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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  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.