Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did the Muslim Brotherhood’s relationship with Gamal Abdel Nasser’s government break down?

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.

The relationship between the Muslim Brotherhood and the government of Gamal Abdel Nasser initially began with cooperation, as the organization supported the Free Officers movement during the 1952 revolution. However, this alliance quickly deteriorated as the new regime consolidated power and sought to establish control over the civilian population.12

The breakdown was driven by a fundamental power struggle. While the Brotherhood had rallied behind the regime, it became a significant domestic challenge to Nasser’s authority, particularly when it aligned with other political factions against him during the internal power struggle of 1954. The relationship reached a breaking point following an attempt to assassinate Nasser in Alexandria on October 26, 1954.23

Nasser used this assassination attempt as a pretext to forcibly suppress the organization. The government executed several leaders for treason and imprisoned many others, including Sayyid Qutb, whose subsequent writings from prison provided an ideological justification for militancy that deeply influenced the movement's future trajectory.321