The engineer who rose from a village to Egypt's presidency

History · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before he was the face of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Morsi was a materials science professor in the United States. His journey from a modest Egyptian village to the highest office in the land ended in a dramatic military coup and a contested political legacy.

Born in 1951 in the village of El Adwah, Mohamed Morsi’s early life was far removed from the corridors of power. The son of a farmer, he moved to Cairo to study engineering, eventually earning a PhD from the University of Southern California in 1982. His academic career took him to California State University, Northridge, before he returned to Egypt to lead engineering departments at Zagazig University.

Morsi’s political ascent was inextricably linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. Although the group was barred from formal politics under Hosni Mubarak, Morsi entered parliament as an independent in 2000. Following the 2011 revolution, he emerged as the leader of the Freedom and Justice Party, winning the 2012 presidential election with 51.73 percent of the vote. His presidency, however, was marked by intense friction with the military and judicial branches.

The stability of his administration was undermined by controversial moves, such as a November 2012 decree that granted him near-unrestricted authority to bypass judicial oversight. While Morsi argued these measures protected the revolution, critics labeled them an 'Islamist coup.' This tension culminated in June 2013, when military-led protests resulted in his removal from office by General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Morsi's final years were defined by legal battles and physical decline. After facing death sentences that were later overturned, he died in custody on 17 June 2019. His death sparked significant controversy, with allegations that he had been denied essential medical care while in detention.

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