The Muslim Brotherhood’s vision was rooted in the belief that secular nationalism and Western influence were corrupting Muslim societies. Al-Banna advocated for an Islamic state governed by Sharia law, a message that gained traction amid post-colonial disillusionment. By the 1950s, the Brotherhood’s influence spread beyond Egypt, inspiring offshoots in Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. Its radical ideologies influenced figures like Sayyid Qutb, whose writings in the 1960s called for jihad against secular governments, laying the intellectual groundwork for groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS. The Brotherhood’s non-violent facade often masked its role as an ideological incubator for violent extremism, with factions splintering into militant groups post-2013 after Egypt’s crackdown on the organization.
Stop the Stealth Jihad in America- Act and Donate Here>>
Iran and Lebanon, once bastions of relative secularism, exemplify this radical shift. Iran, under the Pahlavi dynasty, was a modernizing, secular state until the 1979 Islamic Revolution, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, overthrew the monarchy. Influenced by the Brotherhood’s call for Islamic governance, Khomeini’s regime established a theocratic state, enforcing strict Sharia laws. Women, who once wore Western-style clothing, were mandated to don hijabs and, in many cases, full-body coverings like chadors, reflecting a broader societal control rooted in radical ideology. This marked a sharp departure from Iran’s cosmopolitan past, aligning it with a global Islamist agenda.
Lebanon, historically a Christian-majority nation with a vibrant, pluralistic culture, faced a similar fate. Until the 1970s, Beirut was known as the “Paris of the Middle East,” with women freely wearing traditional or Western attire. The rise of Hezbollah, a Shia militant group inspired by Iran’s revolution and indirectly influenced by the Brotherhood’s Islamist framework, shifted Lebanon’s trajectory. Formed in 1982 after Israel’s invasion, Hezbollah, backed by Iran, sought to establish an Islamic state, undermining Lebanon’s secular and Christian heritage. By the 1990s, strict dress codes, including hijabs, became more prevalent in Shia-dominated areas, signaling the growing influence of radical ideologies.
Read: ‘Breaking Iran’s Grip’ Here>>
Turkey, once the heart of the Ottoman Caliphate, offers a contrasting yet cautionary tale. In 1923, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded a secular republic, decisively abandoning the caliphate’s global ambitions and radical Islamic governance. Resembling pre-revolutionary Iran and Lebanon, Turkey embraced modernization, banning headscarves in public institutions and promoting Western-style dress to cement its secular identity. However, since the early 2000s, under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership, Turkey has seen a resurgence of Islamist policies. The headscarf ban was lifted in 2013, and religious education has expanded, signaling a return to stricter Islamic roots. This shift, echoing the Brotherhood’s influence, has rekindled fears of Turkey’s aspirations for regional dominance under a neo-Islamist framework, aligning it closer to the radicalized states it once diverged from.
The imposition of strict dress codes for women—hijabs and, in some regions, burkhas—served as a visible marker of this radicalization. In the 1970s, countries like Afghanistan and Egypt saw women in urban areas wearing skirts and uncovered hair. The Muslim Brotherhood’s rise, coupled with Saudi Arabia’s export of Wahhabism and Iran’s revolutionary zeal, reversed this. By the 1980s, Egypt’s public spaces saw increasing pressure for women to cover their heads, a trend that spread to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and beyond. In Afghanistan, the Taliban’s rise in the 1990s, influenced by radical ideologies, mandated burkhas, erasing traditional cultural dress. This shift was not merely sartorial but a symbol of control, suppressing women’s autonomy and reflecting a broader societal regression.
