Dr. Seti Shenouda press interview with Watani International newspaper about Muslim Brotherhood
Dr. Seti Shenouda press
interview with Watani
International newspaper about Muslim Brotherhood
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Watani International
The
Muslim Brotherhood banned…again
Injy Samy
25 Sep 2013
6:35 pm
The Cairo Court for
Urgent Matters last Monday ruled to disband the Muslim Brotherhood (MB)
Association and ordered the confiscation of its capital and assets. The Cairo Court for
Urgent Matters last Monday ruled to disband the Muslim Brotherhood (MB)
Association and ordered the confiscation of its capital and assets.
The court ordered the “banning of the activities of the MB in Egypt and all activities emanating from it, the Association and any other institution branched from it, belonging to it or receiving financial support or any kind of support from it.” It also ordered the interim government to seize the Brotherhood’s funds and form a panel to administer its frozen assets until any appeal had been heard.
The court ruling was prompted by a lawsuit filed by the leftist National Progressive Unionist Party, commonly known as Tagammu, which accused the Brotherhood of being “terrorist” and “exploiting religion in political slogans”.
It is not clear what the verdict means for the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political arm of the MB.
The court ordered the “banning of the activities of the MB in Egypt and all activities emanating from it, the Association and any other institution branched from it, belonging to it or receiving financial support or any kind of support from it.” It also ordered the interim government to seize the Brotherhood’s funds and form a panel to administer its frozen assets until any appeal had been heard.
The court ruling was prompted by a lawsuit filed by the leftist National Progressive Unionist Party, commonly known as Tagammu, which accused the Brotherhood of being “terrorist” and “exploiting religion in political slogans”.
It is not clear what the verdict means for the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political arm of the MB.
Terrorist history
The Brotherhood was founded as a religious, anti-Western organisation in 1928. It grew to assume a political role, engaging in terrorist operations and a series of political assassinations during the 1940s. The MB supported the 1952 Revolution that ended the monarchy and British colonial influence inEgypt , but was
outlawed in 1954, following an attempt on the life of President Gamal
Abdel-Nasser who would not allow them an active political role. The group
leaders and members were imprisoned.
In the 1970s,Egypt ’s
President Anwar al-Sadat, in an attempt to counter his leftist opponents,
pardoned the MB leaders and allowed them freedom to operate. But they went back
to their coercive, terrorist practices, and assassinated Sadat in 1981 for
having made peace with Israel .
The group was gradually allowed a degree of freedom to operate under President Hosni Mubarak on condition that it renounced violence. Although never formally legalised till 2012, its members established a significant bloc in parliament in elections in 2005 by standing as independents. It finally emerged from the shadows after the 2011 revolution. It won a majority in Parliament and, in June 2012, one of the members of its Guidance Office, Muhammad Mursi, becameEgypt ’s
president. After one year in office he was overthrown by massive public protest
and military intervention, for having curtailed freedoms and imposed an
Islamist hegemony.
The Brotherhood was founded as a religious, anti-Western organisation in 1928. It grew to assume a political role, engaging in terrorist operations and a series of political assassinations during the 1940s. The MB supported the 1952 Revolution that ended the monarchy and British colonial influence in
In the 1970s,
The group was gradually allowed a degree of freedom to operate under President Hosni Mubarak on condition that it renounced violence. Although never formally legalised till 2012, its members established a significant bloc in parliament in elections in 2005 by standing as independents. It finally emerged from the shadows after the 2011 revolution. It won a majority in Parliament and, in June 2012, one of the members of its Guidance Office, Muhammad Mursi, became
Going underground
Commenting on the ruling, a number of political figures have demanded that the government should officially declare the MB a terrorist association, and ban any demonstrations under the slogans of the MB.
But Mohamed al-Mohandis, former spokesman of the Islamist-leaning Strong Egypt party, said that the court should have declared the legal reasoning behind its ruling, and should have cited the evidence of MB involvement in all the violent deeds witnessed inEgypt
throughout the Mursi time as president. “But the ruling,” he believes,
“will not make any difference to the MB. They are used to go underground.”
