Muslim Brotherhood Activities in Yemen, Malaysia, Egypt, Libya and Bosnia
by THE GLOBAL MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD DAILY REPORT
March 2, 2011
Abdul Majid al-Zindani
Global media are reporting that a Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood leader has reversed his earlier position and is now calling for the resignation of President Saleh and for the establishment of an Islamic state. According to a New York Times report, which fails to identify Sheik Abdul Majid al-Zindani as a Muslim Brotherhood leader:
SANA, Yemen — As thousands of demonstrators for and against President Ali Abdullah Saleh took to the streets on Tuesday, a cleric who is a former mentor of Osama bin Laden joined them to call for the replacement of the government with an Islamic state.
The cleric, Sheik Abdul Majid al-Zindani, has been on the United States Treasury Department’s list of “specially designated global terrorists” since 2004, suspected of fund-raising for Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. His call was a marked contrast to the message of the rebellions that brought down the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and now threaten the rulers of Libya, Bahrain, Oman and, to this point, Yemen, where uprisings have been seen as secular and inspired by democratic goals.
In the past, he has publicly opposed terrorism, if not jihad, or holy war, and his word as a spiritual leader carries considerable political and moral weight in Yemen…Mr. Zindani spoke on an open-air stage before several thousand anti-government protesters, guarded by his own private security force of 10 men carrying AK-47’s and shielded from the scorching sun by two umbrellas wielded by aides. He called for Mr. Saleh to step down and described the fervor for reform as an opportunity. “An Islamic state is coming,” he said, drawing cries of “God is great” from some in the crowd.
He said Mr. Saleh “came to power by force, and stayed in power by force, and the only way to get rid of him is through the force of the people.” For many years, he maintained ties with Mr. Saleh even though he was a founder of the Islamic opposition Islah Party.
Some in the crowd said they supported his appearance because of his position against the president. “Yes, he is a big influence,” said Saleh Al Garani, 25, an unemployed antigovernment protester. “But what’s important is that he says ‘get out.’ We all agree because he says Saleh has to go.”
Others said Mr. Zindani’s appearance at the demonstration did not denote a broader Islamic influence on the Yemeni protests. The cleric has been a supporter of Mr. Saleh for five years, said Abdul-Ghani Al Iryani, a political analyst. “Now he has jumped ship because he’s seen that Saleh is slowly losing his power base and therefore he wanted to be with the winning side,” Mr. Iryani said. “That’s all there is to it.”
An earlier post reported that Yemeni politicians and MP’s were calling for the closure of a university associated with al-Zindani and that al-Zindani had appealed to end the current protests in Yemen.
A previous post reported that Yemeni MP’s and politicians had called for the closure of a university associated with al-Zindani and that al-Zindani had urged the ending of the anti-government protests.
Another previous post reported on the role of the Islah Party, the local Muslim Brotherhood organization in Yemen, as part of what was described as a “cross-ideological inter-party coalition.” Zindani is one the most important leaders of Islah who has been the head of the the party’s Shura (advisory) council for at least three terms. The U.S. Treasury Department has designated Zindani as a terrorist and describes him as a “loyalist” and “spiritual advisor” to Osama Bin Laden. A 2007 Jamestown Foundation report further explains Zindani’s terrorist activities:
According to a statement from the U.S. Treasury Department, al-Zindani’s involvement with al-Qaeda includes recruiting, purchasing weapons and acting as a spiritual leader for the movement, as well as acting as a contact for Kurdish Iraq’s Ansar al-Islam. The Yemen government has ignored appeals from Washington for the arrest of the sheikh and the seizure of his assets (Arab News, February 24, 2006). Al-Zindani was recently identified in a U.S. federal court as the coordinator of the October 2000 suicide attack in Aden harbor on the USS Cole. A two and a half year-old lawsuit filed in Virginia by the families of the 17 servicemen killed in the bombing has recently finished by finding the country of Sudan responsible for the attack, opening the way for compensation payments from the US$68 million in Sudanese assets frozen by the U.S. government. The suit also alleged that al-Zindani selected the two suicide bombers that carried out the strike, although the sheikh was never charged by Yemeni authorities with complicity in the attack (The Virginian-Pilot, March 12). Yemen’s minister of foreign affairs, Dr. Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, welcomed the decision, ignoring the alleged role of al-Zindani, while declaring the verdict proof that Yemen was in no way involved in the attack on the U.S. destroyer.
