Anyone wishing to understand syria must understand the long and bitter history of the muslim brotherhoods struggle with the assad regime. There was a group centered at aachen in west germany, under the leadership of isam al. For syria s banned muslim brotherhood, the uprising against president bashar assad that erupted amid arab spring revolts in 2011 provided a longsought opportunity to stage a comeback after. The muslim brotherhood in syria cambridge middle east studies dara conduit on. Muslim brotherhood in syria international affairs oxford academic. Ashes of hama describes in detail the buildup to an islamist uprising in the. Beirut for syria s banned muslim brotherhood, the uprising against president bashar assad that erupted amid arab spring revolts in 2011 provided a longsought opportunity to stage a comeback. Conduit updates this history with the last six years of civil war, which even by itself is an important addition to the scholarship. The reader will have a exponentially clearer understanding of why there is such a dislike for the baath party and why in turn baath party is so ruthless against the sunni majority. This book bridges that gap by providing readers with the first comprehensive.
The syrian uprisings core population of protesters came from a younger generation. During the violent events islamists attacked both civilians and offduty military personnel, and civilians were also killed in retaliatory strike by security forces. The islamist uprising in syria comprised a series of revolts and armed insurgencies by sunni islamists, mainly members of the muslim brotherhood from 1976 until 1982. A brief history of syria and the syrian muslim brotherhood the syrian muslim brotherhood s founding ideas the brotherhood s political practice the syrian muslim brotherhood and violence international relations and survival in exile the brotherhood reenters the political fray looking beyond the opposition in exile military uprising. Khalifas multilayered novel explores the rise of religious extremism in syria from a female perspective. The muslim brotherhood in syria by dara conduit, 9781108731287. Why tribes matter in syria hassan hassan opinion the. However, by telling its story it also tells how the seeds of hatred have been sown in syria. It subsequently existed largely as a clandestine but often militant group, marked by its rejection of western influences. Long before hama, in the seventies, the syrian muslim brotherhood split into at least three tendencies. Muslim brotherhood, a religiopolitical organization founded in 1928 that advocated the application of islamic law in all aspects of society. The uprising was aimed against the authority of the baath partycontrolled government of syria, in what has been called long campaign. He accused muslim brotherhood members within the exile opposition of monopolizing funding and military support. Having played a role in every iteration of syrian politics since the country gained independence in 1946, the muslim brotherhood were the most prominent opposition group in syria on the eve of the 2011 uprising.
But although support for the brotherhood inside syria appears to be limited, activists say it is growing as the uprising drags on. Dr dara conduits new book, the muslim brotherhood in syria, is an. The muslim brotherhood in syria cambridge middle east. The muslim brotherhood in syria raphael lefevre on amazon. It is set in the early 1980s, during the bloody struggle between the muslim brotherhood. The book is about the organizational history muslim brotherhood in syria.
The 270member council has been plagued by internal disagreements. Syria s banned muslim brotherhood faces uphill battle. The muslim brotherhood remains strong in egypt, syria, sudan, and other arab countries, and has organizations in most islamic nations. Alikhwan almuslimun fi suriya, formerly the islamic socialist front, has been described as a branch of the sunni islamist muslim brotherhood, and as being very loosely affiliated to the egyptian muslim brotherhood. The muslim brotherhood in syria raphael lefevre on. The syrian uprising part ii the muslim brotherhood in.
The muslim brotherhood in syria presented by anu majlis. The islamist uprising in s yria were a series of revolts and armed insurgency by sunni islamists, mainly members of the muslim brotherhood from 1976 until 1982. The uprising was aimed against the authority of the secular baath partycontrolled government of syria, in what has been called a long campaign of terror. She recognises that the hama massacre of 1982 is often taken as the definitive example of. While much of the book recounts the 197892 uprising from the point of view of the muslim brothers, to whom lefevre had exceptional access, it is quite relevant to the current syrian uprising. As the civil war in syria drags on with no end in sight, the humanitarian toll of the conflict becomes increasingly dire. The muslim brotherhood in syria dara conduit having played a role in every iteration of syrian politics since the country gained independence in 1946, the muslim brotherhood were the most prominent opposition group in syria on the eve of the 2011 uprising. The muslim brotherhood in syria cambridge middle east studies. The resurgence of the syrian muslim brotherhood, from the ashes of hama in 1982 to. Yet the uprising very quickly assumed an islamist dimension. The muslim brotherhood in syria dara conduit download. The syrian brotherhood actively participated in syrian politics until 1963, when the incoming panarab baath party began restricting the movement before ultimately banning the party in 1964. Syrias muslim brotherhood is gaining influence over anti. Like father, like son tyranny in syria, a massacre in.
