Egypt’s Brothers inaugurate global IkhwanWiki encyclopedia

Egypt’s Brothers inaugurate global IkhwanWiki encyclopedia

The Islamists of different orientations were successful in gaining maximum benefit from Internet use as their efforts stunned political adversaries whether in governance or leftist and secular trends since the establishment of the so-called “International Information Network “in Arab countries between 1996-1997 amid restrictions on the possession of newspapers and TV stations by Islamists that can reflect their opinion and defend their ideology.

 
Many political circles, institutions and research centers on America’s so-called “war on terrorism expressed a sense of defeat regarding the alarming increase in Internet activities of Islamists particularly ‘Jihadists’ in various parts of the world. Whenever a culture forum web site has been shut down, even they precede to inaugurate a large number of alternatives Persistent technical activities were not restricted to the jihadists only, the missionary work of political and cultural Islamists are also showing an ongoing activity taking advantages of its enormous potential.
 
 Certain members of “Ikhwan Wiki” launched the Muslim Brotherhood’s Wikipedia, the Group’s new encyclopedia and largest documentary website like “Wikipedia”, the free and open-access encyclopedia on the 61st anniversary of the death of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna.
 
The wiki is dedicated to be an “international information network” documenting the movement’s history, according to the wiki’s developers in an official statement, indicating that they collected the group’s books, research studies, articles, pictures and video clips. The Movement’s old magazines and newspapers will also be available in the same form as a documented source for researchers, journalists or any individual interested in the correct information.
 
Ikhwanwiki is the second attempt in the context of efforts exerted by the Movement’s youth to produce a worldwide electronic encyclopedia, which follows the first failed wiki “ikhwan.net/wiki”. The group’s youth had tried to launch and attach it to its first talk show website in Ramadan 1, 1429, September 1, 2008 as both of them out of the womb of the most famous Ikhwan forum “http://www.ikhwan.net/vb/” that brings together hundreds of Brotherhood members.
 
The Movement’s sources deny that the website is its mouthpiece despite the statement stressed “Ikhwanwiki” is one of the movement’s official sites and an effort for the Brotherhood youth who have the right to perform igtihad (Effort) and if they do the right or mislead, they should be held liable”, according to press reports. Commenting on this post, a young man who called himself (battalion son) said “That we have to perform well, excel and upgrade the wiki by adding, updating and making corrections in the Muslim Brotherhood’s Youth Forum (Sahatna) “.
 
The wiki, which is still in its early stages, is one of an infinite number of prestigious sites launched by the Brotherhood with many languages and is able to attract group members from all around the world. It is the group’s fifth major site following the official Arabic/ English websites “Ikhwanonline”, “Ikhwanweb”, “the Brotherhood’s parliamentary bloc and ” Ikhwantube” in early 2009 along the lines of “YouTube”. The supervisor Hani al-Hassan asserted that the website is launched in response to certain media deleting clips containing scenes of Israeli massacres from “YouTube-Google”.
 
 The Muslim Brotherhood has about 30 websites formally speaking in Arabic and English, in addition to 26 sites through Egypt’s provinces and dozens of forums and blogs. The group’s young activists have made so many contributions in forums and social networking websites of groups.
 
The wiki, in the Brotherhood’s prospective, is known as a free encyclopedia where  everyone can edit as the site allows the researchers and readers to register, create and edit contents as one of the most interesting characteristics of Wikipedia.
 
Some may fear that the encyclopedia will ultimately become an official bulletin in which efforts are focused on their interpretation of the most pivotal events in their own history.
 
Ikhwanwiki.com  is launched at a time when the movement is witnessing a new crisis with authorities who have arrested for the first time the Deputy Chairman of the MB, four members of the Executive Bureau and a number of the MB administrators in the governorates. It is widely expected that the next phase will witness the implementation of expanded government plans aimed at distorting the group’s reputation and putting an end to its political influence especially with Egypt’s presidential and legislative election approaching in addition to launching media campaigns against the Brotherhood targeting their economic and social institutions. By launching  Ikhwanwiki the movement hopes to prove that despite the regime’s, unlawful fabrications and the arrests from time to time that they are able to give, as in Ikhwanwiki statement and
“Make it clear to all that the Muslim Brotherhood adopts peaceful reform and Islamic approach by all legitimate means”.
 
In the serving research, the group vowed that it would work in the upcoming days to feed the site with its documents, journals, photographs and books to become an essential resource for researchers and those who wish to learn about the true history of the Muslim Brotherhood. The website allows Internet users full access of the rare pictures, documents and recordings about figures, institutions and events that took place in the past which is difficult to get hold of. 
Website developers aim to acquire the expertise and professional skills necessary from researchers in developing and updating the site with prior coordination with the management.
 
www.ikhwanwiki.com