The Ban on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

On September 23, a Cairo court issued a verdict instituting a ban on the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates in Egypt. The decision comes in the wake of recent government raids on schools and hospitals run by the Brotherhood following the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. The Brotherhood now has 15 days to appeal.

Monday's ruling states that the Brotherhood, since the 1920s, has been using Islam as a cover for activities that contradict Islamic teaching and that disrespect the rule of law in Egypt. It also asserts that citizens were deprived of basic rights and security under the Brotherhood's rule, which lasted for a year until Morsi's ouster on July 3.

Thus, the Brotherhood finds itself banned once again, the third time since its creation in 1928. In 1948, it was banned after an armed cell of the group assassinated Prime Minister Nokkrashi Pasha, then again in 1954 following the short-lived Brotherhood-military alliance in the 1952 coup that overthrew the constitutional monarchy and suppressed any pro-democracy forces.

Since the Anwar al-Sadat era in the seventies, the Brotherhood was able to rebuild a significant base of support in Egypt, thanks to its compelling religious messaging and a network of services that the state has often failed to provide. But after its one year in office, even for those who benefited from the organization's largesse, the Brotherhood is viewed suspiciously. It is a secretive organization that is often ambiguous about the goals of its education, missionary, and charity operations. Moreover, the Brotherhood is not transparent about the ties it maintains with violent Islamist groups around the region.

This recent verdict is undoubtedly a challenge to the Brotherhood's very existence in Egypt. However, it is also an opportunity for the Brotherhood to reassess its tactics and strategies, as well as the policies that led to this crisis.  Egypt's new laws will allow for the Brotherhood's return as a strictly political actor. This means dropping religious matters from its platform.  It also means developing a serious and secular political platform that offers real solutions to Egypt's many problems, embraces political compromise, and rejects its supremacist worldview.

Whether the Brotherhood decides to rise to this challenge or reverts back to a clandestine opposition group remains to be seen.

Khairi Abaza is a senior fellow at Foundation for Defense of Democracies.