Al Jazeera.net reported today that members of the Muslim Brotherhood have erected an online encyclopedia to help inform the public about the organization's history, ideology, and political aims. Dubbed Ikhwan Wiki, the site is done in the style of the ever popular Wikipedia. Thus, those who want to either edit or contribute content have to register. However, you also have to provide the administrator with your ‘real name’ when registering.
According the editor-in-chief of the Brotherhood's website, the encyclopedia is not officially under the authority of the group, nor is it tied to its Guidance Bureau. He sees its more as a tool for researchers and journalists, and states that the younger generation of Muslim Brothers believes that the organization's culture, history, and leadership, need a stronger presence on the Internet.
In recent years a number of Muslim Brothers have utilized Internet-based media platforms, namely blogging, to counter Egypt's restrictive media culture and provide the organization with an alternative media outlet. Much like the blogging phenomenon, this appears to an effort emanating from the grass-roots level, rather than being driven by the organization's leadership.
Nonetheless, informing the public about the organization, is perhaps a key ingredient that has been missing from the Brotherhood's online presence. Since the Brotherhood has been the subject of increased attention in both the fields of journalism and academia in recent years, this could be seen as a move to make sure interested parties are better informed about the organization.