Also, the Jeruslaem Post reported in April 2006 that Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal had met with Zindani at a fundraising event at the Hamas office in Yemen. The report stated that at the event, Zindani “praised Hamas suicide bombers and and called on his followers to donate money to assist the Palestinian people.”
In addition to his leadership of the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood, Zindani also has strong links to the global Muslim Brotherhood including serving on the board of global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi’s Union of Good Hamas fund-raising organization and his relationship to Muslim Brotherhood figure Zaghloul el-Naggar of Egypt. The connection with el-Naggar is based on both men’s position as leading exponents of the so-called “scientific basis of Islam.” As the Jamestown report explains:
Al-Zindani is also a leading exponent of the scientific basis for Islam, as outlined in various passages of the Quran that the sheikh interprets as descriptions of everything from black holes to photosynthesis. Last December, al-Zindani, a former pharmacist, claimed to have developed a cure for HIV/AIDS. Unlike other HIV/AIDS medicines, the sheikh’s discovery allegedly has no side effects while eliminating the disease in men, women and even fetuses. Al-Zindani asserts that he will reveal the herbal formula for “Eajaz-3″ once a copyright has been obtained. Although the sheikh claims the inspiration of his creation “came from God,” no proof of the cure’s effectiveness has yet been presented (Yemen Observer, December 19, 2006). In the last few months, five Libyan children receiving treatment for HIV at al-Zindani’s al-Iman University have been deported in response to allegations of Libyan assistance to Shiite rebels in Yemen’s Sa’ada province (Yemen Observer, March 6; Terrorism Focus, February 20).
Although the Jamestown report says that Zindani “has lately made a slight retreat from the Islamist global arena”, his activities represent one of the challenges to the notion that there is some kind of “firewall” between the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda/and or jihadist organizations.
Related posts:
- Muslim Brotherhood In Yemen Calls For Establishment Of Religious Police
- Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood Leader Criticizes Plan To Include Women In Parliament; Annouces Formation Of Religious Police
- Yemeni Officials Call For Closure Of University Associated With Yemni Muslim Brotherhood Leader
- Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood Leader Says Violence Is Part Of Foreign Plan To Dvidie Country
- Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood Leader Warns Against “Foreign Occupation”
GlobalMB
The following item just caught our eye- a statement by a national correspondent for Atlantic magazine that he had not been fully aware of the theological anti-Semitism of Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi until he “started digging around.” Jeffrey Goldberg writes:
Yusuf Qaradawi, the Sunni scholar and spiritual mentor of Muslim Brotherhood-types across the Umma, has some pretty atrocious things to say about Jews. I was not fully aware of his theological antisemitism until I started digging around. I’ll post on this more once I finish reading some of the source material, but in the meantime Andrew is grappling with the subject admirably:
“(Qaradawi’s) anti-Semitism? Really, appallingly awful. And, alas, not that exceptional everywhere in the region. My hope, of course, is that this sickness abates in more open societies where the rulers do not deploy anti-Semitism as a tool to keep themselves in power. My fear is that it has become so ingrained in Arab and Muslim culture that it endures; and that religiously influenced parties will deepen it.”
It is inexplicable to us that Mr. Goldberg was both unaware of Qaradawi’s anti-Semitism and that he had to “dig around” to find it given that the GMBDR, MEMRI, and other publications have been reporting on Qaradawi for years and we have repeatedly described him as a “virulent anti-Semite.” Mr. Goldberg’s admitted ignorance of Qaradawi’s antisemitism is even more mystifying given his background as an investigative journalist who received the 2003 National Magazine Award for Reporting for his coverage of Islamic terrorism and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists prize for best international investigative journalist.
Mr Goldberg has also been a columnist for the Jerusalem Post. We view Mr. Goldberg’s admitted ignorance on Qaradawi’s anti-Semitism and his assertion that “digging around” was required to find it as symptomatic of the almost complete failure of the Western media to report accurately on the Global Muslim Brotherhood.
