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The Associated Press has reported further details on a recent campaign rally for the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate that featured calls for an Islamic Caliphate with its capital in Jerusalem. According to the AP report, the rally is part of what is called a “sharp turn rightward” for the Egyptian Brotherhood:
May. 18, 2012 At a campaign rally for the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate for president, a hardline cleric and TV preacher sang Mohammed Morsi’s praises before thousands massed in the stadium of an industrial city in Egypt’s Nile Delta. ‘We are seeing the dream of the Islamic Caliphate coming true at the hands of Mohammed Morsi,’ the cleric, Safwat Hegazy, blared from his podium. ‘The capital of the Caliphate and the United Arab States is Jerusalem, God willing,’ he added, as thousands cheered and waved the Brotherhood’s green flag, chanting, ‘The people want to implement God’s law.’ On the campaign trail for the presidential election, now only nine days away, the Muslim Brotherhood has taken a sharp turn rightward, becoming bolder in saying it wants to bring a state where religion and Islamic law play a major role‚ and insisting that it has the right to rule. As a result, it has moved away from the more moderate face that it promoted since even before the fall of Hosni Mubarak 15 months ago. During campaigning for parliament elections late last year, the Brotherhood insisted that implementing Islamic law was not its immediate priority, instead speaking vaguely of an ‘Islamic background’ to government. It also sought to assuage fears that it seeks to take over the country by promising to work with other, liberal factions. Finally ‘unveiled’ Critics and former Brotherhood members say the greater assertiveness represents the 82-year-old group’s true face, brought by hard-liners who over the past decades have squeezed out moderates and taken control of its leadership. Those hard-liners, the former members say, are more confrontational, more determined to impose Islamic strictures and less likely to share power with others. Former members believe that the group’s turn comes out of frustration that the political power they have long dreamed of is slipping away from them. The Brotherhood emerged from the parliament elections as the biggest party in the legislature, a victory it touted as proof of its right to push through its agenda.
Read the rest here.
A post from last week report that at the rally al-Hijazi said that the “the dream of the Islamic Caliphate is being realized, Allah willing, by Dr. Muhammad Mursi and his brothers, his supporters, and his political party” and called for “millions of martyrs” to march on Jerusalem.
A post from April discussed a 2011 lecture given by Khairat Al-Shater, the former Brotherhood Presidential candidate, which reveals the true aim of the Nahda (Renaissance) project to be the full “Islamization” of Egypt as part of a step towards the eventual realization of the Islamic Caliphate.
GMBDR takes issue that these events represent a “sharp turn rightward” for the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as we have been posting for many years on the backgrounds, views, and action of not only the Egyptian Brotherhood but the Global Muslim Brotherhood as well. The views expressed at the rally discussed above are perfectly consistent with those posts as opposed to the limited timeframe and analytical framework employed by AP and most of the other major new organizations as well.
GlobalMB @ May 20, 2012
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Middle East Online has posted an articled titled “Qatar’s Ties with the Muslim Brotherhood Affect Entire Region.” The article begins:
The alliance between the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar is becoming a noticeable factor in the reshaping of the Middle East. There are several striking aspects to this evolving and deepening relationship. First, note that the Brotherhood is barely involved in Qatari domestic affairs. The arrangement is akin to the one between Qatar and Al Jazeera, the biggest Arab television channel, which is based in Doha. The station covers news throughout the Arab world but refrains from covering controversial events in Qatar. As a formal organisation, the Muslim Brotherhood in Qatar dissolved itself in 1999. Jasim Sultan – a former member of the Qatari Brotherhood – has explained in a television interview that this decision was justified because the state was carrying out its religious duties. Mr Sultan supervises the Al Nahdah (Awakening) Project, which involves training, publishing and lecturing about public activism. Last August, he wrote an article asking Egyptian Islamists to change their discourse and move towards ‘partnership thought’ instead of concentrating on ‘infiltrating the society to control it’. Mr Sultan is active in training Islamists in Egypt and other countries on how to function within the institutions of democracy. The second point of interest about Qatar and the Brotherhood is that the relationship was formed and is maintained largely through personal ties, which play a vital role. Doha has hosted individual activists, providing them with refuge and employment. Yusif Al Qaradawi, a Qatari national and resident of Egyptian origin, is a good example. He is the head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, and his television programme on Islamic laws and principles has made him a star on Al Jazeera. His current relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood is not clear, but he has been a leading member, and is highly respected by its members around the world. One striking example of his influence is a recent photograph of him with Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minster of Hamas in Gaza. (Hamas is an arm of the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood.) In the image, Mr Haniyeh, during a recent visit to Qatar, is bowing and kissing Mr Al Qaradawi’s hand in a show of respect.
