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Report #2 in a New Series: The Muslim Brotherhood Central Leadership and Organization May 2011

Report #2 in a New NEFA Series: The Muslim Brotherhood Central Leadership and Organization By NEFA Director of Analysis and Research Ronald Sandee May 2011 In this second paper in a series on the Muslim Brotherhood, the NEFA Foundation will examine the central leadership of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Essential for topdown control is the Executive Bureau, led by the General Guide, and the Shura Council, also led by the General Guide. The daily business of the organization is controlled by the Secretary-General, who is also a member of the Executive Bureau and of the Shura Council. In following reports, other parts of the organizational structure will be highlighted. General The Muslim Brotherhood is a strong structural organization with a clear hierarchy. It was able to survive armed conflict with the Egyptian government in the 1940s and1950s. In1952, the Brothers supported the coup, but within two years were banned after a failed attack on coup leader and president Gamal Abd al-Nasr. A time of repression and oppression began and much of the Brotherhoods open infrastructure went underground and abroad, but the organization survived and was able to sustain itself. These days, the Muslim Brotherhood is still alive and in many ways in better stead than in the past sixty years. Although the organization has been prohibited from assembling since 1954, in reality, the MB was always tolerated to a certain extent. It has been reported that the Muslim Brotherhood currently has at least 600,000 dues paying members. The Muslim Brotherhood was able to build its influence within the well educated, professional middle class and controls the professional syndicates of, for instance, engineers, doctors, dentists, and lawyers. 1 Mohamed Abbas, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Youth, active during the demonstrations on Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo, said in a documentary: we have the ability, and a good ability, to organize. We are the best in Egypt to organize. It is time to take a closer look at the organizational structure of the Muslim Brotherhood. In an interview with the Middle East Report in 1953, Said Ramadan, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and son-in-law of founder Hasan al-Banna, said about the
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Charles Sennott on PBS News Hour, February 23, 2011; http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2011/02/pbs_frontline_examines_egypts.html

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Muslim Brotherhood. Though the organization is basically a religious one, it is interesting to note that of these twelve only one is a graduate of Azhar University, the religious college of Egypt. The rest are graduates of Cairo and Farouk Universities. This is in line with the Brotherhoods belief that men should worship God through their own professions not merely in the Mosque. This central office holds weekly meetings. There is also a founding body which is composed of 150 members elected each year. This body meets every tow or three months to chalk out matters of policy and procedure, and review past activities. 2 The current size of the Shura Council is 100
members. In the same interview, Ramadan stated that the MB has 2,000 branches in Egypt with an estimated membership of around 2,000,000. Ramadan also says In every Egyptian

organization of MB: There is a central office composed of twelve members of the

college there is a group of outstanding students elected by their fellows called The Federation of Students. A survey taken last year indicates that 85% of the students in the Federations are members of the Muslim Brotherhood. 3

General Guide (al-Murshid al-Amm) The most important position within the Muslim Brotherhood is the General Guide, sometimes called the Supreme Guide or the Chairman. The General Guide is the head of the Executive Bureau, as well as of the Shura Council. Consequently, within the MB, the General Guide leads both the executive branch and the legislative branch. Hasan al-Banna was the first General Guide of the organization and is described by P. J. Vatikiotis as the Supreme Guide who, one day, would lead his followers in a purified

Muslim state. His Mahdist approach appealed to a rapidly increasing membership. It believed in salvation by the purification of individual and social life under the strict leadership of the Supreme Guide. 4 After the death of al-Banna, the charismatic

aspects of leadership became somewhat less important and the primary function of General Guide became more that of a stable technocrat, although continuing to portray an air of charisma remained important, predominately because every General Guide who followed al-Banna, until the current General Guide, all knew al-Banna personally and were aware of how successfully his charismatic leadership approach worked related to the membership.

member of the Shura Council for five years; at least thirty lunar years of age; possessing

In The General Law of the Organization of the Muslim Brothers and the General Internal Regulation of the MB, the qualifications for the General Guide position are described. 5 To qualify for the top leadership post within the MB, one needs to be a

Interview with Said Ramadan, Muslim Brotherhood Leader Explains Its Aims and Activities, Middle East Report, Vol VI-3, October 2, 1953. 3 Idem 4 P.J. Vatikiotis, The History of Modern Egypt. From Muhammad Ali to Mubarak (London 1991) P.329. 5 The Qanun al-nizam al-asasi li-hayat al-ikhwan al-Muslimin al-Amma was written and amended under Hassan al-Banna and the second General Guide Hasn al-Hudaybi released and amended General Internal Regulations al-Laiha al-dakhiliyya al-Amma.

