Pro-Government Militias
Muslim Brotherhood Gangs (Egypt)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | yes |
| PGM ID Number: | 467 |
| Country: | Egypt |
| Date formed: | Dec. 10, 2012 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is an Islamic organization that was founded in 1928. After the fall of Mubarak, the MB formed the “Freedom and Justice Party” which is its political wing. Besides winning the parliamentary election, Mohamed Morsi was also elected president and was sworn in on June 30, 2012. In December 2012, it is first reported that there exists some violent subgroups of the MB. Therefore, it is unclear when and how those gangs of the MB were exactly formed. |
| Date dissolved: | July 3, 2013 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The military ousted president Morsi from office and took over power in early July 2013. Afterwards the MB was declared a terrorist organization by court and their activities were banned. |
| Termination Type(s): | change in government |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | unclear |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | Freedom of Justice Party |
| Training and Equipment: | no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | no information |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | corporation |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | religious |
| Primary Membership: | religious |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Mainly Cairo |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | unarmed political opposition, government critics; journalists |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious leader(s); intimidate political opposition; fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | It is uncertain if the PGM was supported by the government with material or money. However, Khairat al-Shater, a business man and one of the leaders of the MB, was one of their financiers. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The militia was the militant wing of Mohammed Mursi’s political “Freedom and Justice” party and was created to attack government critics. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The militia used violence against government opposition and protesters. This behavior led to more anti-government protests, which resulted in the removal of Mursi’s government. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | Members were motivated by their religious beliefs and opposed opinions or behavior that were critical. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | No information. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The militiamen were armed with machetes, knives and guns. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The militia was closely linked to the party and the movement of the Muslim Brotherhood. But there is no further information on how these organizations were connected to one another. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.