Film Guide The Brotherhood June 2013

© Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/classroom Abstract This film guide offers a framework for analyzing The Brotherhood, a 2007 PBS documentary following journalists Mark Hosenball and 4 Michael Isikoff as they investigate the organization in 4 and its supporters around the globe. Topics discussed in the documen- tary include the nature of the Muslim Brotherhood, its variously peaceful and 5 violent reputations, and whether the needs to engage this and 6 other Islamist movements. The core text of the guide contains a synopsis of the 7 documentary as well as historical context on the Muslim Brotherhood, partic- ularly in Egypt, where it was founded and remains highly influential. Comple- menting the core text are a list of key terms, discussion questions, and a guide to further readings for more information on the Muslim Brotherhood

About this Film Guide This film guide was crafted under the editorial direction of Eric Patterson, visiting assistant professor in the Department of Government and associate director of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University.

This film guide was made possible through the support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the Luce/SFS Program on Religion and International Affairs.

2 BERKLEY CENTER FOR RELIGION, PEACE & WORLD AFFAIRS AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Film Guide — The Brotherhood Contents Synopsis 4 Historical Context 4 Key Terms 5 Discussion Questions 6 Further Reading 7

Citation Title: The Brotherhood Original Release: 2007 Run Time: 60 minutes Producers: Steve Hewlett, Tony Stark Correspondents: Mark Hosenball, Michael Isikoff Language: English with no subtitles DVD Release: 2007 (PBS)

BERKLEY CENTER FOR RELIGION, PEACE & WORLD AFFAIRS AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Film Guide — The Brotherhood 3 The Brotherhood (2007)

Synopsis a potential ally toward democratization and inter-religious har- mony across the Muslim world, or whether the United States The Brotherhood takes a penetrating look inside the secretive should shun the MB or even approach the movement as an en- Muslim Brotherhood (MB), an Islamist organization founded emy. in Egypt in 1928 and now an international movement for the promotion of fundamentalist Islam. Some view the MB as a peaceful, pro-democracy force in the Muslim world, while oth- HIstorical context ers accuse the group of fomenting political and religious violence and inspiring Islamist terrorist groups. Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Egypt in 1928. The organization now spans several countries The documentary follows award-winning Newsweek journalists with various causes of primary importance. The MB is a po- Mark Hosenball and Michael Isikoff as they question MB mem- litical, religious and charitable organization and demonstrates its bers and sympathizers about the diversified and somewhat nebu- commitment to each aspect in the “Bylaws of the International lous movement, which advocates peaceful coexistence between Muslim Brotherhood.” A few of the MB’s goals are: different religious groups while also supporting suicide bomb- • “The need to inform the masses, Muslims and non-Muslims ings against Israel and being seen as an inspiration by various of Islamic teachings, explaining the signs in detail to those militant jihadist groups. who understand the pure human nature upon which Allah Has [sic] created man. Distinguish the universality of Islam, Hosenball and Isikoff begin their investigation by tracking down in addition to refuting fallacy.” Mamoun Darkazanli, an MB sympathizer who has been accused • “Make efforts to raise the standard of living of marginalized of involvement with the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization and people and contribute to the further growth and develop- several violent attacks on Western targets, and who now lives in ment of the nation’s wealth. Achieve social justice and ex- Hamburg, Germany. They next speak with Youssef Nada, who pand social insurance to cover every citizen. Fight poverty, once traveled across the globe to meet with foreign leaders on disease, ignorance, hunger, depravity; encourage and invite behalf of the Brotherhood, and who is now alleged by the United others towards virtue, righteousness, and piety.” States and the United Nations to be a terrorist financier, which • “Guidance and admonition which is sound approach suit- he denies. The investigators then meet with Abdulrahman Ala- able for Muslims in the fields of education, legislation, ju- moudi, who was an influential and seemingly moderate voice in diciary, administration, military life, economy, health, and the American Islamic community until it was revealed that he governance. This may be aimed at by presenting thorny is- supported various terrorist groups and was involved in a plot to sues to the competent authorities in order to persuade the assassinate the crown prince of , for which he is now world’s legislative and executive bodies to follow through serving 23 years in a US prison. with the original conceptual thinking and the tactical im- plementation with the necessity to work hard to refine the The overarching question that looms throughout The Brother- media guided by Islam.” hood is whether the United States should engage with the MB as

