HASAN al BANNA

Founder of Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 – initially a youth club with strong moral and social priorities, and thereafter with the increasingly more radical political agenda. His aims were formulated in terms of Islamic Jihad against foreign influences on Egypt and other Arab countries. He encouraged the development of an extensive network of secret cells, ready to engage in terrorist activities, including assassinations, in the interests of Islamic regeneration. He took up the Palestinian cause. He himself was assassinated. Contention regarding him is all the more acute since he claimed to occupy the moral high ground, but so do his critics, including some fellow-Muslims.

Life

• Britannica biography of Hassan al-Banna

• Illustrated biography of Hassan al-Banna

Works

• The Messages of Hassan al-Banna

• Peace in Islam

• The Way of Jihad

Video

Hasan al-Banna: founder of the Muslim Brotherhood (3 mins)