Musilm brotherhood & media ethics

MODERN SCIENCE & ARTS UNIVERSITY

Muslim Brotherhood Stereotyping in Government Controlled Media

Media Ethics

Submitted by: Nehal Hesham

Fall 2010

Muslim Brotherhood Stereotyping in Government Controlled Media Fall 2010

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Table of Contents

Introduction_________________________________ PG 3

Literature Review____________________________ PG 4-6

Abstract____________________________________ PG 7-8

Al-Ikhwan Contributions_______________________ PG 9-12

The Stereotyping_____________________________ PG 13-14

Linking the Constitution_______________________ PG 15-17

Linking the Potter Box_________________________ PG 18-19

Appendix___________________________________ PG 20-22

References__________________________________ PG 23


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Introduction

Since the emerging of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928, by Imam Hassan El-Banna, it has been opposed aggressively by the government and lately by the media. Although Imam Hassan EL-Banna was the first to know the high potential of the media, but the government owned media was always against him. In the past 30 years the media spread their wings and started to hardly hit the Muslim Brotherhood, then it was transformed from government owned media to a more so called free but yet government controlled media.

Muslim brotherhood or in other words Al-Ikhwan are being tremendously stereotyped starting from the late 70’s till now. A huge misunderstanding has been imposed by the media, which is the confusion between Al-Ikhwan and Al-Gamaa Al-Islamaya. Al-Gamaa el Islamaya is a group of extremist that have been emerging in the late 70’s and early 80’s, they are what media have been calling terrorists, they are a group of people that was imprisoned during Nasser’s & Sadat’s Era.

In this research I will discuss the stereotyping of the Ikhwan and the confusion between Al-Ikhwan & El Gamaa El-Islamaya. I believe that the Muslim brotherhood is more of an ideology rather than an act, and no one can be punished for an ideology and for an act supporting Islam. I believe that the government is threatened by the Ikhwan that is why it is opposing them and stereotyping them in the media.


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Literature Review

As discussed in our introduction, we will discuss the stereotypes of the Muslim Brotherhood in Arab Media, due to that we created our literature review. The literature is going to examine past researches that has been made on stereotypes of Muslim brotherhood in the Arab World and Worldwide. The literature review is going to analyze previous viewpoints and perspectives of other scholars. Also the role of the Egyptian government and its control; of media and Muslim Brotherhood in particular will be examined.

The following is article written by Pricilia Martinez Discussing the Muslim Culture and religion

Misrepresented by media.

Martinez Started her argument by quoting a verse from the Quran that says “God does no forbid

you to treat kindly and act equitably toward those who neither fought you in the matter of

religion nor driven you out of your home. Indeed, God loves the just. (Quran 60:8)

Antagonism toward Islam has been a permanent fixture in Europe since the time of the Crusades.

The media have been primary contributors to an erroneous image of Islam by stereotyping all

Muslims as being fundamentalists or terrorists. (Martinez, 2002)

For example; after the bombing of the World Trade Center, the media depicted American

Muslims in general as the cause of disaster. With circumstantial evidence, the media accused,

indicted, tried, and found the alleged fundamentalists, thus all American Muslims, guilty.

The "fundamental" beliefs of a Muslim are the belief in only one God and the Prophethood of

Mohammed, prayer, fasting, charity tax and pilgrimage. Thus, if a Muslim believes in these

fundamentals, he or she is a fundamentalist.

However, most media reports use the term fundamentalist to imply extremism revealing a

complete ignorance by the media since Islam explicitly prohibits extremism. Prophet

Mohammed said, "Those persons who go to extremes (in practicing their religions) were cursed

(by God)". (Martinez, 2002)


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According to Yasmin Moll who criticize how Islam is viewed in Egyptian media , she criticized

a recent Egyptian movie called Awqaat Faraagh (Leisure Time, 2006), three young college

students experience an existential crisis when one of their friends suddenly dies while crossing

the street to buy them more beer. Sitting in a souped-up Mercedes Benz filled with hashish

smoke and scantily clad girls, the three boys watch in horror as their friend, high and tripping, is

hit by a car and immediately falls to the ground, breathing his last with the words: “I am afraid, I

am afraid.” Chastened and shocked by this tragedy, they vow to repent their dissolute lifestyles

and lead more moral lives. Instead of watching Internet porn, they begin to download and watch

together episodes of a religious talk-show by Amr Khaled, an immensely popular Islamic da’iya