4 BERKLEY CENTER FOR RELIGION, PEACE & WORLD AFFAIRS AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Film Guide — The Brotherhood The Muslim Brotherhood has, however, been linked to extreme Mubarak’s guarantee that the elections would be free and fair. Islamists and terrorist activities. Prior to the successful popular The unexpected success of the MB throughout the elections uprising against President in 2011, the govern- prompted President Mubarak to implement additional restric- ment of Egypt had banned the MB from forming a political tions against opposition groups, like the 2007 anti-terror bill, party because it feared the group would create an Islamic state. which led to the jailing of many of the MB members in Par- The United States does not consider the MB to be a terrorist liament. Since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution ousted Mubarak organization but does consider specific individuals linked to it from power, the MB has successfully translated its popular ap- to be extremely dangerous. Indeed, Article 3e of the MB bylaws peal into political power. In June 2012, a highly contested demo- states, “the Islamic nation must be fully prepared to fight the cratic election saw , a prominent Brotherhood tyrants and the enemies of Allah as a prelude to establishing an member, elected to the Egyptian presidency. Islamic state.” Some followers, like , have expanded on that idea by openly advocating as an armed struggle The MB is indeed a multifaceted organization. It inspires many against un-Islamic forces. The ideas of MB members have influ- and provides important services to even more. However, the enced men who have orchestrated devastating terrorist attacks, sometimes-violent reputation of the MB precedes the group and such as . its charitable aspects, and it is that very image that makes many governments uncertain about if or how they should engage the Some countries’ governments are wary of the Muslim Brother- group. hood, but the MB has a lot of grassroots support, particularly in Egypt. The MB provides much needed social services to the For reference, the following is a list of the General Leaders of the MB public, ranging from education and job training to health pro- in Egypt: grams. The quality of the public services in Egypt tends to be low 1928 – 1949: Hassan al Banna and the MB provides inexpensive alternative or buffer programs. 1949 – 1972: Hassan al-Hudaybi 1972 – 1986: Umar al-Tilmisani As a banned political organization in the 2000 Egyptian elec- 1986 – 1996: Muhammad Hamid Abu al-Nasr tions, MB members ran as independents and secured 17 seats 1996 – 2002: Mustafa Mushhur in the Parliament, becoming the largest legislative opposition 2002 – 2004: Ma’mun al-Hudaybi bloc. The MB’s popularity with the Egyptian public was demon- 2004 – 2010: strated in 2005 when the MB won nearly five times the amount January 16, 2010 – present: of seats it held in Parliament from the previous election, again through MB members running as independents. The 2005 elec- tion was rampant with government corruption despite President

Key Terms

Identify and discuss the following: Muslim Brotherhood Al-Tawqa Bank Youssef Nada Sharia

Al-Qaeda Hassan al-Banna Abdulrahman Jihad Alamoudi Sayyid Qutb Islamism Ali Sadreddine Hamas Mamoun Darkazanli Bayanouni

BERKLEY CENTER FOR RELIGION, PEACE & WORLD AFFAIRS AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Film Guide — The Brotherhood 5 Discussion Questions

1. The Muslim Brotherhood is a political, religious, and charitable organization. Identify ex- amples of each of these facets of the group from the documentary. Discuss the perception a poor Egyptian worker might have of the MB versus that of a Western government.

2. The following quote is played around 6m30s: “Islam is a gift from God and will eventually take over the world.” Is that belief specific to Islam? Christianity, in particular, focuses on proselytization. Discuss whether Americans would react in the same way to the expansion of Islam as they would to Christian expansion? Discuss how Turks, Iraqis, or Saudis might react? Identify the reasons each group might react in that way.

3. While the journalists are interviewing Youssef Nada, he states that, while Palestinian sui- cide bombing is not legitimate, “it is understandable … A bad reaction for bad actions” (27m40s). Is this a realistic assessment of the situation or does it go too far in the direction of excusing the violence? Discuss ways the MB might be more fervent in their protests against the use of .

4. The Bush administration had a policy of non-communication with the MB until the group takes a clear anti-terrorist stand. Explain why or why not you would adopt the same policy. Nada explains that the day will come when the United States will have to deal with MB if it wants peace in the Middle East (53m30s). Should the United States communi- cate with the MB or not? If it should, should the United States demand certain prerequi- sites of the MB in order for dialogue, such as a clear stand against terrorism? Why or why not?

5. Identify the goals of Islamists. In your perspective, do these goals align with democracy? Why do some Muslims argue that Islam and democracy are compatible? How would you defend each side of this position?

6 BERKLEY CENTER FOR RELIGION, PEACE & WORLD AFFAIRS AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Film Guide — The Brotherhood Further Readings

Abbas, Hassan. Pakistan’s Drift Into Extremism: Allah, The Army, And America’s War On Terror. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, 2004.

Baker, Raymond William. Islam Without Fear: Egypt and the New Islamists. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2006.

Brachman, Jarret. Global Jihadism: Theory and Practice. New York: Routledge, 2008. Cook, David. Understanding Jihad. Berkley, CA: University of California Press, 2005.

Dawisha, Adeed. Arab Nationalism in the Twentieth Century From Triumph to Despair. New York: Princeton University Press, 2005.

Jansen, Johannes J.G. The Neglected Duty: The Creed of Sadat’s Assassins and Islamic Resurgence in the Middle East. New York: Macmillan Company, 1986.

Kepel, Gilles and Anthony F. Roberts. Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam.Cambridge, MA: Har- vard University Press, 2003.

Kepel, Gilles. The War for Muslim Minds: Islam and the West. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2006.

Meddeb, Abdelwahab. Malady of Islam. Darby, PA: Diane Co, 2003.

Mitchell, Richard. The Society of the Muslim Brothers. London: Oxford University Press, 1969.

Patterson, Eric D. and John Gallagher. Debating the War of Ideas. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.

BBC Online. “Muslim Brotherhood accuses Egypt police of harassment.” Middle East. March 29, 2010. Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8592917.stm

IRIN News Online. “Egypt: Social programmes bolster appeal of Muslim Brotherhood.” February 22, 2006. Available: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=26150

Washington Post Online. “Egypt’s Ugly Election.” Editorials. December 10, 2005. Available: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/09/ AR2005120901837.html

BERKLEY CENTER FOR RELIGION, PEACE & WORLD AFFAIRS AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Film Guide — The Brotherhood 7