Syrias muslim brotherhood faces enormous challenges as it. Within its first few years of existence, the brotherhood was elected to parliament and continued to field parliamentary representatives throughout much of syria s democratic era before the current regime took power. And theres one antiassad group that is largely responsible for this dismal state of affairs. The syrian muslim brotherhood has openly declared its support for the current protests but has denied responsibility for organizing them. The muslim brotherhood of syria formerly the islamic socialist front, has been described as a. The brotherhood had played a role in every iteration of syrian politics since the country gained independence in 1946, and was the most prominent opposition group in syria on the eve of the 2011 uprising. Muslim brotherhood establishes militia inside syria. It enjoyed a brief stint in power in egypt after the uprising of 2011. It is set in the early 1980s, during the bloody struggle between the muslim brotherhood and the ostensibly secular regime of hafez alassad president bashars father, in.
Under assad, the muslim brotherhood was banned but the uprising in 2011, opened a door that had been closed for nearly 30 years. According to the report, about 300400 muslim brotherhood militants joined the hama uprising. Muslim brotherhood is banned but may make a comeback. Muslim brotherhood establishes militia inside syria the muslim brotherhood has established its own militia inside syria as the countrys rebels. But when unrest broke out in march 2011, few brotherhood flags and slogans were to be found within the burgeoning protest movement.
Indeed, the brotherhood won sweeping electoral victories in egypt. The only change is that the debate about the true nature of the movement continues against the backdrop of the dramatic developments that have unfolded in egypt since the january 25 uprising of 2011, during which the muslim brotherhood succeeded in attaining nearcomplete political control of egypts legislature and executive power in 2012. Crucial is the 1982 hama massacre, which raphael has written about previously in state and islam in baathist syria. This chapter examines the syrian muslim brotherhoods political activity during the 2011 uprising, showing that it was the best placed group on the eve of the. Though militant in its early years, the organization renounced violence in the 1970s. The muslim brotherhood fought a bloody insurgency against mr. The islamist uprising in syria comprised a series of revolts and armed insurgencies by sunni islamists, mainly members of the muslim brotherhood from 1976. The history of the muslim brotherhood in syria is not well known. The syrian muslim brotherhood and the spectacle of hama dara conduit the syrian muslim brotherhood has been a key diplomatic player in the cur rent syrian uprising. Syria opposition group is routed and divided the new. Some of the information on the uprising, in the report, comes from the muslim brotherhood sources in ankara. Though the syrian muslim brotherhood smb was not part of the social movement, the syrian uprising presented the smb with an opportunity to return to the syrian political arena. She recognises that the hama massacre of 1982 is often taken as the definitive example of the groups character, more instructive than the nearly four decades of.
Cambridge core middle east history the muslim brotherhood in syria by dara conduit. The muslim brothers have resources, and they get help from. The brutal crackdown carried out by bashar alassad, syria s tyrannical president, initially targeted prodemocracy demonstrators but has since taken a sectarian turn as conservative islamic groups fight the secular regime that prohibited groups such as the muslim. List of books and articles about muslim brotherhood. The history of syrias muslim brotherhood gates cambridge. Militants in aleppo and hama pressed for armed struggle jihad against the bathi regime. Some analysts suggest that the muslim brotherhood is strongest fighting force against assad in syria, and that the group is providing assistance to various rebel military units fighting the regime. Throughout the syrian uprising, i have had discussions with opposition figures, activists, and foreign diplomats about how the brotherhood has built influence within the emerging opposition forces. Some 25,00040,000 people are thought to have died in the massacre when the regime retaliated against a muslim brotherhood led uprising. Dara conduits new book on the syrian muslim brotherhood is an. Assads father, hafez alassad, in the 1980s, culminating in a government crackdown that. During the violent events islamists attacked both civilians and offduty military. The syrian muslim brotherhood and the spectacle of hama. This chapter examines the syrian muslim brotherhood s political activity during the 2011 uprising, showing that it was the best placed group on the eve of the uprising, and analysing its role as a member of the syrian opposition inexile, where it has been most successful at projecting its influence.
Khalifa s multilayered novel explores the rise of religious extremism in syria from a female perspective. Muslim brotherhood in syria counter extremism project. How the muslim brotherhood hijacked syrias revolution. Islamic groups are poised to take power in syria and the brotherhood. The arab spring revolutions lent an unprecedented opportunity for the muslim brotherhood movement to emerge from secrecy and take political power, whether by ballot or by bullet, in egypt, tunisia, libya, and elsewhere. S ince the prodemocracy uprising erupted 16 months ago, various countries have sought leverage over syria s political future by trying to establish close ties with. The book examines the experiences of the syrian branch of the muslim brotherhood in the 2011 syrian uprising. As debates continue globally about the role of the muslim brotherhood in domestic and transnational environments, dara conduits book provides muchneeded clarity about the history of the syrian muslim brotherhood and its role in shaping the transnational brotherhoods response to the uprising that began in 2011. The syrian uprising part ii the muslim brotherhood in syria. The demonstrations, they claim, are not led by the smb but by the newly formed syrian national council, which proposes to.
1433 1067 565 1519 562 432 1343 1454 669 699 219 1453 688 721 1604 1509 287 1479 1614 301 818 670 1268 802 1092 1207 684 464 905 818 313 1521 832 152 127 1599 662 401 1138 653 1088 59 1229 1012 991 750 942