Sunni Islamist movements

Sunni Islamist political thought traces partly to the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt by Hassan al-Banna in 1928. The Egyptian thinker Sayyid Qutb (executed by Nasser in 1966) wrote influential works arguing for the application of Sharia to all aspects of life and for the legitimacy of struggle (jihad) against secular Muslim rulers. His ideas influenced later Islamist movements including al-Qaeda.

Major Sunni Islamist movements have included:

• Muslim Brotherhood: Mass political-religious organization in Egypt and across the Sunni Muslim world. Sometimes participates in electoral politics, sometimes suppressed by governments.
• Hamas: Palestinian Islamist movement, founded 1987, that has controlled Gaza since 2007
• Taliban: Afghan Islamist movement that ruled Afghanistan 1996-2001 and again from 2021
• Al-Qaeda: Transnational terrorist network founded by Osama bin Laden, responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks
• Islamic State (ISIS): Brutal jihadist movement that controlled territory in Iraq and Syria 2013-2019