Sayyid Qutb was born in 1906 in the village of Musha in the province of Asyut province of Upper Egypt. He was educated in religious and secular schools in Egypt and spent two years studying in the United States. Upon his return to Egypt, he worked for the government. His activism led him to join political movements that put him on a collision course with the government. The regime of Gamal Abdel Nasser executed him in 1966.