The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt: From clash with Nasser to Morsi’s rule and then confrontation with Sisi

Cairo, Egypt – The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the most influential actors in modern Egyptian political history, its relationship with the state having fluctuated between cooperation and conflict over nearly a century. It has also oscillated between openness and repression, and even ascended to power before returning to operating outside the formal political sphere.

Since its founding in 1928, the group’s relationship with the Egyptian authorities has remained tied to a fundamental question concerning the nature of the state and the limits of the political role of Islamist movements. This relationship shifted markedly with the succession of presidents: Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat, and Hosni Mubarak. Following them came President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after the ouster of Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Nasser: From rapprochement to confrontation

The Muslim Brotherhood’s relationship with the leadership of the July 1952 revolution began in a more complex manner than the confrontation that characterized the following years. The group had established channels of communication with the Free Officers before the revolution, but it quickly clashed with the new regime’s leadership over the form of the state and the future of the political system. As Nasser consolidated his power, the disagreement between the two sides intensified, particularly given the divergence between Nasser’s vision of the state, based on Arab nationalism and socialism, and the Brotherhood’s project. The Brotherhood’s project was based on an Islamic framework for political and social life.

In October 1954, an assassination attempt was made on Nasser in Mansheya Square in Alexandria. Authorities accused the Muslim Brotherhood of being behind it, though some historical studies still discuss the details of the incident and the organization’s role in it. The incident was followed by widespread arrests of the group’s leaders and members. Among the most prominent detainees was the intellectual Sayyid Qutb, who later became one of the most influential figures in radical Islamic thought. He was executed in 1966. Thus, under Nasser, the Brotherhood transitioned from attempting to coexist with the new regime to being banned, persecuted, and imprisoned. The group then entered a long period of clandestine activity.

Sadat… Rebuilding the Organization

With Anwar Sadat’s rise to the presidency in 1970, the state’s policy toward Islamists changed. Sadat released a number of Islamist prisoners and allowed greater freedom of religious activity as part of a restructuring of the political landscape and a counter to the Nasserist and leftist movements that held considerable influence within society and the state. The Muslim Brotherhood took advantage of this period to rebuild its organizational and social networks. However, it remained unrecognized as an official political party.

But this openness did not translate into a lasting alliance. In the final years of Sadat’s rule, the confrontation with radical Islamist groups escalated, culminating in his assassination in October 1981 by members of the Islamic Jihad organization. Historical sources emphasize the need to distinguish between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Jihad organization that carried out the assassination, despite the shared Islamist background among several movements active during that period.

Mubarak… the organized opposition from outside the regime

Hosni Mubarak, who assumed power after Sadat’s assassination, pursued a more cautious policy toward the Muslim Brotherhood. The group remained officially banned, but it managed to build a broad social and political presence. Its candidates participated in parliamentary elections as independents or through alliances with legal parties.

In the 1984 elections, candidates affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood formed an alliance with the Wafd Party. The group continued to expand its parliamentary presence throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. The 2005 People’s Assembly elections marked a significant turning point, with Brotherhood candidates winning 88 seats, making them the largest opposition bloc in parliament. However, this political rise coincided with continued arrests and security restrictions. This was particularly true given growing concerns within the state that the group was transforming from a social opposition force into a potential political alternative.

2011: The fall of Mubarak and the opening up of the political arena

The January 25, 2011 revolution brought about a radical change in the group’s status. After decades of being banned, the Muslim Brotherhood was able to operate openly in politics, and the group established the Freedom and Justice Party as its political arm. In the parliamentary elections that followed the revolution, the party and its Islamist allies achieved significant results, before the struggle shifted to the presidential elections. In June 2012, Mohamed Morsi was declared the winner of the presidential election, becoming the first president from the Muslim Brotherhood to reach the presidency in Egypt.

Morsi… the Brotherhood comes to power

The rise of Mohamed Morsi to the presidency represented an unprecedented moment in the history of the Muslim Brotherhood. However, his rule quickly encountered clashes with the judiciary, the military establishment, and opposition political forces. An economic crisis and increasing societal polarization also emerged. In November 2012, Morsi issued a constitutional declaration that expanded presidential powers and shielded presidential decrees and the Constituent Assembly from judicial review, before backtracking on some of these measures under pressure from protests.

The drafting of the new constitution also sparked widespread disagreements, particularly between the Muslim Brotherhood and liberal, secular, and leftist forces, regarding the form of the state, rights and freedoms, and the powers of governing institutions. As protests against Morsi intensified, the Tamarod (Rebellion) movement emerged, demanding early presidential elections. On July 3, 2013, then-Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced Morsi’s removal from office and the suspension of the constitution. Adly Mansour, the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, assumed the presidency on an interim basis.

Sisi: From ousting Morsi to banning the group

Following Morsi’s ouster, the Muslim Brotherhood entered a new phase, its most confrontational with the state since the Nasser era. Authorities launched a widespread campaign against the group’s leaders and members, while institutions and assets associated with it were subjected to legal action. In December 2013, the Egyptian government declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization after the bombing of the Daqahliya Security Directorate, despite Ansar Beit al-Maqdis claiming responsibility for the attack. Since then, the group has been excluded from the formal political system, and thousands of its members and leaders have been arrested or forced to flee the country.

The Muslim Brotherhood after 2013

The fall of Morsi’s regime led to the dismantling of a large part of the group’s public political and organizational structure. Its leaders and members were scattered between prisons, clandestine operations within Egypt, and exile. Meanwhile, internal disputes emerged regarding leadership and methods of political and organizational action. Egyptian authorities maintain that the measures taken against the group are aimed at combating terrorism and protecting national security. In contrast, international human rights organizations argue that part of the campaign involved widespread repression of political opposition.

American transformation in 2026

The year 2026 witnessed a significant international development in dealing with the Muslim Brotherhood. In January, the United States designated the group’s Egyptian, Lebanese, and Jordanian branches as “Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organizations.” The US Treasury Department stated that the decision was based, among other reasons, on accusations of supporting or encouraging acts of violence and supporting Hamas. Cairo welcomed the US decision.

The administration of President Donald Trump had begun the designation process in November 2025, before the final decision was issued in January 2026. This decision represents a shift in the American position on the Egyptian branch of the group, after years of Washington not designating the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.