Brotherhood: What after the internal divisions?

Mahmoud Mohammadi

Egypt witnessed a popular revolution on June 30, 2013, which led to the overthrow of the rule of the terrorist Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi, who was leading the group alongside the group’s Supreme Guide, and the Freedom and Justice Party affiliated with them.

During the ten years since, the group has witnessed many divisions and splits that affected its structure and organization, whether at the internal level or level of the international organization.

Splits and schisms

On the internal level, nothing remains of that group except for disjointed factions that do not reach the level of organization or an organized group, especially after the dissolution of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and its classification as an extremist and terrorist group in Egypt and many countries around the world.

As for the external or international organization of the Brotherhood, it also witnessed major divisions, led by the exit of a faction of the group’s hawks from the organization, in addition to its division into the group of “sheikhs” and the youth group led by Mohamed Kamal, which is considered the most dangerous because it does not see a way to achieve its goals except through pursuing violence and force.

Reducing the influence of the group

In Egypt, the Brotherhood has witnessed internal divisions in the recent period due to the different political orientations within the group, especially after the overthrow of late President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

In 2015, the Brotherhood announced the formation of the Revolution Protection Committees movement, which works to organize demonstrations and protests against the Egyptian government. However, this movement caused internal divisions within the group, as a number of members and leaders withdrew from the group in protest of this step.

In 2017, the Brotherhood announced the formation of the Ansar Allah movement, which is working to expand the scope of the group’s activity and attract new support. However, this movement also caused internal divisions in the group, as some members and leaders rejected this step and withdrew from the group.

The Brotherhood in Egypt also witnessed other internal divisions over whether it should participate in the parliamentary or presidential elections, and these divisions led to a reduction in the group’s influence in the Egyptian political arena.

In addition, Mounir Adib, a researcher specializing in political Islamism, said that the Brotherhood has reached a stage of real collapse and disintegration, adding that its internal disputes are preludes to its disappearance in the future.

He pointed out that the organization now has three fronts, the first of which is the Istanbul front led by Mahmoud Hussein, who is supported by the money of the group and the Brotherhood who are still residing in Egypt, and whose ideas are closer to adhering to a hard line against the Egyptian regime.

The second front is the London front, which was led by Ibrahim Mounir, and after him Muhyiddin al-Zait, Adib noted. He added that the third front is the Kamalites front affiliated with Mohamed Kamal, the founder of the Hasm terrorist movement, who was killed by Egyptian security forces in 2016, and they embrace ideas of violence, but they cannot move because of the vigilance of the authorities in Egypt.

Adib pointed out that there is a large sector of the Brotherhood that is not active, but they belong to the ideas of the organization and do not follow any of the fronts, while another sector is going through a stage of intellectual confusion and skepticism after being convinced of the group’s ideas and then witnessing the exchange of accusations between its leaders and the facts that raised doubts about their nature.