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New Round of Crackdowns on Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (al-Ikwan al-Muslimoon), one of the oldest Islamist movements (founded in 1928: more on its founder, Hasan al-Banna) has been “officially” outlawed since 1954 when the Brothers tried to assassinate Egypt’s President Nasser.  Instead of enforcing the ban outright, Egypt’s governments have found it expedient to allow the Brothers varying degrees of freedom to operate.  A cycle has developed over the last fifty years: periods when the Brothers are free to join in the country’s politics alternating with crackdowns, during which large numbers are rounded up and carted off to jail.  Egypt has moved into another crackdown phase.

Story from the BBC

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