(activist, “caller” to Islam), who regularly appears on satellite television. This is an integral part

of a strict moral regimen of increased prayers, abstinence from sex, alcohol and cigarettes, and

more regular visits to the mosque. Soon, however, with the memory of their friend’s sudden

death fading and their own lives no longer seeming so precarious, the three friends tire of this

pious leisure. They switch off Khaled’s show and venture once more into Cairo’s glittering

nightlife in search of other highs and ways to fill their free time. (Moll, 2010)

Moll argues that its quite clear that the Egyptian movie specially that one is portrayed as a time

to fill up free time, and people specially youth turn to Islam only when they face a crisis like the

one mentioned in the movie.

Moll continues her article to stress on the fact of the government control over media and its

restrictions towards the Brotherhood and Islam in General.

As with other postcolonial developing countries in the 1990s, Egypt’s media-scape went from

being the exclusive domain of state-controlled, highly centralized and terrestrially based

television to an increasingly competitive and fragmented satellite television scene with much

private-sector control. Indeed, in Egypt, private broadcasters are only allowed to air on satellite

television, with the state retaining full control over terrestrial television which, being free, easy

to access, and of high programming quality, continues to command the greatest share of national

viewers. Increasingly, however, middle-class and upper-middle-class viewers with moderate

levels of disposable income, leisure time and more specialized viewing preferences that are


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unmet by mainstream fare are tuning in to one of the many satellite channels on offer, with “ed-

dish” becoming a ubiquitous presence on urban roof-tops. (Moll, 2010)

More cautious observers have pointed out, however, that while satellite media may not be under

the direct control of the state, in many instances the industry players involved in setting them up

have close personal and business ties to various political regimes, rendering the state a vocal

participant by proxy (Sakr 2001; see also Kraidy 2009). In addition, top policy-makers in various

countries such as Egypt and Lebanon saw an opportunity for greater influence on a regional scale

through a strong satellite presence. While Abu-Lughod (2004) tracks how Egypt’s national

media policy during the 1980s to mid-1990s was geared to containing and neutralizing a

domestic “Islamist threat”, by the new millennium the country’s Ministry of Information had

shifted its attention from “television-for security” to television for the preservation of an “Arab-

Islamic identity”, with Egypt at the helm (Sakr 2001:33). However, satellite channels with strong

private Saudi financial capital would increasingly usurp this role (Kraidy 2009), attracting the

most talented Egyptian producers, presenters and technicians, to the great dissatisfaction of the

Egyptian regime, which instituted a policy of “media nationalism” that stressed that Egyptians

should work only for “Egyptian” channels (Sakr 2001:79). However, conversations with

Egyptian media professionals made it clear that they are attracted to the new “Saudi” channels,

not only for their higher pay and better working conditions, but also because they promise more

innovative programs and more scope for personal creativity. (Moll, 2010)

Given these factors, it is clear that Islamic televangelism in Egypt, despite being the most

prominent part of that country’s contemporary da'wa movement, can only be productively

understood within the context of regimes of mediated technology and celebrity as much as

religion. This is not to subscribe, however, to a technological determinism displacing the

centrality of the pious message itself and its perceived ethical consequences for individual

viewers, which count as the most important aspects for interested Muslims. Following De Vries

(2001:19), it is clear that “where a relationship between the phenomena is acknowledged at all,

the assumed link is often an instrumentalization of one by the other, as if media formed the mere

vehicle of religion or as if the medium could ever succeed in creating religion in its own image.

(Moll, 2010)


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Abstract

Muslims are not extremists that is what El-Banna wanted to deliver, El-Banna and his followers

started by spreading the message on a very small scale which is preaching people at social clubs,

universities, and coffee-shops. El-Banna was a bright man that outranked his generation and had

a vivid view of the future; El-Banna was the first to know the importance of media and he knew

that this was the best way to reach mass audience so he can deliver the message to as much

people and cultures as possible. El-Banna believed that Islam should be a system of life even in

the political factors, but yet he and Al-Ikhwan were still categorized against the Egyptian

government as political extremist.

