Editing Takfir wal-Hijra (section)

==Name==
The label "''Takfir wal-Hijra''" ("excommunication and exodus") was from the start a derogatory term used by the official Egyptian press media when talking about the cult group ''Jama'at al-Muslimin''. The word ''[[takfir]]'' means to judge and label somebody (specifically one or more self-proclaimed Muslims, in this case contemporary Muslim society) to be a ''[[kafir]]'' (non-Muslim infidel). ''[[Hijra (Islam)|Hijra]]'' means flight or emigration or leaving, specifically the migration of the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]] and his followers from [[Mecca]] where they were being persecuted, to the city of [[Medina]]. Thus, "''Takfir wal-Hijra''" referred to Muslims who judge mainstream Muslim society to be infidel, and see it as their duty to separate from it until such a time as they can return in strength to conquer and Islamicize it, as Muhammad did with Mecca.

Most Egyptians hesitated to use the title the group used for itself, ''Jama'at al-Muslimin'' meaning "Society of Muslims", as it implied that the group was ''the'' society of Muslims, and those not members were not part of Muslim society and not true Muslims.  In addition, since few Egyptian Muslims (and no one in the government) agreed with the belief of the group's founder [[Shukri Mustafa]] that Muslims in Egypt deserved to be "excommunicated" (''takfir'') as un-Islamic, and that true Muslims were compelled to be in "exodus" (''hijra''), the cult's idea of "''Takfir wal-Hijra''" made it unique to most Egyptians.  Consequently, "''Takfir wal-Hijra''" was the name given to the group by its detractors. Not surprisingly, Shukri and his followers strongly objected to being called that, but "''Takfir wal-Hijra''", and not ''Jama'at al-Muslimin'', became fixed in the popular consciousness.<ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=iCoYDUv63L8C&q=Understanding+Terror+Networks%3A+Marc+Sageman Understanding Terror Networks]'' By Marc Sageman, (University of Pennsylvania Press) p.28</ref>