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the attributes of learning, morality, and practicality. 6 The General Guide is to be

elected by at least four-fifth of the members of the Shura Council with at least 75% of the members in attendance. Subsequent to being elected, the new General Guide would take an oath pledging to be a faithful guardian over the principles of the Muslim Brotherhood and their General Law. He further pledged to pursue the interests of the organization according to the Koran and the Sunna and that he would seek advice from others Muslim Brothers in leadership positions. In response, the members of the Shura Council would take a personal bayat (oath of loyalty) to the new guide. 7

contract with Allahto adhere firmly to the message of the Muslim Brothers, to strive on its behalf, to live up to the conditions of its membership, to have complete confidence in its leadership and to obey absolutely, under all circumstances. I swear by Allah on that and make my oath of loyalty to Him. Of what I say, Allah is my Witness. 8
According to the bylaws and the regulations, the General Guide was required to devote all his time to the organization, especially avoiding participation, either

The bayat is written down in the General Law of the Organization and reads I

personally or in his capacity as Guide, in an economic or financial venture, even one connected with the Brotherhood. 9 It was typical for The General Guide to stay in
office until he died, however in 2009, Mahdi Akef, the 7th Guide broke with this unwritten law and said he would not pursue a second term. In January 2010, he handed over the leadership of the organization to Mohammed Badi.

In recent days, the group of young members of the Muslim Brotherhood who participated in the Egyptian uprising has demanded changes in the structure of the organization. One of their first demands is the abolishment of the Office of the General Guide, which also includes the dismantling of the Executive Bureau. They prefer it be replaced by a temporary committee to be headed by Mahdi Akef. Akef, according to the youth, gained respect because he voluntarily left his leadership role instead of occupying the position until such time as his death in office. 10 The Current General Guide Mohamed Badie On January 20, 2010, Mohamed Badie became the 8th General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood. He is the first General Guide who did not know founder Hasan al-Banna personally, and as such, observers expect the job of General Guide to lose part of its personal tone and become more technocratic. Badie, known to be a technocrat, is associated with the Qutbi wing within the Brotherhood leadership. He has surrounded himself not only with loyal friends, but also with a group that is generally viewed as rural leaders, meaning these leaders did not come from the urban centers

Richard P. Mitchell, The Society of the Muslim Brothers (Oxford 1993) p. 165. Mitchell p. 165 8 Mitchell p. 165 9 Ibidem 10 Young members of Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Call for Revolution Within the Movement, MEMRI, Special Dispatch No. 3654, March 9, 2011; http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5080.htm
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like Cairo and Alexandria, ultimately giving the Brotherhood leadership a conservative twist. 11 Deputy General Guide In an interview with the Arab newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat in 2003, then General Guide Mamun al-Hudaybi had the following to say about the position of the Deputy General Guide: The post of the Deputy General Guide, as specified in the statutes of the group, is filled by someone whom the General Guide chooses to help him, and he has no other authority. This means that the General guide is the one who specifies to the deputy what he does; if the deputy finds that he needs an assistant, he will appoint a deputy. Al-Hudaybi further states: the duties of the deputy include two matters: First: He

adopts extremely necessary measures during the period in which the General Guides post is vacant. Second: He adopts the measures to choose the new General Guide. He does not necessarily become the new General Guide.

this has nothing to do with the democratic system of the group. When I choose a deputy, I will choose someone to help me, and I will not be able to impose him upon the group to become a General Guide after me. 12
General Guidance Bureau/Executive Bureau (Maktab al-Irshad al-Amm) The General Guidance Bureau, or Executive Bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood, runs the Muslim Brotherhood organization on a day-to-day basis. The Executive Bureau handles the administrative duties and executes its policy.