According to Al-Ikhwan Time Line1 they were moved from civil to political when they were

first viewed as a threat to the Egyptian government and political regime that was in 1948

Brothers join the Palestinian side in the war against the Zionists of Palestine. Many Egyptian

officers feel the war puts them in touch with their ideology. The brothers blame the Egyptian

government for passivity in the war against the Zionists, due to that the Muslim Brotherhood was

banned by the authorities. AL-Ikhwan believes that they are not reforming the government nor

interfering with its political regime, as till that point Al-Ikhwan is not a legalized party, but it is a

group with political beliefs as part of their ideology. The Brotherhood's ideology is based on a

fundamentalist approach to Islam - a return to its pure sources in the Holy Qur'an and the

tradition and teachings of the Prophet Mohamed. The group views Islam not only as a religion

but as a system which deals with all aspects of life. (Howeidy, 1995)

Still the government and the society believe that the Brotherhood rejects the secularist approach

of confining Islam to a relationship between man and his creator. It became a political movement

because it demanded a reform of the government and a reconsideration of the relationship of the

Umma (Muslim nation) with other nations. Due to that the government still banns them from

having any political movements and having any societal activities and authorities in the society,

which eventually will limit their contributions towards civil society. What others don’t know is

that the Ikhwan still run in the parliament as independent figures not under a political party.

1 See Appendix for Time Line


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The Muslim Brotherhood has been formally banned in Egypt since 1954, but in reality, the

Egyptian government has allowed it to operate within limits since the 1970s, keeping it in check

with frequent arrests and crackdowns. A more open political atmosphere in 2005, due to both

domestic and international pressure, led the government to grant the Brotherhood

unprecedented freedom to campaign before this year's (2008) parliamentary vote. While the

group's 150 candidates officially ran as independents, there was nothing secret about their

Brotherhood affiliation. Candidates held rallies, hung posters with the Brotherhood's

name, and used its slogan, "Islam is the Solution." (Otterman, 2009)

Due to the former information it’s quite obvious that the Egyptian government are against Al-

Ikhwan and against their ideology by any means, thus they are against their participation in the

parliamentary elections. Due to the fact that the government was against Al-Ikhwan they had to

do something to create a buzz around the MB and harm their figure among the society, before the

elections. That was exactly the case that happened when the “Gama’a” Series was aired on TV,

Ramadan 2010. The paper will be divided into two sections, first section will talk about

stereotyping of Al-Ikhwan particularly in the time period before 2010 parliamentary elections,

and second section will be the ethical point of view, of such a portrayal to the MB.


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Al-Ikhwan Contributions

Muslim Brotherhood is now viewed as a change agent to the emerging of the civil society in

Egypt. Despite the limitation they had and the problems they faced they still managed to

contribute. According to Yglesias, 2007 the Muslim Brotherhood just isn't a violent terrorist

organization, and certainly doesn't commit acts of violence against the western counties. It's an

extremely traditionalist multinational civil society organization. It's true that a lot of violent types

used to be in the Brotherhood and now they're in terrorist groups, but used to be is the key phrase

here; they left the Brotherhood because the Brotherhood wouldn't sign on for their

agenda.” (Yglesias, 2007). People had the right to oppose Al-Ikhwan only when they formed the

secret group that was committing “terrorist attacks” yet they have to be praised for all their

contributions towards creating a flourishing society.

The government didn’t only create a negative buzz by portraying “El Gamaa” series but they

also had to close all the MB websites and related groups, blogs, forums & pages, a week before

the parliamentary elections. My believe is that the government is frightened by the Ikhwan group

believing that they will be the next big power. The government also knows that as much as Al-

Ikhwan have enemies, yet they managed to create a reputable image among the society, due to

their contributions in many aspects.

The first establishment of Al-Ikhwan was a Moral Refinement School called “Tahdeeb”, which

El-Banna set its Curricula for the group that attended he was interested in having Islam’s moral

and civilized manners mark the conduct of the graduates of that school. The goal mentioned for

the school was obtained, and the graduates were honored for their morals and high standards in

many situations. This was illustrated in several concrete attitudes, including: 1. workers who

showed more dynamism in performing their jobs and increasing production, 2. outstanding

personal traits that were developed among Muslim Brothers, including honesty, altruism,

continence and other qualities. (IkhwanWeb, 2007)


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The first method Al-Ikhwan used for communication was the exchange of letters but Muslim

Brothers became certain that letters were not enough to spread the message and decided to issue

a weekly magazine called The Muslim Brothers’ Journal

The objectives of the magazine included the following:

To propagate general culture and to acquaint non-Muslim Brothers with the latter’s

message and methods; To help wake up the feelings of Islamic attachment and to strengthen the spirit of

modern Islamic revival To use the magazine as the MB’s courier to all Muslim countries, honestly speaking

for them with all transparency. (IkhwanWeb, 2007)

Al-Ikhwan knew the importance of women in the society and they knew that the Quran values

women and her role in the society, and they knew that women have a huge influence on their

kids and husbands. Al- Ikhwan have called for doing her justice, treating her with respect and for

the abolition of forms of unfairness and repression towards her so that she can have her rightful

access to learning, work, responsibility and choice in marriage.

