BBCM: EGYPT'S MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD USES INTERNET TO GET MESSAGE ACROSS

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06707273
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: December 14, 2017
• Case Number: F-2017-02578
• Publication Date: October 7, 2008

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WARNING: TOPIC: DOMESTIC POLITICAL, INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL, MEDIA
SERIAL: FEA20081006784475
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COUNTRY: EGYPT
SUBJ: BBCM: EGYPT'S MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD USES INTERNET TO GET
MESSAGE ACROSS (U)
REF: 1. EGYPTIAN PAPER DETAILS CONTINUED CRACKDOWN ON MB GROUP BY
SECURITY FORCES GMP20081006035003 AMAL AL-UMMAH WWW-TEXT
ARABIC 0000 GMT 06 OCT 08 (U)
2. EGYPT'S MB COMPLAINS TO INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT ON
GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN GMP20081005035003 IKHWANONLINE WWW- TEXT
ARABIC 0000 GMT 05 OCT 08 (U)
3. EGYPTIAN SECURITY FORCES CONTINUE CRACKDOWN ON
JOURNALISTS GMP20081002035002 IKHWANONLINE WWW-TEXT ARABIC
0000 GMT 02 OCT 08 (U)
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SOURCE: OSC FEATURE - BBC MONITORING 06 OCT 08 (U)
TEXT:
Media feature: "Egypt's Islamist Opposition Maximizes Use of
Online Media" (U)
Publications
OSC SUMMARY
(Attachment not included: muslimbrotherhood.jpg)
MB logo from www.ikhwanonline.com
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has been trying to put the
Internet to the best possible use to get its message across. Going
online was the logical alternative for the legally banned but
politically tolerated main Islamist opposition group. It has been
denied the chance to have its own publication since the late
1970's.
The MB, which puts media at the heart of its strategy to reach out
to people, has several websites serving the group's short-term and
long-term objectives. Useful as it was, the internet has proven to
be a double-edged weapon for the group, as it has provided young
group members with the chance to go against the higher leadership
through blogging.
Established in 1928 by Hasan al-Banna, the MB has been a key
player in Egyptian politics, particularly with the ineffectual
performance of the officially recognized opposition political
parties. Arrests among group members are almost systematic in
Egypt, with the charge usually being belonging to an outlawed
group.
Online alternative
The MB status as an illegal organization-has been a stumbling
block to the group having its own media outlet. The group has not,
however, resigned itself to this fact, and has tried to get its
voice heard through other alternatives, one of which was the
publications of other parties.
Afaq Arabiyah (Arab Horizons) newspaper, which was first published
by the Socialist Liberal Party in 1995, represented one such
attempt. The paper was mainly written by MB journalists. It was
widely known as the mouthpiece of the group.
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In March 2006, the paper was suspended. The group blamed the
decision on the government-controlled Supreme Council of the
Press, and the council put it down to a dispute between two
figures over the chairmanship of the newspaper board. The MB was,
therefore, deprived of this media platform through which the
causes and messages of the group were brought to the people.
In March 2007, the paper's journalists staged a symbolic mourning
ceremony outside. the Syndicate of Journalists to mark the first
anniversary of the "late" Afaq Arabiyah. This seems to have added
to the group's keenness to use the internet as effectively as
possible. In addition to the main website Ikhwanonline
(www.ikhwanonline.com), the MB is Said to have around 30 other
affiliated websites operating from Egypt, some of which are in
English in order to reach out to non-Arabic speakers.
There are also about 26 websites covering Egypt's governorates, in
addition to dozens of forums and blogs.
Objectives
The MB websites appear to serve short-term and long-term
objectives. The websites carry up-to-date news about the group's
current affairs, including arrests or releases of group members.
The websites also devote sections to statements issued by the
group on domestic and regional affairs, as well as interviews with
key leaders.
In the run-up to the 2005 parliamentary elections, the websites
were used to promote the MB platform and individual candidates,
since they were not allowed to appear on official television
programmes. Part of this online campaign was meant to counter the
state control of television broadcasts. The MB also used websites
to criticize and publicize alleged election tampering.
MB wiki
The long-term goals are represented in the websites' highlighting
of the group's message, ideology, history and political aims.
Within this context, members of the MB have created an online
encyclopaedia along the lines of Wikipedia to document the group's
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history and activity and promote its religious and political
thoughts.
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The website "Ikhwan (brotherhood) Wiki" (www.ikhwan.net/wiki) aims
to collect and document the largest possible amount of information
and data on the group from its official and unofficial sources,
books and relevant interviews on the internet, according to the
statement of those in charge of the encyclopaedia cited by
Al-Jazeera Net on 4 September 2008.
"The new encyclopaedia does not belong to the group officially and
is not linked to its Guidance Office. This will give greater
flexibility for browsers and researchers in approaching it,"
Abd-al-Jalil al-Sharnubi, the editor-in-chief of the MB official
website Ikhwanonline told Al-Jazeera Net. "The MB youths see that
the group and its historical and current leadership and documents
need to have a greater presence on the internet, hence, their move
to launch the encyclopaedia," he added.
The encyclopaedia allows internet users, volunteers or researchers
to obtain information and contribute by adding articles, studies
or research papers or introducing changes. More than 800 articles
were published in the first few days of the launch in early
September.
MB enters blogosphere
There has been a surge in the number of Egyptian blogs �in recent
years. Young MB members have joined the wave, trying to make use
of this media platform to generate solidarity and support for the
group. Many of the younger bloggers are sons and daughters of
imprisoned MB members. One blog is dedicated to imprisoned MB
member Hassan Malik, one of the movement's leaders arrested in a
February 2007 crackdown.
Created by his daughter Khadija, the blog features videos
dedicated to the portrayal of her father's suffering. One of these
segments entitled, "Return my father," depicts the pleas of his
youngest daughter A'ishah for her father's releaee from prison.
Asma al-Iryan, daughter of leader Isam al-Iryan, started blogging
in 2007 under the title "Al-Iryan's daughters". The motive behind
her blogging was personal; it was to depict a different image of
her father, who is a prominent leader in the group, as it focuses
on the family and personal side of Isam al-Iryan, Asma told a
recent symposium organized by a website affiliated to Islamonline
network (www.islamonline.net) under the title "MB blogs
orientations, and influence".
Blogs backfire
While new media technologies have provided some newfound benefits
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to the MB, they have brought challenges as well. Some young MB
members have found the blogosphere a good platform to voice
opinions that may disagree with those of the group's higher
leadership, which has come under fire from those bloggers on
occasion.
A swipe was launched against the MB's general guide or leader,
Muhammad Mandi Akif, after he announced the group's decision to
participate in a strike on 4 May in protest against the economic
situation in the country.
The independent daily Al-Masri al-Yawm at the time quoted a MB
blogger as saying "the guide's decision came to just jump on the
bandwagon". Another blogger wrote a blog under the title "the
guide is determined to destroy the group". "Until when will the
group remain a toy in the hand of the guide who cannot manage its
affairs and whose tenure has witnessed the largest number of
arrests in its history?" the blogger wondered.
Description of Source: Caversham BBC Monitoring in English --
Monitoring service of the BBC, the United Kingdom's public service
broadcaster
This item was originally filed as IAP20081006950095
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