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Muslim Brotherhood Still Functioning in Egypt's Rural Areas

(New Republic) Eric Trager - Hussein Morsi, a high school math teacher, is 15 years younger than his infamous brother Mohamed. The family hails from Al-Adwa, a Muslim Brotherhood stronghold in the Sharkiya governorate. The current government's crackdown on the Brotherhood, which has forced the organization underground in the major cities, hasn't had much of an impact on its activities in Al-Adwa. According to Hussein Morsi, the Brotherhood's command chain in Al-Adwa and the surrounding rural areas is still intact. The Brotherhood cell he heads continues to meet weekly and still collects its members' monthly dues. Despite the arrest of many higher-ranking provincial and national Brotherhood leaders, the Brotherhood's provincial office in Sharkiya continues to disseminate orders that it receives from national Brotherhood leaders. The fact that the Brotherhood is still functioning even somewhat normally in Egypt's rural areas, despite a nationwide crackdown, is good reason to question the widespread analysis that the organization cannot reemerge politically anytime soon. The writer is a Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
2013-12-13 00:00:00
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