Shukri Mustafa
Encyclopedia
Shukri Mustafa was an agricultural engineer who led the extremist Islamist group Jama'at al-Muslimin, popularly known as Takfir wal-Hijra. He began his path toward Islamist thought by joining the Muslim Brotherhood
in the 1960s. After being arrested for activities related to the group he became interested in the works of Sayyid Qutb
and other radical thinkers. After being released in 1971 he gathered followers and withdrew from contemporary society. He was executed in 1978 after kidnapping and killing an Egyptian government minister.
but moved with his mother at a young age to nearby Asyut
. He attended an Islamic school and went on to study agriculture at Assiut University
. It was here that he first came into contact with the Muslim Brotherhood, and was arrested for distributing their pamphlets in 1965.
Shukri spent six years in prison, initially in Tura and then, from 1967, in Abu Za'bal. While imprisoned, he read the recently executed Qutb's declarations that Egypt was in jahiliyyah
(a state of pre-Islamic ignorance). Shukri and some of his fellow prisoners built on these ideas, and believed that most Egyptians were no longer truly Muslims, but had become apostates by their failure to struggle against the state. Shukri's faction, known as Jama'at al-Muslimin (Society of Muslims), additionally believed that Qutb had also called for total separation from jahiliyyah society.
Jama'at al-Muslimin fell apart following the Muslim Brotherhood's official rejection of Qutb's theories. The group's first leader, Sheikh Ali Abduh Ismail, renounced Takfir in 1969. Shukri was soon the leader by default: he was the only remaining member. He was released from prison in 1971 as part of the new president Anwar Sadat
's rapprochement
with the Muslim Brotherhood.
. They were known to the authorities but not considered a serious threat.
The greatest controversy was caused by forcing members to cut off contact with their families, bringing about several lawsuits from family members of women who joined. They felt Shukri was in essence seducing their daughters, or in some cases wives, from them and thus negating Egyptian views of family.
" (Excommunication and Exile). Shukri hated the term, but it was far more descriptive than the group's chosen name and became fixed in the popular consciousness.
Shukri was frustrated by his inability to use his new media profile to promote his views and his leadership within the group was under question. His response was to kidnapp a former Egyptian government minister on and mainstream Muslim cleric, Muhammad al-Dhahabi, on July 3, 1977. Al-Dhahabi had previously produced an official pamphlet against the group, in which he linked them to Kharijism. Shukri demanded the release of his followers, apologies from the press and the printing of his literature. When these were ignored, the hostage was killed. The government's response was swift and decisive. Hundreds were arrested and dozens imprisoned. After a swiftly arranged military tribunal, Shukri and four other leaders were executed on March 19, 1978.
position. He regarded all previous scholarship as unnecessary and rejected even the four madh'habs (schools) of Islam. He insisted that each Muslim must engage in ijtihad
(interpretation) based on the Qu'ran and the sunnah
(practices of Muhammad and his followers).
Shukri rejected everything that he considered tainted by jahiliyyah society, including mosques -- he instructed his followers not to attend Friday prayer in them. He claimed that, while some unaffiliated mosques were acceptable, the most appropriate place to pray was at home. He was indifferent to Egypt's "Anti-Zionist" struggle. When asked what he would do if Israel invaded Egypt, he responded that his group would flee rather than fight back. He considered the Egyptian Army
his enemy just as much as Israel. He also believed that learning to write was useless for most Egyptians, and opposed it.
Unlike most similar groups, the Society of Muslims encouraged women to join. Shukri personally arranged marriages with male members and the group provided accommodation in shared lodgings. Often several couples would share a room, separated only by hanging curtains. If a married woman joined the group and her husband did not, then Shukri considered the "jahilliyah" marriage valueless and allowed her to wed again. This approach to marriage brought the group to public attention, with several media stories of family members claiming that their daughters had been stolen from them.
According to authors Daniel Benjamin
and Steven Simon, based on the "testimony of those who knew him", and what Shuqri "intimated" during his trial, "it is clear Shuqri Mustafa thought he was the Mahdi
", (the prophesied mesiah of Islam who will return to Earth before the Day of Judgment and, (alongside Jesus), rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny).