The General Guide has the authority to choose the deputy/deputies; according to alHudaybi this is not a democratic issue because I choose him on my own. Therefore,

The General Guidance Bureau was, in the early years, a group of twenty persons including the General Guide, who serves as the chairman. In the late 1940s, the number of members was reduced to twelve by al-Banna. Of the twelve members, nine came from Cairo and three from the provinces. Sometime after 1951, the number was increased to fifteen. The extra members were to be appointed by the Executive Bureau itself. 13 Today, the Executive Bureau is made up of seventeen members, including the General Guide. The Executive Bureau has grown with one additional seat as there are now sixteen members and the General Guide. The Executive Bureau chooses amongst itself the two deputies of the General Guide and his spokesmen and it also establishes the responsibilities of each member. Serving as the 17th member is the recently released
Hossam Tammam. MB goes rural, al-Ahram Weekly, 23-29 October 2008; http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/919/op13.htm 12 Al-Sharq al-Awsat, July 4, 2003, p. 8. 13 Mitchell, p.166
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deputy General Guide, Khayrat al-Shater, who retained his position as Deputy General Guide while in prison. 14 There are criteria before one can be chosen to become a member of the Executive Bureau. Candidates need to be at least thirty lunar years of age, be a member of the Shura Council for at least three years, and possess particular personal qualities such as high moral standards, as well as being learned and practical. They are voted on by the members of the Shura Council, by secret ballot. After the ballots are counted and the names are made known, the new members of the Executive Bureau are sworn in with an oath to uphold the principles and the general laws of the Muslim Brotherhood. 15 When a person is chosen to become a member of the Executive Bureau, he holds his office for two years and is then re-electable. If a post is vacated, the post will be filled by the person who got the next largest number of votes in the election. Mitchell notes on decision making: In the operation of the Council, a majority decision was binding on

each member; a member was deprived of the right to criticize or oppose once the decision took a legal form. 16

If a member of the Executive Bureau were to violate the rules, he would be responsible to his fellow members of the Bureau. For a misdemeanor he might be advised, warned, fined, suspended for one month, or expelled from the Executive Bureau. 17 An expulsion from the Bureau can only be issued by a majority of 75 percent of those present and the accused member has the right to defend himself in front of the meeting. 18 In a 2008 commentary in the Egyptian government controlled newspaper al-Ahram, it was noted that the Muslim Brotherhood appears to have become more rurally based in the last years. Six out of fifteen Executive Bureau representatives originated from rural-areas. Hossam Tammam, an Egyptian expert, concluded that the Brotherhood became more rural. This means that the organization has become more and more patriarchal and that its members are showing their superiors the kind of deference associated with countryside traditions. 19 In dismay, Tammam went on to say: You

hear them referring to their top officials as the uncle hajj, the big hajj, our blessed one, the blessed man of our circle, the crown on our heads, etc. Occasionally, they even kiss the hands and heads of the top leaders. Not long ago, a Muslim Brotherhood parliamentarian kissed the hand of the supreme guide in public. 20

Ikhwanweb, Breaking news: chairman appoints deputies and press spokesmen, January 27, 2010; http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=22833&ref=search.php; Gamal Essam El-Din, Conservative stranglehold, Al-Ahram Weekly, No. 981, 14-20 January 2010; http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/981/eg4.htm 15 Mitchell, p. 166 16 Mitchell, pp. 166-167 17 Mitchell p. 167 18 Idem 19 Hossam Tammam, MB goes rural, Al-Ahram Weekly, No. 919, 23-29 October 2008; http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/919/op13.htm 20 Idem