“Islam, the mercy of Allah, is for all of mankind and makes no preference to

sex. Men and women have a calling and a place in nature. Neither has a greater

value, nor is one of greater importance. Both are subject to Divine Retribution

which is equal for the capacity of each. The Quran expounds upon this in

multiple verses and exists as an illuminating miracle for those who reflect”

(Qaradawy, 2000)

In 1934 an Islamic division was opened for Muslim sisters called “Muslim Sisters Group”, the

most significant objective of which was to stick to Islamic manners and to promote virtue,

continence and modesty, as well as to explain the harmful effects of superstitions and rumors

among female Muslims.


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Ikhwan Utilizing Social Media

In the last few years, the internet has become the primary incubator of democratic political

conversation. The state has never had this role, civil society in Egypt and the Muslim

Brotherhood has moved online, using the information infrastructure of digital media as the place

for difficult political conversations about regime change, gender and political life, and Islamic

identity.

The Ikhwan have launched a new website–a wiki, an online encyclopedia pages where interested

individuals can register, create and edit content. The wiki documents Ikhwan history from the

Brotherhood’s perspective. Unlike less practical Islamic groups, the Brotherhood has a history

of engaging with and using the media since the group’s formation under Hassan el-Banna in

1928, whether this is through talking to the press or producing their own publications.

The Brotherhood uses its own website as a news gateway featuring the group’s latest news,

publishing their press releases and announcements as well as op-eds. by some of the group’s

most prominent personalities. The wiki, which is still in its early stages with a little over 1700

accessible articles, provides the Ikhwan perspective of their own history and events in which they

were involved or believe to be closely tied to their Islamic or political cause–a mini Ikhwan

library for those who don’t have access to the Brotherhood’s literature or to writings by their

thinkers that are available in some Islamic bookstores. (Amer, 2010)

Not giving up on social media as a new factor of developing the civil society, the Muslim

Brotherhood, announced it planned to launch its own social media network. The new service will

reportedly have similar features to popular social networks like Facebook and My

Space. However, a spokesman for the group said the purpose of the site was not solely to make

friends but also to “promote moderate Islam and clarify who we are.”Ikhwanbook.com2 which is

the new service is designed for Muslims around the world who are apparently uncomfortable

with the more liberal content rules on non-Islamic social networks. Muslim Brotherhood officials

say the content guidelines on their new site will be stricter, as will privacy rules to protect its

users.Concluding the Muslim Brotherhood is developing the society in many aspects; they are

2 See Appendix for Print screen


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concentrating on many attributes like, education, media, arts, and literature and women rights.

The have a high concentration of Education and their realization of media importance,

correspondingly they are utilizing the media in delivering “Life Educational” messages. Yet they

didn’t fail to realize new trends and new media, as they are wonderfully utilizing the internet as a

way to develop culture, society and prosper the image of Islam. Their focus on social media

shows their ability to contribute to the civil society, as online groups and blogs are the next big

thing in formulating opinions and creating observant cultures.


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The Stereotyping| Al Gama’a

Since Al Gama’a series was first aired in TV in Ramadan 2010 it raised a lot of debates among

the society. Dr. Mohamed El Beltagy3 stated that he is highly against and that he is so unhappy

with that new series, and he described it as: a vivid & concrete example to control the media, and

use it as a vehicle to portray the government political orientations. El Beltagy also stated that

Waheed Hammed, the writer of the series, has twisted the reality to defame Al-Ikhwan for

political reasons, in favor of the government in 2010 parliamentary elections.

The series, presented the history of Al-Ikhwan and the biography of its founder Hassan El-

Banna, but the series started in year 2006 while hey stressed on what the MB were after, and

stating that they were after power and ruling the country. some of the viewers of the series,

believed that Al-Ikhwan are a threat on Egyptian society, while others believe that the

government is overdoing it and they are portraying Al-Ikhwan in an offensive way.

