Free Republic

Al-Qaradawi (يوسف القرضاوي) is the president of the Global Muslim Brotherhood. He's the movement's ultimate authority. Based in Qatar, he operates without interference from local authorities. His ultimate, avowed goal is to have the islamic law (Sharia) enforced world-wide. Born in Egypt in 1926, he studied at Al-Azhar University, the most ancient institution of "education" in the Sunni Muslim world. Founded in 971 A.D, and located in Cairo, it became a "university" in 1961, with branches in several countries. It has rapidly become a hotbed of Muslim Brothers. As a student, Qaradawi was active in the resistance to the...

Hassan al-Banna (left), حسن البنا and Saïd Ramadan (right), سعيد رمضان Al-Banna was born in Mahmudiya, Egypt, in 1906. [Biographical info here, ikhwanwiki arabic here, translated here]. He co-founded the Muslim Youth Association in 1927, restored the newspaper Al-Manar and the weekly al-Shehab, a magazine founded by Imam Abdul Hamid Ben Badis [more info here], and launched the Muslim Brotherhood in March 1928. Al-Banna casted the Muslim Brotherhood's project as twofold: a) to resist Western colonialism (الاستعمار) in its attempt to conquer the peoples of muslim faith (الشعوب المسلمة), and b) to implement Islamic law (Sharia, الشريعة) in the...

Hamas traces its roots back to the Muslim Brotherhood. Sheikh Hasan Ahmed Abdel Rahman Muhammed al-Banna launched the Muslim Brothers in March 1928. The motto of the Muslim Brotherhood, which al-Banna supplied, is: "Islam is the solution, the Koran is our Constitution, Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our Leader, Jihad is our way, dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope." Said Ramadan was born in 1926 in Shibin al-Kawm, a village in the Nile delta. He encountered al-Banna and joined the Muslim Brotherhood when he was 14. After graduating from Cairo University, he became al-Banna's...