This position paper seeks to better inform Canadian policy on four of the most well-known extremist groups in the Middle East: ISIS, Hezbollah, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.  Through numerous examples, CJPME distinguishes the various groups from one another, and demonstrates how widely different approaches to each group must be developed.  The position paper attributes the rise of such groups to a number of destabilizing regional factors, and encourages Canada and its partners to address these underlying issues.   

CJPME Factsheet 186, published September, 2014: This factsheet provides an overview of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, discussing its emergence and the popular support it enjoys.  The factsheet also provides an overview of its historical role in Egyptian society, and its current status.

CJPME Factsheet 113, published February, 2011: This factsheet provides an overview of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational organization whose organizing principle is “Islam is the solution.” Founded by Hassan al-Banna in 1928 in Egypt, where the British were continuing their military presence despite having declared Egypt independent, the MB is the world’s largest and most influential Islamist organization. This factsheet looks at the Brotherhood during Egypt’s constitutional monarchy (1928-1949), the Nasser years (1950-1970), the Sadat’s presidency (1970-1981), and the Mubarak era (1981-2011).