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
in the 1960s. After being arrested for activities related to the group he became interested in the works of Sayyid Qutb
Sayyid Qutb
Sayyid Qutb was an Egyptian author, educator, Islamist theorist, poet, and the leading member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950s and '60s....
and other radical thinkers. After being released in 1971 he gathered followers and withdrew from contemporary society. He was executed in 1978 after kidnapping and killing an Egyptian government minister.
Early life
Shukri was born on 1 June 1942 in Abu Khurus in Middle EgyptMiddle Egypt
Middle Egypt is the section of land between Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt, stretching upstream from Asyut in the south to Memphis in the north. At the time, Ancient Egypt was divided into Lower and Upper Egypt, though Middle Egypt was technically a subdivision of Upper Egypt. It was not until the...
but moved with his mother at a young age to nearby Asyut
Asyut
Asyut is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt; the ancient city of the same name is situated nearby. The modern city is located at , while the ancient city is at .- Etymology :...
. He attended an Islamic school and went on to study agriculture at Assiut University
Assiut University
Assiut University is a public university in Asyut, Egypt. The University was established in 1957 to encourage research, education and community services in Upper Egypt.Languages of Instruction are Arabic and English...
. It was here that he first came into contact with the Muslim Brotherhood, and was arrested for distributing their pamphlets in 1965.
Shukri spent six years in prison, initially in Tura and then, from 1967, in Abu Za'bal. While imprisoned, he read the recently executed Qutb's declarations that Egypt was in jahiliyyah
Jahiliyyah
Jahiliyyah is an Islamic concept of "ignorance of divine guidance" or "the state of ignorance of the guidance from God" or "Days of Ignorance" referring to the condition in which Arabs found themselves in pre-Islamic Arabia, i.e. prior to the revelation of the Qur'an to Muhammad...
(a state of pre-Islamic ignorance). Shukri and some of his fellow prisoners built on these ideas, and believed that most Egyptians were no longer truly Muslims, but had become apostates by their failure to struggle against the state. Shukri's faction, known as Jama'at al-Muslimin (Society of Muslims), additionally believed that Qutb had also called for total separation from jahiliyyah society.
Jama'at al-Muslimin fell apart following the Muslim Brotherhood's official rejection of Qutb's theories. The group's first leader, Sheikh Ali Abduh Ismail, renounced Takfir in 1969. Shukri was soon the leader by default: he was the only remaining member. He was released from prison in 1971 as part of the new president Anwar Sadat
Anwar Sadat
Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981...
's rapprochement
Rapprochement
In international relations, a rapprochement, which comes from the French word rapprocher , is a re-establishment of cordial relations, as between two countries...
with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Leadership of Jama'at al-Muslimin group
On his release, Shukri returned to Asyut where he finished his studies and began recruiting followers in the surrounding villages. In 1973, following the arrest of some of his followers, he took the group to live in caves in the nearby mountains, fully implementing his belief in withdrawal. He felt that his group was currently too weak to take action and so adopted a policy of separation. He hoped that this would protect the community from outside influences and allow it to grow in strength. By 1976 Shukri's followers numbered two thousand, mostly living in poor neighbourhoods of CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. They were known to the authorities but not considered a serious threat.
The greatest controversy was caused by forcing members to cut off contact with their families, bringing about several lawsuits from family members of women who joined. They felt Shukri was in essence seducing their daughters, or in some cases wives, from them and thus negating Egyptian views of family.
Confronting the state
In 1976 a few members left for other groups. Shukri reacted angrily. He declared them apostate and, in November, led two raids to kill them. The police intervened, detaining fourteen of his followers and issuing a warrant for Shukri's own arrest. Surprised by the official response, Shukri demanded their release but he was ignored the government and ridiculed by the press. It was at this point that his group was given the label "Takfir wal-HijraTakfir wal-Hijra
Jama'at al-Muslimin , popularly known as Takfir wal-Hijra , was a radical Islamist group led by Shukri Mustafa, which emerged in Egypt in the 1960s as an offshoot of Muslim Brotherhood, inspired by Sayyid Qutb.The group was...
