This chapter examines the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood’s ideological roots, official political platforms and the works of its main ideologues. For the sake of practicality, the author has split the group’s ideological (Chapter 2) and political work (Chapter 3) into two chapters, although the two subjects are not always mutually distinct. This chapter shows that for the most part, the Brotherhood’s official political platforms and ideas over the decades were consistent and absent of radical ideas, although subsequent chapters show that the Brotherhood has periodically adopted radical tactical changes, including using violence. In this regard, while the chapter’s examination of its political ideas sets a necessary baseline from which the Brotherhood can be considered, it emphasises that one most look beyond ideology to understand the reasons for the Brotherhood’s political decision-making.