June 19, 2013
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Muslim Brotherhood Making Political Gains in Egypt and Jordan
by THE GLOBAL MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD DAILY REPORT February 4, 2011
Essam el-Arian (el-Erian), spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood.
Global media are reporting on comments by a prominent Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood spokesman that if President Mubarak is replaced, a referendum will be held to decide the fate of the 1979 peace treaty with Israel. According to one report:
Tel Aviv - If the "revolution" to oust Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak succeeds, Egypt will hold a referendum to decide the fate of its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, Israel's Channel 10 television quoted a Muslim Brotherhood official as warning Thursday.
"Israel has nothing to fear but its own crimes," Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Assam el-Erian told the channel.
But he also gave reassurances that the Brotherhood was a "non- violent" and not an extremist organization.
Israel is following the unrest in Egypt closely and with concern, fearing it could jeopardize its 31-year-old peace with the regional super power to its southern border.
Israeli officials have warned of a scenario in which Muslim extremists who might decide to discontinue the peace with Israel could assume power in Egypt.
An earlier post discussed comments by another Egyptian Brotherhood spokesman that that he would like to see the Egyptian people “prepare for war” with Israel.
GlobalMB.
King Abdullah II of Jordan.
US media is reporting that the King of Jordan has met with the Jordanian mg for the first time in a decade. According to a New York Times report:
AMMAN, Jordan — King Abdullah II, struggling to stave off growing public discontent, widened his political outreach on Thursday and met with the Muslim Brotherhood for the first time in nearly a decade. He also asserted in a statement that he would fight corruption and foster broad national dialogue.
The statement from the royal court said, “The king reaffirmed in a meeting with a delegation from the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Action Front that it is important for them to work together to press political reform that will increase the role of citizens in decision making.”
A Muslim Brotherhood leader, Zaki Bani Rshead, said earlier in an interview in his Amman office that the newly appointed prime minister, Marouf al-Bakhit, had offered the movement a role in his government but that it had turned him down.
“We refused because we want the prime minister to be elected, not appointed by the king, and we want real elections,” he said. “We are willing to be a partner but in a real government.”
The Muslim Brotherhood is estimated to have the support of 25 to 30 percent of Jordan’s six million people. It was expected to lead modest demonstrations on Friday calling for democratic steps, although others who had taken part in past weeks said they would hold off and see the nature of the new government.
On Tuesday, after weeks of low-level protests demanding change here — and after huge street revolts brought political upheaval to Tunisia and Egypt — Abdullah fired his cabinet and appointed Mr. Bakhit prime minister. The king publicly instructed him to pursue democratic reform and reach out to a broad range of constituents. Mr. Bakhit has held many consultations in preparation for forming his government, in itself a rare step here.
Abdullah, who turned 49 on Sunday and has been on the throne for 12 years, is clearly shaken by the events regionally and in his own country. He has been paying surprise visits in recent days to poor areas and villages and ordering assistance to the families he encountered.
Thursday’s statement acknowledged the failure of recent efforts at reform, placing blame on “people who put their personal interests above the public interest, fear of change and hesitation in making decisions.” It said the king expected the new government to start a comprehensive national dialogue that includes all segments of society.
It added that a new electoral law should be drafted that would attract political parties to take part in elections and that all the country’s issues should be discussed publicly “with transparency, openness and clarity.” It vowed tough punishment for anyone involved in corruption, saying, “no one is above the law.”
Few predicted imminent danger to Abdullah given the long devotion to his family among Jordanians. But complaints against the king, once largely unheard of, have been growing markedly.
Earlier posts reported on protests organized by the Jordanian Brotherhood.
The Islamic Action Front (IAF) is generally considered to be the political wing of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood. The current leader of the IAF is Secretary-General Ishaq Farhan a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, one of the three founders of the IAF, and a former education minister and senator. Mr. Farhan is also listed as a director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), founded in the U.S. in 1980 by important members of the Global Muslim Brotherhood who wished to promote the “Islamization of Knowledge.” IIIT was associated with the now defunct SAAR Foundation, a network of Islamic organizations located in Northern Virginia that was raided by the Federal government in March 2002 in connection with the financing of terrorism. In 2000, Mr. Farhan was denied entry to the U.S. after having had his visa revoked in the prior year without informing him. The New York Times reported at that time that unidentified American diplomats called Mr. Farhan a “moderating force” and that he “as kept a distance from the vociferous opposition to peaceful relations with Israel.” However, in 2003 a media report said that the IAF had “declared a jihad in favor of Iraq and Palestine if the US attacks Iraq.”
