The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, 1945–1958: Founding, Social Origins, Ideology

Abstract

This article examines the founding, social origins, and ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria from 1945 to 1958. The organization was influenced ideologically by the original Egyptian Brotherhood, but its founding was essentially an independent move. Unlike its Egyptian counterpart during this period, the Syrian Brotherhood was a participant in parliamentary politics. Its discourse was reflective of this fact, and in public it emphasized the universal nature of its message and eschewed sectarianism in Syria's divided society. An examination of internal documents, however, reveals that the organization was concerned with protecting Syria's Sunni Muslim majority. While in Egypt the Ikhwan developed in opposition to the establishment 'ulama', which were seen as being unresponsive to the needs of Muslims in a modern society, in Syria the 'ulama' played a leading role in the organization. In the pantheon of modern Islamist movements, the Muslim Brotherhood (al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun) holds pride of place. It continues to influence millions, primarily in Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Kuwait, Jordan, and Syria. Yet it appears that the attention devoted to the Brotherhood has not been properly balanced. The Egyptian Brotherhood has naturally been the object of considerable scrutiny. In its heyday from the 1930s to the 1950s, it was an extra-parliamentary movement that resorted occasionally to violence and assassination to advance its cause.1 It was widely influential and its leader, Hasan al-Banna, was an arresting figure who merited being described by the overused word charismatic. Far less scholarly attention has focused on the Ikhwan of Syria, and this is unfortunate, for that organization presents a useful contrast.2 It was a small, elitist organization that never approached the level of mass support enjoyed by the Egyptian Ikhwan. It was also, for most of the 1945-1958 period that this research covers, a parliamentary body participating fully in the hurly-burly of Syrian parliamentary politics, a position that forced upon the Syrian Ikhwan modes of behavior very different from those of the Egyptian Ikhwan.3 Indeed, in many ways the Syrian Brotherhood resembled the other Syrian ideological parties more closely than it did the Egyptian Brotherhood. This study explores the circumstances that made the Syrian Brotherhood unique, by examining new evidence regarding its founding, social origins, organization, internal training, and education. will be demonstrated, this was a party that put a decidedly Syrian spin on the Ikhwan's message, for it was in ideological competition with other ideology-based parties, such as the Ba'th and the Communists, that developed during this period in response to increased social mobilization. Founding: The Egyptian Connection The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria has always lived in the shadow of the mother movement in Egypt, so a study of the Syrian movement immediately begs this question: Was the Ikhwan in Syria founded at the direction of the Egyptian Brotherhood, or did it arise on its own? The answer turns out to lie somewhere in between. The Egyptian Ikhwan, centered in Cairo, did have a section responsible for with the Islamic world. This section's task was to spread the message of the Ikhwan abroad, and to coordinate activities with other Islamic organizations where they existed. It was natural enough that the Egyptian Ikhwan, with its anti-nationalist and pan-Islamic orientation, would emphasize liaison with Islamic movements and personalities throughout the Muslim world, but it is not clear if the section aimed to establish Ikhwan branches outside of Egypt. In any event, the Cairo center of the Egyptian Ikhwan was an attraction for foreign students studying at al-Azhar. As potential missionaries for the cause after they returned to their respective countries, notes Richard Mitchell, these students found themselves welcomed and whenever possible urged to join in the activities of the society. …