Read the rest here.
A post from March reported that the Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood was visiting Qatar for meetings with Qatari officials
An earlier post discussed the relocation of Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal from Syria to Qatar in yet another sign of the country growing importance as a center of the Global Muslim Brotherhood. A series of recent and important Global Muslim Brotherhood events have been held in Qatar illustrating the increasing importance of the country to the Global Brotherhood.
GlobalMB @ May 20, 2012
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U.S. media is reporting that new Congressional legislation contains a report recommending that the Attorney General sever its ties with the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) as the FBI has already done. According to a Daily Caller report:
The Fiscal Year 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill, which passed the House on Wednesday, contains in its Committee Report (a separate public document that spells out how agencies are expected to spend the money allocated to them) a recommendation that Attorney General Eric Holder follow in the FBI’s footsteps and sever ties with CAIR:
Liaison partnerships.—The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in a case in which the Holy Land Foundation was found guilty of material support of a terrorist organization. The committee acknowledges the attorney general’s refusal to attend certain meetings knowing that CAIR officials would be present, as indicated in testimony before the committee on February 28, 2012. The committee understands that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has an existing policy prohibiting its employees from engaging in any formal non-investigative cooperation with CAIR. The committee encourages the attorney general to adopt a similar policy for all department officials.
In January 2009, the FBI ended its relationship with CAIR and its affiliates across the country due to the conviction of those involved in the Holy Land Foundation terrorist funding trial, in which CAIR was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator. Virginia Republican Rep. Frank Wolf, the bill’s sponsor, explained to The Daily Caller that with the FBI’s policy already in place it makes sense for DOJ to follow suit. ‘The FBI has that policy now, and I think it’s a good policy — they were an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation case. We also commend the attorney general for not meeting with them,’ Wolf said. ‘We think it ought to be a policy. If the FBI has that policy, I think the entire Justice Department should have it.’ The DOJ declined to comment about the recommendation, though Wolf explained that they will likely apply the policy. (RELATED: Full coverage of the Justice Department) ‘I expect they will comply [with the recommendation],’ Wolf said. ‘I’d be surprised if they didn’t comply.’
A post from 2009 reported on the state of relations between the FBI and CAIR, characterizing them as having no formal contact.
Documents released in the Holy Land Trial have revealed that the founders and current leaders of CAIR were part of the Palestine Committee of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as identifying the organization itself as being part of the US. Brotherhood. A recent post discussed an interview with the Deputy leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in which he confirms a relationship between his organization and CAIR. Investigative research posted on GMBDR had determined that CAIR had it origins in the U.S. Hamas infrastructure and CAIR and it leaders have a long history of defending almost all individuals accused of terrorism by the US. government, frequently calling such prosecutions a “war on Islam.” In 2009, a US federal judge ruled ”The Government has produced ample evidence to establish the associations of CAIR, ISNA and NAIT with HLF, the Islamic Association for Palestine (“IAP”), and with Hamas.
