- November 19, 2006
- 9 minutes read
Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya is Not MB Offshoot

In its research, "Beyond al-Qaeda, part 2, the Outer Rings of the Terrorist Universe", Rand Corporation, a US think tank that works closely with the US military, committed a grave mistake; when it said that Egypt’s Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya movement is an "offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood", something that totally diverges from historical facts.
Historically, Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya movement first emerged in most Egyptian universities as groups of young Muslim students who distanced themselves from the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya didn’t have specific organizational ideology; their thought was a blend of Islamic Salafist and traditional ideologies.
In 1977, students associated with Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya began to split into groups, with most of the group’s followers in Lower Egypt (north) joining the Muslim Brotherhood due to its moderate thought and its renounce of violence. As for Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya followers in Upper Egypt (south), they rejected and combated Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology and principles, in ways reaching sometimes the extent of physical clashes. Those affiliates established their own group- the so called Egyptian Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya- which adopted violent means as method of action, differing in terms of methodology and action from the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.
Related Topics:
Beyond al-Qaeda
Part 2, The Outer Rings of the Terrorist Universe
This book examines terrorist groups that, while not formally allied with al-Qaeda, pose a threat to Americans, at home and abroad, and to the security of our friends and allies. Although the temptation for policymakers is to set aside as less dangerous those groups that have not chosen to join al-Qaeda, such terrorist or insurgent groups and criminal organizations still pose a threat to the United States, its interests, and its allies. The authors first look at violent Islamist terrorist and insurgent groups without formal links to al-Qaeda, such as Hamas and Hezbollah in the Middle East and Islamist groups in Africa. They then examine a number of non-Islamist terrorist groups — for example, the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, the FARC and ELN in Colombia, Maoist insurgencies, and the violent antiglobalist movement — and explain how these groups might fit into the al-Qaeda agenda and how they use criminal organizations and connections to finance their activities. Finally, they show how the presence of these threats affects U.S. security interests, and they identify distinct strategies that the United States may take to neutralize or mitigate each of them.
Free, downloadable PDF file(s) are available below.
RAND makes an electronic version of this document available for free as a public service. If you find this information valuable, please consider purchasing a paper copy of the full document to help support RAND research.
Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 5.0 or higher to view.
Contents
Chapter One:
Introduction
Chapter Two:
Hezbollah and Hamas
Chapter Three:
Other Islamist Groups Outside the al-Qaeda Network
Chapter Four:
The Iraqi Insurgency
Chapter Five:
Non-Islamist Groups
Chapter Six:
Antiglobalization Movements
Chapter Seven:
The Convergence of Terrorism, Insurgency, and Crime
Chapter Eight:
Conclusions and Recommendations
The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Air Force and conducted by RAND Project AIR FORCE.
This product is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND monographs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND monographs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.
* RAND research is conducted across divisions, centers, and projects; these organizational components are represented in the "Related RAND Divisions" section above.