The author of the series Waheed Hammed was accused before by supporters of the MB that he

was anti-Muslim Brotherhood group with which he attacked in his private film former "Birds of

Darkness,” written after the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood candidates in the elections of the

lawyer’s Association. The portrayal in El Gama’a series was not the first stereotype, as the

Ikhwani character was always portrayed as, people who seek any opportunities to reach their

own good, layers who don’t care about what God thinks, and they can even work with the devil

to get their needs. The always seek money and power, and they are just pure gangsters. That was

the case in Al Gama’a in the character of “Bahgat El Sawah”, “Rashed” in “Days of Love &

Salt” and “Ali El Zanaty” in “Birds of Darkness”

3 Mohamed El-Beltagy: أمین عام كتلة إلخوان المسلمین


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Ezzat El-Alyaly, one of the actors in El Gama’a Stated that the series has nothing to do with Al-

Ikhwan loosing in the parliamentary elections, and people with political orientation are the ones

who see this series in favor of politics, while other viewers just praise the artistic part of the

series. I have to agree with him that the series didn’t cause the Ikhwan failure in the elections, its

because it was obvious that the government wont let them win anyways, but I will disagree about

the fact that only the political oriented people are the ones who saw that from a political

perspective. I am one of the people who have no political orientations what so ever and I was

still offended about the way Al-Ikhwan were portrayed, and I was quite sure that they chose to

air the series in that timing in particular for the elections.


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Linking the constitution with reality

Article 1, 5&2| One Nation

The first article in the constitution states that Egypt is a democratic country, and all the Egyptian

work together to create united nation. The fifth article talks about the right of the Egyptians in

creating political parties, but it just has to be without any religious perspectives nor any religious

orientations

Article 1

والشعب المصرى جزء من األمة العربیة یعمل على تحقیق . جمھوریة مصر العربیة دولة نظامھا دیمقراطى یقوم على أساس المواطنة .وحدتھا الشاملة

Article 5

العربیة على أساس تعدد األحزاب وذلك فـى إطار المقومات والمبادئ األساسیة للمجتمع یقوم النظام السیاسى فـى جمھوریة مصر وال . وللمواطنین حق تكوین األحزاب السیاسیة وفقا للقانون. وینظم القانون األحزاب السیاسیة. المصرى المنصوص علیھا فـى الدستور

رجعیة دینیة أو أساس دیني، أو بناء على التفرقة بسبب الجنس أو تجوز مباشرة أى نشاط سیاسى أو قیام أحزاب سیاسیة على أیة م .األصل

Linking the former two articles along with second article that states that “Islam is the main

religion in the country and all rules and values are based on the Islamic Shari’ea, we will come

up with the fact that the constitution is contradicting itself, first it stated that Egypt is a

democratic country and we are all working for the benefits of one nation, democracy means that

any one can form a political party as stated in the fifth article, yet no party can be created with a

any religious orientation. How is the previous fact possible when the second article states that the

Islamic shari’ea is ruling Egypt? So how can the government restrict forming a political party

under an “Islamic Orientation”? That question applies on the following case: as the government

prevented Al-Ikhwan from forming a political party, and they still run in the elections as

independent, and without the umbrella of a political party.


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Article 9 & 12| Society & Ethics

The 9th & 12th article both discuss following religion, having values & concrete principles in life,

and that these values are the essence to succeed in all aspects of life. The Brotherhood's ideology

is based on a fundamentalist approach to Islam - a return to its pure sources in the Holy Qur'an

and the tradition and teachings of the Prophet Mohamed. The group views Islam not only as a

religion but as a system which deals with all aspects of life. (Howeidy, 1995) ; It’s about

outstanding behavior and attitude in work, career and personal lives. Islam is about developing

nation and maintaining the civil society, Islam is about retaining the Egyptian and Islamic

identity, following values & principles and being moderate.

Although the ninth and twelfths article matches the MB ideology, Al-Ikhwan were still

negatively portrayed in the media, as terrorist who are looking for corruption and abolishing the

purity of Islam.

