Britannica Sources used in this answer

What happened during the clearing of the Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque sit-in in August 2013?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Founder of the Muslim Brotherood — Muslim Brotherhood Hassan al-Banna, a schoolteacher in Ismailia, Egypt, founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 as an attempt to modernize Islamic society.

On August 14, 2013, Egyptian security forces launched violent raids to disperse sit-ins organized by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo, including the protest outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque.12

This operation resulted in a significant loss of life, with more than 1,000 people killed over the course of several days. The crackdown was part of a broader campaign by the government to suppress the organization following the military-led removal of President Mohamed Morsi. In the immediate aftermath of these events, authorities declared a state of emergency, and by September 2013, a court formally reinstated a ban on the group, effectively freezing its activities and those of its affiliates.12

The use of lethal force against protesters represents a grave violation of the fundamental right to peaceful assembly and the sanctity of human life, principles that must be upheld in any society committed to justice and human rights.