Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 11/2014

The Muslim Brotherhood and the Future of Political Islam in Egypt

Ashraf El-Sherif

October 2014

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Abstract

The current turmoil in Egypt—including social strife, polarization, and violence—has cast shadows on the potential for Islamist integration as well as the regime’s ability to achieve political stability. Shifting external and internal dynamics of Islamist organizations indicate five possible scenarios for the future of the Muslim Brotherhood. Its path will have far-reaching implications for political Islam and democratization in Egypt