Article 9

وتحرص الدولة على الحفاظ على الطابع األصیل لألسرة المصریة وما یتمثل . واألخالق والوطنیةاألسرة أساس المجتمع، قوامھا الدین

.فیھ من قیم وتقالید، مع تأكید ھذا الطابع وتنمیتھ فى العالقات داخل المجتمع المصري

Article 12

یھ مراعاة المستوى الرفـیع للتربیة الدینیة والقیم الخلقیة یلتزم المجتمع برعایة األخالق وحمایتھا، والتمكین للتقالید المصریة األصیلة، وعل

وتلتزم الدولة بإتباع ھذه المبادئ . والوطنیة، والتراث التاریخى للشعب، والحقائق العلمیة، واآلداب العامة، وذلك فـى حدود القانون

.والتمكین لھا


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Article 47 & 48| Freedom

The articles concentrating on freedom are the most important ones from my opinion, in the 47th

article states that every person has the right to express their opinion openly and freely, whether

spoken or written without no restrictions. So why doesn’t the government give Al-Ikhwan the

right to speak and spread their ideology? Well probably feeling frightened by the power religion

and right values can do. The 48th article about media freedom states that there are no boundaries

on media, it just has to follow the law and ethics. This means that Waheed Hammed and his

crew had the right to preview the biography of Hassan El Banna and the history of Al-Ikhwan.

That is not the case as expressing his opinion contradicts Article 1 & 5 which is overstepping on

religion, along with contradicting with the invading the privacy of a certain public figure without

their consent. Not following this rule, the crew of Al Gamaa series were sued by El-Banna’s

Family and had to face court.

Article 47

حریة الرأي مكفولة، ولكل إنسان التعبیر عن رأیھ ونشره بالقول أو الكتابة أو التصویر أو غیر ذلك من وسائل التعبیر في حدود القانون،

.والنقد الذاتي والنقد البناء ضمان لسالمة البناء الوطني

Article 48

حریة الصحافة والطباعة والنشر ووسائل اإلعالم مكفولة، والرقابة على الصحف محظورة وإنذارھا أو وقفھا أو إلغاؤھا بالطریق

اإلداري محظور، ویجوز استثناء في حالة إعالن الطوارئ أو زمن الحرب أن یفرض على الصحف والمطبوعات ووسائل اإلعالم رقابة

.التي تتصل بالسالمة العامة أو أغراض األمن القومي، وذلك كلھ وفقا للقانونمحددة في األمور


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The Potter Box

The Potter Box has four steps. Potter’s Box is an ethical framework used to make decisions by utilizing four categories which Potter identifies as universal to all ethical dilemmas. Potter was a theologian when he developed this moral reasoning framework. The Potter Box uses four dimensions of moral analysis to help in situations where ethical dilemmas occur: Facts, Values, Principles, and Loyalties as described below. In our case the ethical dilemma is about whether it was ethical or unethical to portray such a series in that particular period of time, which is before the parliamentary elections.

Definition / Facts In Ramadan 2010 an Egyptian drama named “El-Gama’a” talking about the Muslim Brotherhood, their history and the biography of its founder. The point here is that portraying such religious figures should be away from political orientation or not, and is it ethical to air it in that critical time, which is parliamentary election, to defame the image of the MB.

Values Socio-culture values, sees who were the groups or individuals who were offended or harmed in the society, in our case the MB and its supporters will be offended by the negative image that they were portrayed in and it will shake their image in the society. Moral Values, which is concentrated in honesty, non-violence & integrity, El-Banna’s privacy was invaded, his biography was portrayed without no consent from his family nor friends. If the series was honest it would have taken the families consent, and it wont be so biased to the government, it would have shown both sides of the story rather than focusing on the governmental perspective. Professional Values, believing that it was totally unprofessional and not punctual to view one side of the story, makes the professional value in airing the series low. Also the timing is so unprofessional as the series work in favor for one of the parties involved in the parliamentary elections. Logical Values, it is logical and valid for any one to portray his opinion about anything and anyone, but it is also logical to not be biased and not invade the privacy nor the freedom of any individual or group.


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Principles

Aristotle's Golden Mean. Aristotle's Golden Mean defines moral virtue as a middle state determined practical wisdom that emphasizes moderation and temperance.

Confucius' Golden Mean. Confucius' Golden Mean is more commonly known as the compromise principle and says moral virtue is the appropriate location between two extremes.

Kant's Categorical Imperative. Kant's Categorical Imperative dictates what we must never do, and those actions that have become universal law.

Mill's Principle of Utility. John Stuart Mill's Principle of Utility dictates that we must seek the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

Rawls' Veil of Ignorance. John Rawls' Veil of Ignorance asks us to place ourselves in the position of the people our decisions may influence.

Agape Principle. This principle, also known as the Judeo-Christian, 'Persons as Ends' principle, emphasizes love for our fellow humans and the golden rule.

