Breaking the Shackles of 1982: The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood in the 2011 uprising

This thesis re-examined the history of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood to both identify whether the 1982 Hama uprising has skewed interpretations of the movement, and to understand the role that the group is playing in the current Syrian conflict. Based on interviews with Brotherhood and Syrian opposition members, Arabic-language documents and archival research, it is argued that the group is neither as violent nor undemocratic as the Hama uprising implied. Nonetheless, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood has acquired deep flaws throughout its history that have prevented it from achieving its much-anticipated political rehabilitation in the current conflict.