The name of the group as Muslim Brotherhood was selected by Hasan since all the member of the brotherhood was primarily dedicated towards the service of Islam (Wickham, 21). The Muslim Brotherhood is a religious and social movement that is composed of Sunni Muslims, and is one of the biggest, oldest and the most significant Islamist organizations in the world. Initially, Egypt was the only country w here the Brotherhood concentrated its activities and movements. However, currently it is estimated that the group has spread its wings in more than 70 countries, while according to other estimates the group is establishing itself in more than 100 countries. When Hasan formed this Brotherhood, his main assertion was that Islam be granted the supreme authority over all matters of life. With this ultimate goal, the Muslim Brotherhood strives to establish an Islam kingdom or monarchy extending over not only the current day Muslim population across the world, but over all communities around the globe. Another purpose of the Brotherhood is to establish the Islam law or the Shari’a as the sole law of court in all countries across the globe. This is the principle philosophy