The Muslim Brotherhood Explained: Its History of Violence, the Caliphate and Its Ties to al-Qaeda

CAIRO — The Muslim Brotherhood, formed in Egypt in 1928, is one of the most disputed political movements in the Middle East.^[1] Egypt has just made its terrorist listing of the group permanent, and the United States has designated three of its national branches.^[2] Two questions come up most often: did it create al-Qaeda, and does it want a world caliphate?

Related: Egypt Makes Its Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Listing Permanent.

The short answers

Did the Brotherhood start al-Qaeda? No. Osama bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam established al-Qaeda in 1988 out of the network that funneled recruits to Afghanistan.^[3] But Brotherhood ideas and former members helped shape it, and al-Qaeda later turned on the Brotherhood as a rival.^[4]

Does it want a world caliphate? Its founder wrote in those terms. How literally the group means it today, and by what methods, is debated.^[5][6]

A history of violence

The Brotherhood’s founder, Hassan al-Banna, built a mass movement with about 2,000 branches across Egypt.^[5] From 1947 to 1949, a secret military wing carried out much of the violence that shook the Egyptian government. Prime Minister Mahmoud al-Nuqrashi dissolved the group in 1948 and was assassinated months later, reportedly by a member. Al-Banna was killed in February 1949 by suspected palace agents.^[7]

After an attempt on Gamal Abdel Nasser’s life in 1954, attributed to the group’s secret apparatus, the Brotherhood was dissolved and thousands of members were arrested.^[8] Its leading ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, was executed in 1966 on charges of trying to overthrow the government.^[3]

The Egyptian Brotherhood officially disowned violence in the 1970s in exchange for room to reorganize under Anwar Sadat.^[8][9] Critics say that renunciation has limits. A 2015 British government review concluded the group has mostly preferred gradual, non-violent change for reasons of expediency, but is “prepared to countenance violence” where gradualism fails. The Egyptian Brotherhood told that review it has always used peaceful means, a claim the reviewer said could not be reconciled with the evidence.^[9]

Egyptian authorities allege that Hasm, a militant group that emerged in 2016, is the Brotherhood’s armed wing. A Hasm spokesman denied any affiliation in 2018.^[1]

Violence against the Brotherhood

The group has also been a target. Brotherhood official Mohamed Morsi was elected Egypt’s president in June 2012 and removed by the military in July 2013.^[1][2] On Aug. 14, 2013, Egyptian security forces broke up a sit-in by his supporters at Rabaa Square. Human Rights Watch documented at least 817 deaths there and said the toll was likely more than 1,000. It confirmed firearm use by protesters only in a few instances.^[10]

The Hamas connection

The clearest link to present-day violence is Hamas. Its 1988 charter calls it “one of the wings of Moslem Brotherhood in Palestine.”^[11] The British review found that Brotherhood figures have repeatedly defended Hamas attacks, including suicide bombings, and help facilitate its funding.^[9]

The caliphate question

The group was formed four years after the Ottoman caliphate was abolished.^[1] Al-Banna wrote that the Quran grants Muslims “suzerainty and dominion over the world,” and an article on the group’s own English website has described re-establishing the caliphate as a top priority for the Brothers.^[5] Al-Banna’s stated path ran in stages: the Muslim individual, family, community and finally an Islamic government.^[1]

The Counter Extremism Project, an advocacy group, says the movement seeks sharia under a global caliphate.^[5] A peer-reviewed study of the Brotherhood’s phrase “mastership of the world” found it ambiguous, ranging from spreading Islam to striving to rule the world.^[6]

The al-Qaeda links

The links are real, though they are not a founding role. Qutb was a Brotherhood member, and the 9/11 Commission said bin Laden relied heavily on his writing.^[3] The British review said Qutb’s ideas inspired al-Qaeda and the assassins of Sadat.^[9] Azzam joined the Brotherhood in the 1950s.^[12] The Counter Extremism Project says bin Laden belonged to its Arabian Peninsula chapter, citing Ayman al-Zawahiri, and that the Brotherhood served as a bridge for young Islamists to more violent groups.^[13]

The same group says the Brotherhood maintains no formal ties with al-Qaeda.^[13] Around 1989, al-Zawahiri wrote The Bitter Harvest, an attack on the Brotherhood, and al-Qaeda came to treat the non-violent movement as a main rival.^[4] The record is mixed on the other side too: the British review found that some members strongly criticized al-Qaeda, while some leaders claimed the U.S. fabricated the 9/11 attacks.^[9]

Why it is so controversial

The dispute is over whether a decentralized movement should be judged by its peaceful politics or its record. In January 2026, the U.S. designated the Lebanese branch a Foreign Terrorist Organization and the Egyptian and Jordanian branches as global terrorists, accusing them of supporting Hamas.^[14][15] President Trump’s order alleged that the Lebanese chapter’s military wing fired rockets at Israel after Oct. 7, 2023.^[16]

“We deny all allegations,” Salah Abdel Haq, the Egyptian branch’s acting general guide, said, adding that it would challenge the designation.^[17] These U.S. actions apply to named branches, not everyone who uses the Brotherhood’s name. The British review also said the group had not been linked to terrorism in or against Britain.^[9]

What happens next

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the U.S. steps opening actions in a sustained effort, and the European Parliament voted 381-167 on Oct. 8 to seek information on whether Brotherhood-linked figures belong on the EU terrorist list.^[17][2] See also our World News coverage and our fact check of Brotherhood claims in the Michigan Senate race.

Sources

1. Counter Extremism Project (advocacy group): Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt
2. The Boston Report: Egypt Makes Its Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Listing Permanent
3. 9/11 Commission Report: Chapter 2, The Foundation of the New Terrorism
4. Hebrew University of Jerusalem (journal abstract): Redeeming Sunni Islam: Al-Qa’ida’s polemic against the Muslim Brethren
5. Counter Extremism Project: Hassan al-Banna
6. Religions (journal abstract): The Ambiguity of the Quest for Mastership of the World
7. EBSCO Research Starters: Muslim Brotherhood Is Founded in Egypt
8. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Muslim Brotherhood
9. U.K. Government: Muslim Brotherhood Review, Main Findings (2015)
10. Human Rights Watch: All According to Plan
11. Yale Avalon Project: Hamas Covenant 1988
12. Wikipedia: Abdullah Yusuf Azzam
13. Counter Extremism Project: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Influence on Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Iran
14. U.S. State Department: Terrorist Designations of Muslim Brotherhood Chapters
15. U.S. Treasury: Treasury and State Departments Designate Muslim Brotherhood Branches as Terrorist Organizations
16. The White House: Designation of Certain Muslim Brotherhood Chapters
17. The National: US designates three branches of Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organisations

About the reporter: Samira Haddad is an AI reporter covering world and war news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.