Founding of the Muslim Brotherhood
- Date
- March 1928
- Category
- Religion & ideology
- Region
- Egypt
- Era
- Modern
- Significance
In March 1928, the schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood (al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun) in the Egyptian canal city of Ismailia, together with six workers of the Suez Canal Company.
Distressed by foreign military and economic domination of Egypt and by what he saw as the moral decline of Muslim society, al-Banna conceived the Brotherhood as a pan-Islamic religious, social, and political movement that would return public and private life to Islamic principles. The organisation combined preaching and personal piety with practical activities such as building mosques, schools, hospitals, and businesses, which fuelled rapid growth from a few hundred members in the mid-1930s to a mass movement of hundreds of thousands by the late 1940s. The Brotherhood became the prototype of modern Islamist organisation, articulating the idea that Islam offered a comprehensive system for governing society and rejecting purely secular nationalism. Its ideology, networks, and offshoots spread across the Arab world and beyond, influencing later movements ranging from charitable associations and political parties to more militant groups. As the founding institution of twentieth-century political Islam, the Muslim Brotherhood profoundly shaped the broader Islamic revival that gathered force across the century and continues to influence politics and religious life in many Muslim-majority societies.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Empires active in March 1928
- Empire of Japan1868 CE – 1947 CE
- Soviet Union1922 CE – 1991 CE
- French Colonial Empire (Second)1830 CE – 1962 CE
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Spanish Empire1492 CE – 1976 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
Related religion & ideology events
- Marx and Engels publish The Communist Manifesto21 February 1848
- Founding of the Tablighi Jamaatc. 1926
- The Azusa Street Revival and the Birth of Pentecostalism1906–1909
- Founding of the Baha'i FaithApril 21 - May 2, 1863 (Declaration of Ridvan)
- Abolition of the Kapu System in Hawaii (ʻAi Noa)October 1819
- The Second Vatican Council11 October 1962 – 8 December 1965
Further reading
The wider story
A Little History of Religion
Accessible sweep of humanity's faiths and belief systems from prehistory to the present.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.