The Islamist intellectual, Nageh Ibrahim, says that calls for disbanding Islamist parties are nothing but impatience with the opposition on the part of the current government. Islamist TV channels and newspaper have been banned, and there is a tendency towards a blackout of opposition. This finally threatens theEgyptian
State
“What if we have parties with religious basis?” Mr Ibrahim says. “Pluralism is the essence of political life, and the exclusion of religious parties is in the first place an exclusion of the concept of democracy.”
Commenting on the ruling, a number of political figures have demanded that the government should officially declare the MB a terrorist association, and ban any demonstrations under the slogans of the MB.
But Mohamed al-Mohandis, former spokesman of the Islamist-leaning Strong Egypt party, said that the court should have declared the legal reasoning behind its ruling, and should have cited the evidence of MB involvement in all the violent deeds witnessed in
The Islamist intellectual, Nageh Ibrahim, says that calls for disbanding Islamist parties are nothing but impatience with the opposition on the part of the current government. Islamist TV channels and newspaper have been banned, and there is a tendency towards a blackout of opposition. This finally threatens the
“What if we have parties with religious basis?” Mr Ibrahim says. “Pluralism is the essence of political life, and the exclusion of religious parties is in the first place an exclusion of the concept of democracy.”
Religious-based
political party
Islam al-Katatni, founder of the movement of “We Love This Country” and a former MB member, told Watani that disbanding the MB political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), at this timing comes against the principle of “No exclusion” which the various political forces have called for. “In all cases,” Mr Katatni says, “the new Constitution should put an end to this predicament when it decides whether or not political parties may be founded on religious basis or reference.”
If the religious parties are disbanded at this point in time, Mr Katatni says, without constitutional backing, “we would be in for more violence by the MB and other Islamic parties who would mobilise their supporters in order to pressure the State to approve their demands.”
Mr Katatni believes that, if the MB really wishes to move on with a political future, they should separate their political activity from their time-honoured preaching and social service role.
Maged Hanna, a lawyer, told Watani that disbanding the MB would work to create public sympathy for it. “The State should be careful not to take any abusive procedures against the MB,” Mr Hanna says, “but at the same time, should they ever make a move that wrongsEgypt
or Egyptians, they should be penalised.
“The constitution which is being now written should be very clear about religious-based political parties. There should be no confusion or ambiguity there.”
Islam al-Katatni, founder of the movement of “We Love This Country” and a former MB member, told Watani that disbanding the MB political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), at this timing comes against the principle of “No exclusion” which the various political forces have called for. “In all cases,” Mr Katatni says, “the new Constitution should put an end to this predicament when it decides whether or not political parties may be founded on religious basis or reference.”
If the religious parties are disbanded at this point in time, Mr Katatni says, without constitutional backing, “we would be in for more violence by the MB and other Islamic parties who would mobilise their supporters in order to pressure the State to approve their demands.”
Mr Katatni believes that, if the MB really wishes to move on with a political future, they should separate their political activity from their time-honoured preaching and social service role.
Maged Hanna, a lawyer, told Watani that disbanding the MB would work to create public sympathy for it. “The State should be careful not to take any abusive procedures against the MB,” Mr Hanna says, “but at the same time, should they ever make a move that wrongs
“The constitution which is being now written should be very clear about religious-based political parties. There should be no confusion or ambiguity there.”
Rejected by
mainstream
“I do not think that the current government has the spine to properly confront the MB,” Seti Shenouda, a researcher of political Islam, told Watani. “It is too feeble and hesitant, not strong enough to tighten its control on the MB and Islamist militants, meaning that the recent court ruling will not have a tangible effect on the ground. The MB will probably continue to operate, albeit banned” he says.
General Ali Zein al-Abedein, professor of criminal law at the Police academy,
said that, contrary to law of the civil associations, the MB operated in
politics, imposing its opinion, and undermining the basic principles of
Egyptian society. “The outcome is that the MB has now lost its once extensive
popular base and is rejected by the mainstream Egyptian community,” he says.
Watani International
25 September 2013
25 September 2013
·
Muslim