To repeat:
Qaradawi is a virulent anti-Semite is often referred to here 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. Based in Qatar, Sheikh Qaradawi has reportedly amassed substantial wealth through his role as Shari’ah adviser to many important Islamic banks and funds. He is also considered to be the “spiritual guide” for Hamas and his fatwas in support of suicide bombings against Israeli citizens were instrumental in the development of the phenomenon. A recent post has discussed a video compilation of Qaradawi’s extremist statements. Qaradawi recently reiterated his support for suicide bombing in Israel and expressed his desire to die as a martyr “at the hands of a non-Muslim.” He has also written that Jews and Muslims will fight a cosmic final battle at the end of Time.
The GMBDR has been covering Qaradawi extensively in these pages for some time. Our coverage on him can be found here.
Related posts:
- Former U.S. Muslim Brotherhood Figure Makes Anti-American And Anti-Semitic Comments On Egyptian TV
- Leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami Issue Anti-Semitic And Anti-American Comments
- ISNA President Comments On Jews Might Seen Be Anti-Semitic
- Imam Who Made Anti-Semitic/Anti-Gay Remarks To Speak In Sweden
- Zaghloul El-Naggar Makes Further Anti-Semitic Remarks
GlobalMB
Anwar Ibrahim
US media is reporting on comments by the Malaysian Prime Minister is which he expressed concern about violence and extremism in connection with the Muslim Brotherhood and Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi. According to one report:
Since the beginning of the uprising in Egypt and the expected power shift in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic world has rallied around the Brotherhood and demanded that the West engage with them. But a crack in that unity appeared today when Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said that the Muslim Brotherhood “shouldn’t be part of the process as long as they don’t reject violence and extremism.”
“Anyone who wants to be part of the political process should adopt values that are compatible with democracy,” Najib said in an interview in Istanbul, where he is speaking at a conference on moderation. “It’s not just about having a vote and choosing your leaders; it’s also part of imparting the right values for democracy to work, because there are failed democracies as well.”
Najib said he has “some concerns, deep concerns” about Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader. Those concerns center on Qaradawi’s support and justification for terrorism, which carries a great deal of weight given Qaradawi’s credibility as an Islamic scholar. It is exactly that type of Muslim leader that has led the Middle East astray, according to Najib. “We have lost a lot of ground to the extremists in the Middle East.”
In a subsequent report, Malaysian media said that Razak denied calling the Muslim Brotherhood and Qaradawi terrorists and that he had received a call from Anwar Ibrahim, a leader in the Global Muslim Brotherhood, and by a prominent politician from an Islamic party asking that he retract his allegations against the Brotherhood and Qaradawi:
TEMERLOH (Feb 27, 2011): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak today said he had never labelled the Muslim Brotherhood and world-renowned ulama Syeikh Dr Yusuf Al-Qardhawi as terrorists.
He said the movement should instead rid the international community’s perception of it as an extremist group.
“I’ve never said that the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist group. I said they could participate in the elections on the condition that they reject violence or extremist ideology as the general impression is such (Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist group) and it’s not my opinion,” he said after attending a gathering with residents of Felda Jengka 25, here, today.
Najib was earlier asked by reporters on the call by PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa and Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for him to retract his alleged accusations against the Muslim Brotherhood and Syeikh Dr Yusuf Al-Qardhawi.
The prime minister said the movement needed to respect the law and the democratic process, and must love peace.
“If it says that it does not subscribe to extremist ideology and wants to participate (in the elections) according to the democratic process, Malaysia has no problem with that.
“Anyway, it’s not my decision, but the countries concerned. I am not saying they (Muslim Brotherhood) are a terrorist or extremist group. The thing is, they must erase the perception of the world about them,” he said.
Nasharudin and Anwar’s statements came after a news report appeared on the National Review website which quoted Najib as saying during his recent visit to Istanbul that the Muslim Brotherhood was involved in violence and was an extremist group. — Bernama
Anwar Ibrahim has many known ties to the global U.S Muslim Brotherhood including helping to found the International Institute of Islamic Thought IIIT) where he currently serves as a director, representing Asian youth and serving as a trustee for the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) during the 1970′s and early 1980′s, and appearances at numerous Brotherhood-linked conferences. As a previous post noted, Ibrahim was scheduled to speak last December at a conference in Istanbul that featured a large number of prominent speakers with ties to the global Brotherhood. Another recent post also discussed Ibrahim’s appearance at a Saudi economic forum. The current media coverage on Ibrahim appears to be ignoring this history which may be explained by a recent article from the Malaysian media on how Ibrahim has reinvented himself.
