Arabic: حسن البنا Born: October 14, 1906 Died: February 12, 1949 Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood in Ismailia, Egypt in 1928. As founder of the prominent Islamic organization, al-Banna continues to have a great influence on modern Islamic thought. He did not gather his thoughts and ideas into a system but produced many smaller pamphlets and books where he expressed his critique of the European presence in the Islamic world and hoped for a re-Islamic era for the general population. Al-Banna grew up in northern Egypt, where his father was a leading Imam. From an early age he was deeply involved in Islam, especially the piety of Sufism, and questioned traditional Islamic values. As a youth he rejected Al-Azhar University, which at that time was the regarded as the premier university for Islamic education and science. He accused Al-Azhar of secularizing Islam by customizing it to western values. Instead, he studied teaching at Dar al-Ulum in Cairo. At the age of thirteen al-Banna participated in demonstrations against British rule and occupation, which resulted in the 1919 Revolution and later the British independence decree in 1922. Hassan Al-Banna was assassinated on February 12, 1949 by leading military officers. Hassan Hudeybi filled his position as General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood.