" (Excommunication and Exile). Shukri hated the term, but it was far more descriptive than the group's chosen name and became fixed in the popular consciousness.
Shukri was frustrated by his inability to use his new media profile to promote his views and his leadership within the group was under question. His response was to kidnapp a former Egyptian government minister on and mainstream Muslim cleric, Muhammad al-Dhahabi, on July 3, 1977. Al-Dhahabi had previously produced an official pamphlet against the group, in which he linked them to Kharijism. Shukri demanded the release of his followers, apologies from the press and the printing of his literature. When these were ignored, the hostage was killed. The government's response was swift and decisive. Hundreds were arrested and dozens imprisoned. After a swiftly arranged military tribunal, Shukri and four other leaders were executed on March 19, 1978.
Beliefs
Shukri took an extreme SalafiSalafi
A Salafi come from Sunni Islam is a follower of an Islamic movement, Salafiyyah, that is supposed to take the Salaf who lived during the patristic period of early Islam as model examples...
position. He regarded all previous scholarship as unnecessary and rejected even the four madh'habs (schools) of Islam. He insisted that each Muslim must engage in ijtihad
Ijtihad
Ijtihad is the making of a decision in Islamic law by personal effort , independently of any school of jurisprudence . as opposed to taqlid, copying or obeying without question....
(interpretation) based on the Qu'ran and the sunnah
Sunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
(practices of Muhammad and his followers).
Shukri rejected everything that he considered tainted by jahiliyyah society, including mosques -- he instructed his followers not to attend Friday prayer in them. He claimed that, while some unaffiliated mosques were acceptable, the most appropriate place to pray was at home. He was indifferent to Egypt's "Anti-Zionist" struggle. When asked what he would do if Israel invaded Egypt, he responded that his group would flee rather than fight back. He considered the Egyptian Army
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Egyptian Armed Forces and holds power in the current Egyptian government. It is estimated to number around 379,000, in addition to 479,000 reservists for a total of 858,000 strong. The modern army was created in the 1820s, and during the...
his enemy just as much as Israel. He also believed that learning to write was useless for most Egyptians, and opposed it.
Unlike most similar groups, the Society of Muslims encouraged women to join. Shukri personally arranged marriages with male members and the group provided accommodation in shared lodgings. Often several couples would share a room, separated only by hanging curtains. If a married woman joined the group and her husband did not, then Shukri considered the "jahilliyah" marriage valueless and allowed her to wed again. This approach to marriage brought the group to public attention, with several media stories of family members claiming that their daughters had been stolen from them.
According to authors Daniel Benjamin
Daniel Benjamin
Ambassador-at-large Daniel Benjamin is the coordinator for counterterrorism at the United States Department of State appointed by Secretary Clinton.-Life:He was a 1983 Marshall Scholar at New College, Oxford where he studied for BA in PPE....
and Steven Simon, based on the "testimony of those who knew him", and what Shuqri "intimated" during his trial, "it is clear Shuqri Mustafa thought he was the Mahdi
Mahdi
In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years- before the Day of Judgment and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious...
", (the prophesied mesiah of Islam who will return to Earth before the Day of Judgment and, (alongside Jesus), rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny).
Sources
- Kepel, GilesGilles KepelGilles Kepel is a French political scientist, specialist of the Islam and contemporary Arab world. He is Professor at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris and member of the Institut Universitaire de France....
. Jihad: Trail of Political Islam pages 83–85. - Kepel, GilesGilles KepelGilles Kepel is a French political scientist, specialist of the Islam and contemporary Arab world. He is Professor at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris and member of the Institut Universitaire de France....
. Muslim extremism in Egypt: the Prophet and the Pharaoh - Marc SagemanMarc SagemanMarc Sageman , M.D., Ph.D., is a former CIA Operations Officer who was based in Islamabad from 1987 to 1989, where he worked closely with Afghanistan's mujahedin. He has advised various branches of the U.S. government in the War on Terror...
. Understanding terror networks