Qaradawi, a virulent anti-Semite is often referred to here 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. Based in Qatar, Sheikh Qaradawi has reportedly amassed substantial wealth through his role as Shari’ah adviser to many important Islamic banks and funds. He is also considered to be the “spiritual guide” for Hamas and his fatwas in support of suicide bombings against Israeli citizens were instrumental in the development of the phenomenon. A recent post has discussed a video compilation of Qaradawi’s extremist statements. Qaradawi recently reiterated his support for suicide bombing in Israel and expressed his desire to die as a martyr “at the hands of a non-Muslim.”
The GMBDR has been covering Qaradawi extensively in these pages for some time. Our coverage on him can be found here.
Related posts:
- Anwar Ibrahim Detained At Malaysian Airport
- Malaysian Newspaper Says Anwar Ibrahim Politicizes Allah Name Issue
- BREAKING NEWS: Anwar Ibrahim Claims He Can Bring Down Malaysian Government
- Anwar Ibrahim Speaks At Saudi Economy Forum
- US Muslim Brotherhood Social Science Organization Honors Anwar Ibrahim
GlobalMB
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood website is reporting on comments by a member of its leadership that the Brotherhood’s planned new party would be “completely independent” of its leadership structure but unlike previous statements, refused to deny that the group would field a Presidential candidate. According to the report:
Dr. Saad Ketatni, member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Executive Bureau, said: «The Muslim Brotherhood’s political party ‘Freedom and Justice’ would be completely independent, not binding on the MB’s Executive Bureau and will be subject to the laws regulating the licensing of opposition parties because this is unauthorized by law on political parties”. Ketatani added “If the party is approval ahead of the parliamentary elections, the group will be able to nominate its candidates”, indicating that an agreement has so far been reached on the party’s name and relevant institutions within the group are working on the final version of the party’s upcoming program, regulations and policies. The group is exploring the possibility that it will be an NGO in order to have legitimacy.
Ketatni said: “Institutions within the group will examine the appropriate way after the constitutional amendments because we are still in transition, and every day we are confronted with new developments”. In response to a question about whether the new party seeks to field a candidate for the presidency, he said: “It is so difficult to make a decision now, and when we finalize the party’s foundation, its members will have the final word”.
A leading MB figure Dr. Mohammed Beltagy said: “Party membership will be open to all Egyptians who will accept its platform and tendencies and there will be no exceptions because it will be centered on freedom and justice”.
“The party will not be a substitute to the movement but will adopt and serve its ideology,” Beltagy said, adding that the group has charitable, educational and social projects which Egyptian society needs. The party, as is customary, will work within a framework of political parties under its mechanisms. Consequently, the group’s work will remain in place even if the party is established. He pointed out that the MB’s legal and regulatory situation will take place in the next phase.
A previous post discussed the announcement by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood that it planned to form a new political party.
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.
Related posts:
- BREAKING NEWS: Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Announces Plans To Form New Political Party
- Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Says Hamas Is “Independent Entity”
- Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Plans To Become Political Party
- Jamaat-E-Islami Leader Says Party WIll Launch Mass Protest Against U.S. Drone Attacks
- Muslim Brotherhood In Yemen Part Of “Cross-Ideological Inter-Party Coalition”
Serbian media has reported that Bosnian Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric and a closely associated Mufti from Serbia were visiting Libya on February 14 on a visit which paid special attention to possible Libyan investments. According to a BBC translation:
[Presenter] Following an invitation by the Libyan leader, Col Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi, prompted by the marking of the birthday of the God’s last prophet, Mohammed, [Bosnia-Hercegovina] Reis-ul-Ulema Mustafa Ceric and [Islamic Community in Serbia] Chief Mufti Muamer Effendi Zukorlic are paying a three-day visit to Libya. During the visit, meetings were arranged aimed to set up and affirm cooperation in the field of religion, education and culture but also, numerous projects by the Islamic Community in the aforementioned areas were presented.During the visit, Chief Mufti Zukoric paid special attention to talks about possible investments in Sandzak.
