Pages of The Ikhwan al Muslimoon - Flashback to 2002

 

Indeed it is troubling times for the ummah and the Islamic movement. For the Islamic movement, the Ikhwan al Muslimoon is considered as the vanguard movement and  pioneer which has always been at the epicenter of Islamic revival and consciousness. The movement has always been consistent, steadfast; bearing the heavy burden of presenting Islam to the modern world, the bearers of the universal Islamic message offering the blessings of the Lord to mankind. As were the many leading revivalists before them, the Ikhwan presented Islam as the true, straight path for salvation and success for the ummah and all of mankind, always steering the middle path al wasatiyah, always moderate, never compromising its principles in upholding Islam and to reform society. It was always promoting a true understanding of Islam, improving faith, to attain piety, upholding truth and justice, extolling charity, purifying the hearts and souls, reaching out in da’wah, educating by training in tarbiyyah, organizing the Islamic mission and work - amal jama'iyy, taking care physically and above all connecting and networking in close brotherhood - ukhuwwah amongst Muslims. These were after all the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of Rasulullah, Muhammad the Messenger of Allah, may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him.

There were severe hardships and calamities which befell the Ikhwan, the brothers and sisters of the movement. In the 50's and 60's, the Egyptian regime under Nasser betrayed and slandered the movement, harshly repressed the Ikhwan, killing, imprisoning and brutally torturing its leaders and members, men and women. The very men and women of Egypt , its own sons and daughters, who had moral esteem and high ideals, who in some other situation and place in time, would have been highly regarded as statesmen and intellectuals, and be the role models of society. But the jealous and paranoiac tyrants simply suppressed and brutally repressed the Ikhwan culminating in the tragic and controversial conviction and execution of the syuhada’ Abd Qadir Awdah and Sayyid Qutb and the others who were sentenced to death, may Allah have mercy on them. The accusations have subsequently been shown to be false but Allah has deemed them to return unto Him in His wisdom.

By jailing its youth, shackling its intellectuals and cowering its principled citizens, Egypt, a year later, went to war with its real and menacing enemy, Israel, ending up in utter and humiliating defeat.

The suppression of the Ikhwan suited the agenda of the Zionists, the Communists at that time and Western powers - former colonialists who feared a revolutionary force that would threaten the status quo and would place Egypt away from their spheres of influence. But even though the Ikhwan were viciously attacked physically and its image always been distorted and vily misrepresented, they never ever adopted a radical approach or a militant act nor a violent response. Ikhwan's negative image has always been portrayed systematically by media and propagandists to the world and to ordinary Egyptians, even to children as irhab - terrorists, as backward people and as bogeyman, a menace to society. Ikhwan has always maintained the moderate path and kept to upholding peace and unity of the ummah above all other considerations. It has always been in the mode of da’wah wa tarbiyyah – reaching out and educating. This is as envisioned and as was taught by al syahid al Imam Hasan al Banna, its respected founder and maintained with great forbearance and patience by the others after him. The few young and impatient but maybe sincere idealists do disagree, dissented and differed with the Ikhwan, some resulted in grave consequences for the movement and the ummah as a whole as experienced presently by Muslims - the phenomena of Islamophobia as a reaction to incidences and outcry. But the Ikhwan credibly remained as the mainstream movement and maintained its popularity and is still well respected by friends and seems to be always feared by its foes.

However on the matter of principles, the fundamentals of Islam and also justice for the Ummah and the liberation of Palestine in the face of Israel’s illegitimacy, there is no compromise by the Ikhwan.

Some of its leaders undertook to consolidate, plan and organize the movement internationally while in exile. A movement by any other principles would have been shattered and would have faltered under such intense pressure and meticulous scrutiny if not by its highest ideals and its committed leadership. The Ikhwan participated and maintained a very strong presence in politics, the mosques, the universities, the professional bodies by dominating the medical, engineering and legal associations ,the intellectuals and also the Arab street. The Ikhwan’s representatives participated democratically contesting elections, have won seats persistently albeit using various platforms of the present political parties, having done so under severe discrimination and against all odds in Egypt’s highly lop sided electoral system.

It is indeed sad and tragic that Ikhwan Al Muslimoon has never been officially recognized or registered or allowed to operate legally and openly in Egypt or any part of the Arab world. But Ikhwan persists to exist, its presence felt and they were there to help out the needy, they were the first to offer relief to disaster victims of quakes and calamities being more efficient, reliable and trustworthy; they were there to quell riots peacefully, and they were there fighting in the first wars to liberate Palestine before being betrayed by the Arab legion of that time (and Yasser Arafat himself could vouch for this as he was there in person and knows the Ikhwan’s commitment)

The authorities would arrest the Ikhwan’s candidates and leaders just before elections just to disrupt and ensure that they cannot win. The travesty was the authorities’ extreme and shameful use of violent and provocative tactics to defeat the Ikhwan’s first and sole women candidate for the Iskandariah seat. She was highly popular and her win would have disproved all the narrow-mindedness and prejudice of the extreme liberal-secularists towards Ikhwan and the Islamic movement’s attitude towards the role of women and leadership. Ikhwan decided to field a woman candidate when even secular parties were reluctant. Other Islamic parties in the world learnt a lot from this experience.

It is also sad that most of the ummah will never know of Ikhwan's many leaders that have departed, never knowing or recognizing their great contribution towards the ummah’s own revival and a better present understanding of Islam in the contemporary world. The history of the modern Muslim world and the social studies of the last century ought to be reviewed and relooked at seriously so that justice be done to the real men and women who contributed to the world’s social, moral and ethical progress and development. With the fall of the caliphate in 1927, it was the Islamic movement pioneered by Ikhwan al Muslimoon and led by its predecessors which revived and kept the idea of the community - Ummah, the Islamic brotherhood, the Islamic commonwealth and the Islamic Tasawwur or Islamic world view, alive by the grace of Allah. Even if it is unfortunate for the Arab and Muslim world’s independence and redevelopment in terms of spirit, thought and confidence has never been acknowledged to have come from the Islamic movement's contributions as represented by Ikhwan. The many Arab failures and the other contemptible Muslim lands which failed to take off and remained miserable as it should be due have partly been to their severe repression of the Islamists and rejection of Islamization as was experienced by trying to eradicate the Ikhwan. Allah knows best and unto Him all things will return.

Those of us who has inherited the glorious legacies of the scholars, the companions of the Prophet s.a.w. and those after them, may Allah be pleased with them, having such little knowledge and only a trickle of understanding and meager will; in the course of Islam should pledge, strive and endeavour to improve ourselves and reach out to others to carry on the struggle for the cause of Islam as bearers of Rahmatan lil Alamin- the Blessings for the Universe.

(article written in 2002)