Salih Ashmawi

Salih Ashmawi
Born1910
Cairo
Died1983 (aged 72–73)
Alma materFuad I University
OccupationJournalist
Years active1930s–1983
Known forLeader of the Muslim Brotherhood
Founder of Al Dawa

Salih Ashmawi (1910–1983) was an Egyptian political figure and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He held several posts in the group and edited some of its publications such as Al Dawa and Al Nadhir.

Early life and education

Ashmawi was born in Cairo in 1910.[1] He received a bachelor's degree in commerce in 1932 from Fuad I University.[1]

Career and activities

Following his meeting with Hasan Al Banna Ashmawi joined the Muslim Brotherhood in 1937.[1] Next year Ashmawi was appointed editor-in-chief of Al Nadhir, a weekly journal started by the Brotherhood.[1][2] However, he left the Brotherhood after internal disputes stopping the publication of the journal and involved in the establishment of another Islamic group entitled the Society of Mohammad's Youth.[1]

Later he restored his relations with Al Banna and became the head of secret group within the Brotherhood.[1] Under his leadership the secret apparatus gained considerable autonomy to the extent that Al Banna had no power over it.[3] Ashmawi was part of the extremist faction and was appointed the deputy secretary of Al Banna in 1947, replacing Ahmad Mohammad Al Sukkari in the post.[3] Abdul Rahman Al Sanadi, on the other hand, succeeded Ashmawi as the head of the Brotherhood's secret network.[1]

In 1949 Al Banna was assassinated, and Ashmawi and Hasan Ismail Al Hudaybi became the leaders of the Brotherhood which was banned in 1948.[4] In 1951 Ashmawi launched an Islamic journal, Al Dawa, which was the official organ of the group.[5] In 1953 he and Mohammad Al Ghazali, another senior Brotherhood figure, were dismissed from the group due to their conflict with Hasan Ismail Al Hudaybi.[6] Both Ashmawi and Al Ghazali were also arrested and jailed as part of Gamal Abdel Nasser's crackdown against the Brotherhood.[6]

Later years and death

Ashmawi collaborated with Umar Al Tilmisani to start Al Dawa in 1976.[6][7] The journal was published until 1981, and its founder Ashmawi died in 1983.[1][6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Kiki M. Santing (2020). Imagining the Perfect Society in Muslim Brotherhood Journals: An Analysis of al-Da'wa and Liwa' al-Islam. Berlin; Boston, MA: De Gruyter. pp. 220–221. ISBN 978-3-11-063649-9.
  2. ^ Israel Gershoni (1986). "The Muslim Brothers and the Arab Revolt in Palestine, 1936-39". Middle Eastern Studies. 22 (3): 388. doi:10.1080/00263208608700671.
  3. ^ a b Barbara Zollner (August 2007). "Prison Talk: The Muslim Brotherhood's Internal Struggle during Gamal Abdel Nasser's Persecution, 1954 to 1971". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 39 (3): 414, 429. doi:10.1017/S0020743807070535. S2CID 154633365.
  4. ^ Julien Duval–Leroy (October 2007). "The Muslim Brothers in Egypt: The Driving Force behind an Islamic Dictatorship" (PDF). RIEAS. Archived from the original (Research paper) on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  5. ^ Kiki Martine Santing (2017). Nizam Kamil wa-Shamil: The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt As reflected in al-da'wa and liwā' al-'islām (1976-1981 1987-1988) (PhD thesis). University of Groningen. ISBN 978-90-367-9803-7.
  6. ^ a b c d Abdullah Al Arian (2011). Heeding the Call: Popular Islamic Activism in Egypt (1970-1981) (PhD thesis). Georgetown University. pp. 78, 236, 256. hdl:10822/558074.
  7. ^ Marius Deeb (Autumn 1991). "Book reviews". Middle East Journal. 45 (4): 677. JSTOR 4328356.