Previous posts have discussed the support for Hamas provided by the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood.
To see all GMBDR coverage of developments, go here.
For GMBDR coverage on the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, go here.
Related posts:
- MIDEAST CRISIS: Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood Calls On New Prime Minster To Step Down
- Qaradawi Meets With Saudi King To Discuss Gaza Crisis
- King Of Jordan Honors Global Muslim Brotherhood Leaders
- MIDEAST CRISIS: Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood Leader Warns US That Allied Regimes Will Be Toppled
- MIDEAST CRISIS: Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood Organizes More Anti-Government Protests
GlobalMB.
MEMRI has translated an Iranian news report on congratulations extended by the Hamas Prime MInister to Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Rachid Ghannouchi who recently returned to Tunisia. According to the MEMRI translation:
Gaza Hamas prime minister Isma’il Haniya congratulated Rachid Al-Gannouchi, the leader of the Tunisian Islamist movement, upon his return to Tunisia after 20 years away, and congratulated the Tunisian people for attaining democracy and freedom.
Haniya stressed that Tunisia would remain a bulwark for the Palestinian people and its cause.
Al-Ghannouchi thanked Haniya and said that Gaza and its steadfastness were the source of inspiration and salvation for the Tunisian people.
Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of the Iranian daily Kayhan, which is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, stated that Al-Ghannouchi’s statement that he “is not Ayatollah Khamenei nor a Shi’ite” was aimed at calming the U.S. about the uprising in Tunisia, and explained that Al-Ghannouchi was not aware of the Islamism of the Tunisian uprising and of Khamenei’s high status among the Tunisian public.
Source: Kayhan, Iran; Maannews.net, February1, 2011
Earlier posts reported on the return of Mr. Ghannouchi.
An Egyptian news report has identified Rashid Ghannouchi (many spelling variations) as a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood “abroad.” Ghannouchi is the leader in-exile of the Tunisian Islamist movement known as Nahada (aka Ennahda, Al Nahda) and can best be described as an independent Islamist power center who is tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood by his membership in the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) and his important position in the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), both organizations led by Global Muslim Brotherhood Youssef Qaradawi. Al-Ghannouchi is also one of the founding members of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), a Saudi organization closely linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and dedicated to the propagation of “Wahabist” Islam throughout the world. Ghannouchi is known for his thinking on the issue of Islam and citizenship rights.
In 1994, scholar Martin Kramer reported on the extremist background of Al-Ghannouchi. According to that report:
Assuming a valid distinction can be made between Islamists who are “extremist” and “reformist,” Ghannouchi clearly belongs to the first category. Since his last visit to the United States, he has openly threatened U.S. interests, supported Iraq against the United States and campaigned against the Arab-Israeli peace process. Indeed, Ghannouchi in exile has personified the rejection of U.S. policies, even as he dispatches missives to the State Department.
The Hamas charter states that it is ” is one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers in Palestine” and an Israeli TV station has reported that in 2008, Muslim Brotherhood “representatives” traveled to Gaza from Egypt through the open border to meet with Hamas. An earlier media report indicated that shortly after Hamas took over the Gaza strip, Muslim Brotherhood representatives were present to review Hamas military formations. Last June, a Hamas journalist acknowledged the role that the “international Muslim Brotherhood” has played in providing funds for the purchase of weapons.
GlobalMB.
Reuters is reporting that the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has been invited to meet with the new Egyptian government as part of a national dialog. According to the report:
Feb 3 (Reuters) – Vice President Omar Suleiman said on Thursday the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s most organised opposition movement, has been invited to meet with the new government as part of a national dialogue with all parties.
He made his remarks in a speech, excerpts of which were reported by state TV. The Islamist group is formally banned in Egypt and has been accused by the authorities of trying to seek power through peaceful means.
It should be noted that the Muslim Brotherhood today has become a global network and that the Egyptian mother branch is not necessarily the most important part of the movement.
Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi, close to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, is often referred to by the GMBDR as the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, an acknowledgement of his role as the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to lead the Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide.
To see all GMBDR coverage of developments, go here.
For GMBDR coverage on the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, go here.
GlobalMB.
Reprinted with permission from the Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report.
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