The Muslim Brothers And The Palestine Question 1928-1947 (library Of Modern Middle East Studies)

Founded in 1928 in Egypt and still an important factor in Middle Eastern politics, the Muslim Brothers' Society was a precursor of contemporary Islamist movements in the Arab world. This book presents a detailed history of the Muslim Brotherhood's involvement in the Palestine question - an episode that was equally significant both for its own development and for the subsequent and, in recent years, dramatic growth of the Islamic element in Palestinian politics. Using a wide range of documentary sources, supplemented by interviews, the author provides an account of the ideology of the movement, the evolution of its organizational structure and the various means by which it disseminated its message. Discusses the history of the Islamic fundamentalist organization the Muslim Brothers or Brethren, founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hasan al-Banna. Ch. 1 (pp. 1-18), "Islam and the Palestine Question, " focuses on two central ideas of the group that had antisemitic ramifications: the "umma, " i.e. the international Islamic unity or fraternity, and the "jihad" or holy war. In the context of 20th-century Jewish settlement in Palestine, these ideas led to the conclusion that every Jew was a Zionist and that it was incumbent on all Muslims to oppose the establishment of a Jewish majority or state at all costs, including martyrdom. In addition to religion (e.g. the Qur'an), history was understood as teaching that the Jews were traditional enemies of Islam; since Palestine was holy to all Muslims, they should fight to preserve their domination there. The Muslim Brothers originally focused on spreading their ideas in the Arab world, especially Egypt, then advocated armed struggle to liberate Palestine. In 1947 they contributed military units to fight against the Jews. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism) Contents 6 Preface 8 Acknowledgements 12 A Note on Dates, Translation and Transliteration 13 Islam and the Palestine Question 14 Egypt, the Muslim Brothers and the Palestine Question to 1936 " 34 The Muslim Brothers and the Palestinian Revolt: 1936-1937 47 Propaganda for Palestine: July 1937-September 1939 59 Differences Among the Brothers 103 The Secret Apparatus and the Egyptian Army 118 Support Systems 136 The Muslim Brothers in Palestine 148 The Eve of Military Action 185 Conclusion 213 Epilogue 220 Notes 224 Bibliography 271 Index 283 Approaches to the Palestine question have varied in accordance with the beliefs and ideologies of the organisations, the political parties and the governments that have sought to engage in and resolve it.