Mohammad Riad al-Shaqfeh

Mohammad Riad al-Shaqfeh is a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood of Syria. He was born in 1944 in Hama. He is the eleventh Supreme Guide of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, taking over from Ali Sadreddine Al-Bayanouni from August 2010 until 6 November 2014. Mohammad Farouk Tayfour served as his deputy.

He attended high school in Hama, graduating in 1963, and then studied at the University of Damascus's Faculty of Engineering, graduating with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1968.

Role in the Syrian Civil War

At the beginning of the protests the Brotherhood, under the auspices of al-Shaqfeh, refrained from participation, only issuing a statement on the protests at the end of April 2011. The statement called for the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad government. The Brotherhood later took part in the establishment of the Syrian National Council in Istanbul in October 2011, and was believed to be the most powerful group within the Council. The Brotherhood was represented by al-Shaqfeh and his deputy, Mohammad Farouk Tayfour.