Egyptian Islamic Jihad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Egyptian Islamic Jihad |
|
|---|---|
| الجهاد الإسلامي المصري | |
| Active | 1979–2001 (merged with Al-Qaeda) |
| Ideology | A strict form of Islamism aiming for an Islamic state |
| Leaders | Muhammad abd-al-Salam Faraj  |
| Headquarters | Egypt, then Afghanistan (unknown after 2001) |
| Area of operations | Worldwide, but especially in: |
| Allies | State allies:
Non-state allies:
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| Opponents | State opponents:
|
The Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ, Arabic: الجهاد الإسلامي المصري) was a group from Egypt that used violence. It was active from the late 1970s. It was also known by other names like Islamic Jihad and the Jihad Group. Many countries and the United Nations considered it a group that used violence and banned it. This means it was not allowed to operate.
The EIJ's main goal was to overthrow the government in Egypt. They wanted to replace it with an Islamic state, which is a country ruled by Islamic law. Later, the group also started targeting American and Israeli interests, both in Egypt and in other countries.
In 1998, the leaders of the EIJ joined forces with Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda is another group known for using violence on a global scale. In June 2001, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad officially merged with Al-Qaeda. They formed a new group called "Qaeda al-Jihad." However, the UN reported that some members of the EIJ did not agree with this merger and left the group.
After the 2011 Egyptian revolution, which was a big change in Egypt's government, some former leaders of the EIJ created a political party. This party was called the Islamic Party. It later joined a group called the Anti-Coup Alliance after another political event in Egypt in 2013.
See also
- Sayyed Imam Al-Sharif
- Hani al-Sibai
- Terrorism in Egypt
- Returnees from Albania
- Ali Mohammed
- Abu Ayyub al-Masri
- Abu Khayr al-Masri