[Zukorlic, phone-in] It is well-known that Libyan Jamahiriyah’s Investment Fund is one of the biggest and richest in the world. This is the fund which has tens of billions of dollars at its disposal with a possibility of investing across the world without any limitations. By and large, in all talks, we reached very important initiatives and even deals in some cases so that I expect that, in the future, cooperation with relevant institutions from the Libyan Jamahiriyah and the Islamic Community and the [International] University [in Novi Pazar] as well as other cultural and educational and economic players will get a fresh impetus.
I can state that I am very pleased with this visit. I expect serious results but, certainly that, now, these deals in principle and these initiatives should be made operational, especially as far as these investment ideas are concerned. Certainly, the key role here will be played by a team of experts gathered around the International University’s Faculty of Economics as well as businessmen gathered around the Sandzak Business Association and experts gathered around the Institute for Economic Development. In the future, therefore, there will be repeated mutual visits from delegations in these fields that I have mentioned.
Following the visit to Libya, the Serbian Press Agency reported that Ceric had accepted a donation from Libyan leader Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi for the construction of the administration building of the Rijaset [head office] of the Islamic Community in Sarajevo:
Sarajevo, 23 February: Member of the Helsinki Human Rights Committee in Bosnia-Hercegovina Almir Terzic has called on the head of the Islamic Community in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Reis Mustafa Ceric, not to accept a donation from Libyan leader Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi assigned for the construction of the administration building of the Rijaset [head office] of the Islamic Community in Sarajevo. Terzic, who is also member of Transparency International BiH, particularly appealed to Ceric not to call the administration building Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi’s Vakuf [waqf - endowment], as some media have reported. Terzic said in his letter that as someone whose regime is terrorizing its own people, al-Qadhafi cannot be considered a benefactor. “As this concerns protecting the honour and reputation of the Rijaset, i.e. the entire Islamic community in Bosnia-Hercegovina, which, I hope, is more important than donations, I urge you to consider this sincere appeal,” the letter says. According to unofficial reports, al-Qadhafi planned to help the construction of the Rijaset’s administration building with several million KM [Bosnian marks]. The Rijaset of the Islamic Community in Bosnia-Hercegovina said that they had not yet received this letter and could therefore not comment on it.
Previous posts have profiled Mufti Zukorlic and his ongoing conflict with a rival religious leader.
Considered by some to be a leading “liberal” Islamic leader, Mustafa Ceric is tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood through his membership in the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), headed by Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi and by his participation in the U.K.-based “Radical Middle Way” consisting of a wide range of associated scholars representing the global Muslim Brotherhood. Several earlier posts have discussed Dr. Ceric’s increasing visibility and importance within the global Muslim Brotherhood, noting that Ceric sees himself as a possible future leader of a “European Islam.” Dr. Ceric recently compared the Iranian Revolution with the French Revolution and Iranian media reported that Dr. Ceric recently told former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in a meeting that he considers Iran a “good friend” of his country.” A post from October 2009 discussed his visit to the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), an important part of the U.S. and global Muslim Brotherhood.
(Source: Text of report by Serbian local TV from Novi Pazar on 14 February, Radio-Televizija Jedinstvo, Novi Pazar, in Serbian 1745 gmt 14 Feb 11 BBC Monitoring Europe – Political February 16, 2011 Wednesday)
(Source: SRNA news agency, Bijeljina, in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 1251 gmt 23 Feb 11 BBC Monitoring Europe – Political Rights group urges Bosnian Grand Mufti to shun al-Qadhafi donation)
Related posts:
- Bosnian Muslim Brotherhood Suggests Life-Long Term For Bosnian Grand Mufti
- Bosnian Grand Mufti Criticized For Calling For Bosnian Muslim Majority State
- Bosnian Grand Mufti Says Islamic Law Compatible With Constitution, Will Visit Iran
- Bosnian Grand Mufti Visits Kosovo
- Bosnian Grand Mufti Part Of Group Trying To Take Control Of Bosnian Political Party
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