Islamic Mobilization: Social Movement Theory and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood

Since its founding in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has spread to every state in the Islamic world and claimed the allegiance of millions from virtually every segment of society. At the height of its popularity, it had half a million active members in an Egyptian population of less than twenty million-proportionally more than twice as large as the AARP in the United States today. The Muslim Brotherhood also spawned many of the militant Islamic groups that exist today, including organizations such as Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and Gamaat Islamiyah. Despite its importance, however, scholars still know very little about the remarkable rise of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.