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The Current Executive Bureau The current Executive Bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood consists of General Guide Mohamed Badie, the Deputy General Guides Mahmoud Ezzat, Gomaa Amin Abd alAziz, Rashad al-Bayoumi, and Khairat al-Shater, and Spokesmen Essam al-Erian, Mahmoud al-Mursi and Saad al-Katatni. Also a member of the Executive Bureau is the Secretary-General of the Organization, Mahmoud Hussein. The other members include: Osama Nasr al-Din, Abdul Rahman al-Barr, Mohamed Ali Bishr, Mahmoud Abu Zeid, Saad al-Husseini, Mahmoud Ghozlan, Mohi Hamid, and Mustafa alGhoneimy. Secretary General According to the by-laws of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Secretary-General is to be elected by the Shura Council from among the members of the Executive Bureau. 21 When the current Secretary-General, Mahmoud Hussein, was appointed to this position, it was reported on the official Muslim Brotherhood website that he was assigned to the position by the General Guide; it is not known, however, if the procedures have changed. 22 The Secretary-General is a member of the Executive Bureau and serves as head of the General Headquarters of the organization in Cairo. The task of the Secretary-General is to be the main representative of the Executive Bureau and the General Headquarters for the organization. He is responsible for all legal matters and administrative operations as well as all official duties not assigned to other members of the Executive Bureau. He directs and supervises the administrative apparatus and also holds the position as the Secretary for the Executive Bureau. 23 The Current Secretary General Dr Mahmoud Hussein was appointed as the new Secretary General of the Muslim Brotherhood on January 21, 2010; one day after Mohamed Badi became the new General Guide. Hussein took over the function from Mahmoud Ezzat who after 15 years as Secretary-General became Deputy General Guide. 24 Shura Council/ Consultative Assembly (Majlis al-Shura al-Amm) The membership of the Shura Council has varied between seventy-five and one hundred and fifty members, but currently seems to be numbered at ninety. 25 The task
Mitchell p. 167 Ikhwanweb, Dr Mahmoud Hussein appointed Secretary General for the MB in Egypt, January 21, 2010, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=22710 23 Mitchell p. 167 24 Ikhwanweb, Dr Mahmoud Hussein appointed Secretary General for the MB in Egypt, January 21, 2010, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=22710; al-Masry al-Youm, Akef: MB strategy the same despite leadership change, January 23, 2010; http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=22776 25 Mitchell, p. 168; Interview with Said Ramadan, Muslim Brotherhood Leader Explains Its Aims and Activities, Middle East Report, Vol VI-3, October 2, 1953; Gamal Essam El-Din, Conservative
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of the Shura Council is to be the general consultative council of the Brotherhood and to have the general supervision over the organization. Also the Shura Council elects the General Guide and the Auditor. 26 The qualifications for membership in the Shura Council are active membership in the Society; at least twenty-five lunar years of age; at least five years of association with the Society; endowment with morality, culture, and practicality. 27 Further, each year, no more than ten new members were to be admitted and only when there are open seats due to expiration of terms or other reasons that result in an opening. The members of the Shura Council represent the different districts and are described as being regional representatives. 28

From information released by the Secretary General of the Brotherhood in mid-2010, we learned that currently the Shura Council of the MB consists of seventy-five elected representatives from the MBs constituencies who are chosen by their different councils in each province. The Secretary General also stated that one hundred and sixty-five of the current members in the Shura Council will be replaced due to the outcome of regional elections. 29 The other members of the Shura Council are the members of the Executive Bureau. In a separate MB report it was mentioned that the Shura Council has the exclusive right to address changed to the groups bylaws. 30 The annual meeting of the Shura Council is to be held during the first month of each Hijra year. This is the single most important plenary session as it discusses the General Guides report on activity for the coming year, the auditors report of last year, the proposed budget for next year, and elections of members for empty seats in the Shura Council. The Shura Council can also meet in an extraordinary session at the request of a minimum of twenty members or at the request of the General Guide. 31 Conclusions The current structure of the Muslim Brotherhood points to the fact that the organizational leadership hierarchy is organized like a shadow government in as much as it possesses a Parliament, the Shura Council, an Executive Bureau which resembles a

stranglehold, Al-Ahram Weekly, No. 981, 14-20 January 2010; http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/981/eg4.htm; Ikhwanweb, Internal elections replace 15% of Muslim Brotherhoods Shura Council, July 3, 2010; http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=25527; U.S. Embassy Cairo Cable, 09Cairo2298, Egypt: MB Internal clashes continue, December 15, 2009; http://213.251.145.96/cable/2009/12/09CAIRO2298.html 26 Mitchell, p. 168. 27 Idem 28 Ibidem 29 Ikhwanweb, Internal elections replace 15% of Muslim Brotherhoods Shura Council, July 3, 2010; http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=25527 30 Tarek Salah and Mounir Adib, Muslim Brotherhood may change bylaws, al-Masry al-Youm, January 26, 2010; http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=22817&ref=search.php 31 Mitchell, p. 168

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Cabinet, the General Guide analogous to the Prime Minister, and the Secretary General as its coordinating leading civil servant. With the recent uprising in Egypt, a more open attitude within the Muslim Brotherhood is needed especially as it relates to the general dissatisfaction felt by the younger generation of Muslim Brothers who are unhappy with the current structure and who propose to abolish the position of the General Guide and the Executive Bureau to make the organization more transparent. Could it be time for an overhaul of the Muslim Brotherhood infrastructure; a change that will create a Muslim Brotherhood more in line with the objectives of the younger generation?

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