A Reappraisal of the Role of Muḥibb al-Dīn al-Khaṭīb and the YMMA in the Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood

Abstract

In contemporary academic literature, the name of the Syrian publisher and journalist Muḥibb al-Dīn al-Khaṭīb often appears in connection with the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood during the interwar years. Although his role in the transition of Ḥasan al-Bannā's movement from a marginal to a significant socio-political player in Egyptian affairs has been mentioned in numerous works, no comprehensive study has yet been undertaken to determine how and by what means exactly al-Khaṭīb supported al-Bannā's organization in its early years. The following article is an attempt to answer these questions by showing the strategic importance of al-Khaṭīb and his network in helping al-Bannā develop from being an Arabic teacher in a primary school to one of the main leaders of the Islamist movement in Egypt.