Mustafa al-Siba'i

Mustafa al-Siba'i was a prominent Syrian intellectual, activist, and politician. He was born in Homs, Syria, in 1915, and studied Islamic theology at al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. He was influenced by the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al-Banna, and joined the organization in 1930. He returned to Syria and became a professor and dean of the Faculty of Islamic Jurisprudence and the School of Law at the University of Damascus. He also founded the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1946, and led it until 1961. He was elected to the Syrian parliament in 1949 and 1954, and advocated for Islamic socialism, democracy, and anti-imperialism. He opposed the union of Syria and Egypt in 1958, and supported the coup that ended it in 1961. He was also a prolific writer and published several books and articles on various aspects of Islam, such as religion and state, socialism and Islam, and the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad. He died in 1964 after suffering from hemiparesis for eight years. He is regarded as one of the most influential Islamic thinkers and leaders of the 20th century.