Bana’s violent ideas still control Brotherhood actions – Researcher

Shaimaa Attalah

A researcher in the affairs of militant and Islamist groups has revealed that the ideologies of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Bana continue to shape the actions of the leaders and the members of the Muslim Brotherhood today.

The use of force is central to Bana’s thinking, researcher Emad Abdelhafez said.

He added that the Muslim Brotherhood demonstrated its violent face when it founded its militia in the 1930s.

The same violent face was uncovered following the 2013 revolution against Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi in Egypt, Abdelhafez said.

Nevertheless, Abdelhafez noted that the latest terrorist designation by the US State Department for the Muslim Brotherhood Hasm militia absolves the Muslim Brotherhood as an organization from this terrorism.

The designation is only directed at Hasm, Abdelhafez told The Reference.

He said the US is yet to prove links between Hasm and the Muslim Brotherhood organization.