|
|
EGYPT: Muslim Brotherhood on the Mat
By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa Al-Omrani
CAIRO, Jun 3 (IPS) - Several leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood opposition movement
stand accused of plans to form an "international network of organisational
cells." Its leaders say the charges are blatant fabrications.
"We're used to trumped-up charges," says Saad Al-Husseini, a prominent
Brotherhood MP accused by police of spearheading the group's alleged
global expansion plans. "I was also briefly accused of training jihadists in
Chechnya five years ago - despite never having left Egypt," he told IPS.
Thirteen leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, including a member of the
group's Guidance Office, were arrested last month for "establishing
organisational cells worldwide." The claims were accompanied by customary
charges of "belonging to and financing a banned organisation," and of
money laundering.
Although the Brotherhood remains formally outlawed, its members can
contest as nominal independents in municipal and parliamentary elections. In
2005, the group captured 88 seats in parliament - roughly one-fifth of the
national assembly - making it Egypt's largest opposition bloc.
The independent daily Al-Dustour reported last month that the 13 had been
formally accused of setting up an illegal "committee for communications
abroad." According to official charges cited in the press, the committee
constituted an attempt to "form an international network of Muslim
Brotherhood strongholds."
The men were further accused of "exploiting foreign religious students in
Egypt to promote the Muslim Brotherhood's message in their respective
countries," and of "communicating with Brotherhood cells overseas." The
police charge sheet spoke of plans to establish cells in Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq, as well as in the U.S., Germany and
Italy.
Police additionally went on to accuse four high-ranking Brotherhood figures
of complicity in the plot. Along with Al-Husseini, these included Ibrahim Al-
Katitani, head of the group's parliamentary bloc; Hussein Ibrahim, Al-
Katitani's number two in parliament; and Abdel Menaam Abou Al-Fotouh,
who is also secretary-general of the Arab Doctors Union. All the men except
Ibrahim are also members of the group's 21-member Guidance Office.
Al-Husseini, who leads the parliamentary bloc's committee for foreign
relations and was therefore accused of heading the alleged "communications
committee", calls the charges against him "illusory".
"It's true that I'm responsible for foreign relations for the Brotherhood bloc in
the assembly. Whenever international figures visit Egypt's parliament, I meet
with them openly," he said. "But this doesn't mean that I run a 'committee for
international communications', the existence of which is a police fabrication.
"Throughout the world, Muslim Brotherhood members respect the laws of
the nations in which they reside," Al-Husseini said. "This is part of the
group's philosophy. Despite the frequent moves against us - such as arrest
campaigns, asset seizures or false accusations - we remain devoted to
political change by peaceful means only."
Some of the group's spokesmen have suggested that the recent arrest
campaign was aimed specifically at Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide
Mehdi Akef, noting that a number of Akef's personal assistants had been
detained in the recent sweep.
"The latest campaign targets Mehdi Akef," leading Brotherhood member
Essam Al-Arian was quoted as saying. "It's an attempt to punish him for his
recent public statements in support of (Lebanese resistance group)
Hizbullah."
In early May, Akef declared that Hizbullah leader Hasan Nasrallah "should be
thanked for his support to the Palestinian resistance (against Israel) and his
perseverance against the enemy." Akef added that Egypt "should offer
Nasrallah its gratitude, respect and appreciation, rather than try to tarnish
his image."
In April, authorities announced the arrest of members of a Hizbullah cell that
they claimed had been planning terrorist operations in Egypt. Although
Nasrallah hastily stated that the group had only been tasked with assisting
the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, the government has since used the
incident to launch a blistering media campaign against the Lebanese Shia
resistance group and its leader.
Ibrahim Mansour, political analyst and executive editor of Al-Dustour, agrees
that the crackdown on the Brotherhood leadership may have been in reaction
to Akef's public support of Hizbullah.
"A number of western governments officially consider Hizbullah a terrorist
group," Mansour told IPS. "Therefore, Akef's statements in support of
Nasrallah allow Egypt to portray the Brotherhood to the west as a dangerous
supporter of terrorism.
"The case will probably remain in limbo, at least for a while," added Mansour.
"It will give the government an additional means of pressuring the
Brotherhood in advance of parliamentary elections next year."
Mohamed Habib, first deputy to the group's supreme guide, has stated that
the recent arrests were aimed primarily at pre-empting rapprochement
between the Brotherhood and the administration of U.S. President Barack
Obama, who is scheduled to deliver a high-profile speech in Cairo Jun. 4.
"It's been suggested that Obama was going to invite a number of
Brotherhood parliamentarians to attend the event," Habib was quoted as
saying. "But the prospect of the U.S. President opening communications with
us angered the regime, which decided to launch a pre-emptive strike."
Al-Husseini, however, attributed the crackdown primarily to the state's
longstanding fear of the group as Egypt's largest and best organised
opposition force.
"The main reason for the latest round of arrests and accusations is that the
Muslim Brotherhood represents the strongest popular force in the country,"
he said. "The Egyptian regime remains deep in the embrace of America and
Israel, while the Brotherhood opposes the Zionist-U.S. colonial project in the
region - several of those arrested also happened to have led demonstrations
against Israel's recent assault on Gaza."
Al-Husseini added: "For these reasons the government is continuing its
longstanding strategy of attrition aimed at perpetually harassing, threatening
and wearing us down, without any regard for the law."
(END/2009)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
What is RSS?
