Frontline, GlobalPost Offer a Closer Look at Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood

Mohammed Badie, the head of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, at a press conference in November. (Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images)

PBS’ Frontline airs a report Tuesday night called “Revolution in Cairo” on Egypt’s youth movement, which mobilized under the radar of the secret police by using social media, including Twitter and Facebook.

The second half looks at the once-banned political party the Muslim Brotherhood, which now will have a prominent seat at the negotiating table over Egypt’s future.

View a preview from Frontline:

On Tuesday’s NewsHour, we’ll air an excerpt of the Muslim Brotherhood report and follow with a conversation with GlobalPost co-founder and executive editor Charles Sennott, who narrates the piece.

In an article for GlobalPost, Sennott said that the Muslim Brotherhood sees itself “as a social-service network more than a political machine.”

But in a post-Hosni Mubarak Egypt, the organization will have to transition from an underground movement into the public eye, with the scrutiny that brings.

Sennott also writes that, although the Muslim Brotherhood’s approach is considered more moderate than other Islamist groups, its views on Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel might deter U.S. engagement with the group:

“There is a moment now for Washington to reconsider the Muslim Brotherhood and engage with a moderate Islamist movement. It is a long-shot that the United States will do this since the Brotherhood is opposed to Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel. (To be precise, the Brotherhood says it would press for the peace treaty to be put to a vote. And, as political analysts point out, it would not take a lot of polling to see the treaty would be overwhelmingly rejected by a majority of Egyptians.)”

Tune into Tuesday’s broadcast for more on the Muslim Brotherhood. Find additional international coverage on our World page and follow us on Twitter.