NEFA Foundation: The Muslim Brotherhood Online
By Evan Kohlmann
The NEFA Foundation has obtained a copy of a December 13, 2008 Muslim Brotherhood communication that discusses the Brotherhood’s use of cyberspace as a “new and effective means of communication at a time when most attempts to have a media outlet have failed to find their way into official recognition.” The document summarizes the evolution of the Brotherhood’s online efforts and addresses developments dating as far back as 1998. According to the statement, “The Muslim Brotherhood websites were first general then they started to be more specialized”, focusing on specialized topics such as brotherhood youth or brotherhood in the governorates. Blogging also became a very effective communication tool, as “weblogs gave a humane image of the group and its individuals previously seen as blocs of people who robotically move and appear in a demonstration or a funeral. These weblogs anatomized the Muslim Brotherhood individual through showing his ideas, convictions and even sometimes his criticism to the group.”
A copy of the Brotherhood document can be downloaded from the NEFA Foundation website.
