Umar al-Tilmisani
Encyclopedia
'Umar al-Tilmisani (Often transliterated Omar el Telmesany or variations thereof) (Nov. 4, 1904-May 22, 1986) was the third General Guide (Murshid al-'Am) of the Egyptian Muslim Brothers. He headed the Egyptian Islamist organization from 1972 until 1986. Al-Tilmisani (his name is a variation on Tlemcen
i, reflecting his family origin in the Western Algeria
n city of that name) headed the Muslim Brothers during a period of cooperation and, some observers suggest, cooptation by the Egyptian state. While the Brothers were not precisely legal during Tilmisani's term, they were tolerated and encouraged by President Anwar al-Sadat as a bulwark against both leftist opponents and more extremist Islamists.
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Al-Tilmisani was from a family of prominent landowners, which owned 300 feddans (acres) and seven houses. His deputy, and a later successor as General Guide, Mustafa Mashhur
, was also from a family of wealthy landowners. Their prominence and social status led historian Robert Springborg to conclude at the end of the 1980s that, "It can reasonably be claimed that those currently in control of the Muslim Brothers are of the Islamic infitah
bourgeoisie who 'bought' the organization with resources acquired through collaboration with the Sadat regime"
Despite heading the group during this period of cooperation with the state, al-Tilmisani was imprisoned three times, once in 1954, as an activist during the difficult Nasser years, and twice while at the head of the group, during Sadat's mass roundup of opponents in 1981, and again under Hosni Mubarak in 1984.
Tlemcen
Tlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
i, reflecting his family origin in the Western Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n city of that name) headed the Muslim Brothers during a period of cooperation and, some observers suggest, cooptation by the Egyptian state. While the Brothers were not precisely legal during Tilmisani's term, they were tolerated and encouraged by President Anwar al-Sadat as a bulwark against both leftist opponents and more extremist Islamists.
Biography
Al-Tilmisani was born in the Darb al-Ahmar district of Cairo in 1904. A lawyer, al-Tilmisani joined the Brothers in 1933, and was inducted into the organization by its founding General Guide, Hassan al-BannaHassan al-Banna
Sheikh Hasan Ahmed Abdel Rahman Muhammed al-Banna known as Hasan al-Banna was a schoolteacher and imam, best known for founding the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the largest and most influential 20th century Muslim revivalist organizations.-Early life:Banna was born in 1906 in Mahmoudiyah, Egypt...
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Al-Tilmisani was from a family of prominent landowners, which owned 300 feddans (acres) and seven houses. His deputy, and a later successor as General Guide, Mustafa Mashhur
Mustafa Mashhur
Mustafa Mashhur was the fifth General Guide of the Muslim Brothers. He was the official head of the Egyptian Islamist organization from 1996 until 2002, although outside observers have suggested that he informally ran the organization during the ten-year term of his predecessor Muhammad Hamid...
, was also from a family of wealthy landowners. Their prominence and social status led historian Robert Springborg to conclude at the end of the 1980s that, "It can reasonably be claimed that those currently in control of the Muslim Brothers are of the Islamic infitah
Infitah
The Infitah was Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's policy of "opening the door" to private investment in Egypt in the years following the 1973 October War with Israel...
bourgeoisie who 'bought' the organization with resources acquired through collaboration with the Sadat regime"
Despite heading the group during this period of cooperation with the state, al-Tilmisani was imprisoned three times, once in 1954, as an activist during the difficult Nasser years, and twice while at the head of the group, during Sadat's mass roundup of opponents in 1981, and again under Hosni Mubarak in 1984.