Referring to Confucius Golden mean, which states having a compromise between two extremes, a decision will be made. If it is really necessary to air the series, probably it can be aired in an different period of time that is not related to political figures, and it would have been better if two sides of the story were shown, in order to leave the decision to the audience to make.

Loyalties

The loyalties of any media vehicle have to be the welfare of the public; they deserve not to be deceived, they deserve to make their own decision about any topic, and they deserve not to be offended. For many people Al-Ikhwan are role model and they believe that the ideology they follow is the right and most religious ideology to follow.

Conclusion Using the Potter Box Reaching the conclusion of not airing the series in that particular time, and staying away from biased political orientations will be the chosen decision. Also taking the consent of the people portrayed will be a must, along with showing the opinions of both sides and leaving the final decision to the audience, based on their orientations, perspectives and frame of reference.


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Appendix

Muslim Brotherhood History Time Line

1928: Founded by Hassan al-Banna as a youth club.

1936: The Muslim Brotherhood takes a pro-Arab position following the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty

and the start of the Palestinian uprising against Zionist settlements in Palestine.

1939: The Muslim Brotherhood defines itself as a political organization based on the Koran and

the Hadith, a system applicable to modern society.

1940: The Brotherhood realizes 500 branches, each with its own centre, mosque, school and

club.

1940-45: During World War 2, the Brotherhood experiences fast growth, and is joined by

individuals from the lower and middle strata of society.

1946: The Brotherhood claims to have more than 5,000 branches, over 500,000 members and

even more sympathizers.

1948: Brothers join the Palestinian side in the war against the Zionists of Palestine. Many

Egyptian officers feel the war puts them in touch with their ideology.

— The brothers blame the Egyptian government for passivity in the war against the Zionists.

They initiate terrorist attacks within Egypt.

— December: The Muslim Brotherhood is banned by the authorities.

— December 28: Prime Minister Mahmud Fahmi Nokrashi is assassinated by a brother. This

leads to even more repression from the government.

1949 February: Hassan al-Banna is killed by secret agents in Cairo.

1950: The Brotherhood is legalized again, but only as a religious body.

1951: Hassan Islam al-Hudaibi, a moderate, is elected leader of the Brotherhood.

1952 January: The Brotherhood is active during the anti-British riots in Cairo.

— July: Unlike political parties, the Brotherhood is not banned following the coup by the

Revolutionary Command Council (RCC). This happens because the Brotherhood in in

cooperation with the revolutionaries.

1954 February: Due to differences about the appropriate governmental system, whether Sharia

or secular law, the Brotherhood is banned again.


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— October 23: A Brotherhood activist, Abdul Munim Abdul Rauf, tries to assassinate president

Nasser, but fails. Following this, he and 5 other brothers are executed, 4,000 members are

arrested. Thousands flee to Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Lebanon.

1964: A general amnesty is granted to imprisoned brothers. Nasser wants them to join the newly

formed government party, the Arab Socialist Union, to ward off the threat of communism. This

conditional cooperation policy does not succeed, and Nasser is exposed to 3 more assassination

attempts.

1966: The top leaders of the Brotherhood are executed, and many other members imprisoned.

1968 April: Around 1,000 brothers are released from prison by president Nasser.

1970: With the death of Nasser, the new president, Anwar as-Sadat, promises the brothers that

Sharia shall be implemented as the law of Egypt. All Brotherhood prisoners are released.

1976: The Muslim Brotherhood is not allowed to participate in the general elections, so many

brothers run as independent candidates or as members of the ruling Arab Socialist Party.

Altogether they gain 15 seats.

1979: The Brotherhood opposes strongly the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.

1981 September: About 2,000 dissidents are arrested, of which a majority are brothers.

— October 6: President Sadat is assassinated by 4 brothers.

1984: The Muslim Brotherhood cooperates with the Neo-Wafd Party in the general elections.

The brothers win 8 seats.

1987: The Brotherhood cooperates with the Socialist Labour Party and the Liberal Socialist

Party to form the Labour Islamic Alliance. The alliance wins 60 seats, of which 37 are held by

brothers.

1990: The Brotherhood boycotts the elections, protesting government controls at the polls.

2005 The Muslim Brotherhood is prevented from running for parliamentary elections as a

political party. But their candidates, running as independents, manage to win 88 seats out of a

total 454, making them by far the largest opposition group (other parties win 14 seats).


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Ikhwanbook.com


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Musilm brotherhood & media ethics