Profile: Dr Mohammed Badie – Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood

Mohammed Badie Abdul-Majid Muhammad Sami was born in 1943. He joined the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) while in his early 20s. He studied veterinary medicine at Cairo University and graduated in 1965 and appointed as a lecturer at Asyut University.

In the same year, he was arrested along with a number of MB leaders, including the late Sayid Qutb, and was sentenced to 15 years. He served nine years of that sentence and was released as part of presidential amnesty in April 1974. He returned to his work at Asyut University. Later, he worked in Al-Zaqaziq University before travelling to Yemen where he worked for several years. He established the Yemeni Veterinary Institution and translated the entire teaching syllabus from English to Arabic.

Dr Badie retuned to Egypt to continue his postgraduate studies and teaching career. He was awarded an MA in veterinary medicine in 1977 and PhD in the same field in 1979.

Dr Badie began his career in veterinary medicine at Cairo University, Beni Suef branch in 1987 and headed the Department of Veterinary Pathology in the same university for two terms beginning in 1990. He also established the Veterinary Institute in the university.

Badie was identified as one of the 100 influential personalities in the Arab world by the Egyptian State Information Service in 1999. He was given this recognition for his creativity, scientific contributions and achievements in the field of veterinary medicine.

From 1986 to 1990, he served as a member of MB administrative office in Beni Suef and became a member of the movement’s Guidance Council.

He was arrested for a second time in 1998 on the grounds of heading the Management Council of the Islamic Dawa Society in Beni Suef. He spent 75 days in prison. In 1999, he was imprisoned for the third time and sentenced to five years. He spent three years and nine months in prison and was released in 2003.

After the former Supreme Guide, Dr Mahdi Akef, stood down from his position in 2010, he was succeeded by Dr Badie. When MB decided to start continuous sit-ins protesting the military coup against the freely elected president Mohamed Morsi, Badie made a very important and remarkable remark during his address to a mass rally in Rabaa Al Adawiya. Contrary to the widespread rumours that MB would adopt a course of violence to protest Morsi’s removal Badie said: “Our peacefulness is stronger than their [army] guns.”

Soon after, a travel ban was imposed on him, as well as his deputy Khairat el-Shater and other MB leaders.

Last Friday, his oldest son, computer engineer Ammar, 40, was killed by the Egyptian army in Ramses Square during the anti-coup protest. More than 100 other Egyptians were also killed by the army and thugs on that day.