GlobalMB @ May 18, 2012
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The Investigative Project has published an article titled ”American Islamists Push Negative American Image” which analyzes the role played by the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood in fostering anti-U.S. sentiment among Muslim communities. The article begins:
IPT News May 9, 2012 Traveling in Bangladesh last weekend, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was confronted with a question she said ‘hurts me so much.’ Why, she was asked, is there ‘a common perception held by many young people that the U.S. is anti-Muslim?’ ’I mean, it’s a painful perception to hear about, Clinton said, ‘and I deeply regret that anyone believes that or propagates it.’ There may be discrimination, but that cuts across racial, religious and ethnic lines, she said. American law and culture ‘has gone probably farther than anywhere else in the world in trying to guarantee legal protections for people.’ Claims that America is anti-Muslim come from people ‘who, for their own reasons, try to politicize what the United States has done in a way that I think is unfortunate and unfair,’ she said. In many cases, however, the message that America is hostile toward Muslims is promoted by the same people Clinton’s State Department and other Cabinet-level agencies turn to as outreach partners. We’ve noted repeatedly how national Islamist groups like the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Muslim Advocates and others have pushed the notion that America’s legal and military war on terror amounts to a war on Islam. It’s an irresponsible message for two reasons. It is wrong. And it has been proven to be among the most effective messages in radicalizing young Muslims. Yet the same groups who perpetuate it in America find themselves embraced by the government. Officials legitimize and empower them by attending and speaking at their events rather than building the profile of Muslim voices who tout the freedom and opportunity their families find here. Most recently, Cyrus McGoldrick, civil rights director for CAIR’s New York chapter, told a newspaper that a spate of arson attacks by a lone suspect on mosques was driven by bigotry even though police say personal vendettas were in play. In one case, a mosque had refused to let the suspect use its restroom. ’It was only a matter of time before the war abroad became a war at home,’ McGoldrick said. ‘Fearmongering about Islam and other American minorities have ripped this country apart. Warmongering politicians and willing media confirm this narrative, the warrantless incomprehensive surveillance of the Muslim community by the NYPD confirms this narrative and the destruction of the Constitution in the name of the war on terror confirms this narrative.’
Read the rest here
All of the groups mentioned in the above article have been identified in a Hudson Institute report as part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood.
A post from June 2011 reported that Ibrahim Hooper, a leader of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), appeared on Iranian TV where he complained he said that “The rise of anti-Muslim sentiment in our society is being generated by a cottage industry of Muslim bashers and Islamophobic groups.” An earlier post discussed another appearance by Mr. Hooper on Press TV where he said that “we are the first defenders of the constitution.”
For further details on anti-American views by CAIR representatives appearing on Iranian TV, go here.
In a post discussing Muslim Brotherhood postions on terrorism, the notion of a “war on Islam” was identified as part of the Brotherhood rhetorical strategy:
4. OBSTRUCTION- Having explained the violence of Islamist groups as a response to legitimate grievances, the Brotherhood is free to obstruct counter-terror efforts. One portion of its efforts is devoted to protecting its charities (e.g. Holy Land) and associated infrastructure which help to support Hamas and other Palestinian terrorism. The second part of the effort lies in hindering wider U.S counter-terror policies which it does by providing inaccurate analysis, positing plots and conspiracies about a “war on Islam” and opposing almost every counter-terror initiative undertaken by the government, suggesting instead that the correct response to terrorism is to change U.S. foreign policy, the ultimate goal of the obstruction. Again, the natural ally is the far-left and the Brotherhood has been successful in the U.S and forming such alliances with respect to counterterrorism policy.
GlobalMB @ May 17, 2012
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The Brussels-based Council for European Palestinian Relations (CEPR) has announced that over 100 European parliamentarians have signed its petitions on Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. According to the CEPR announcement:
Brussels/London – May 10, 2012 After the first week of the CEPR petition to implement human rights standards in Israeli jails for Palestinian prisoners, there are now over 100 parliamentarians from different parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Poland, and from the European Parliament that have become official signatories, such as:
Barbara Lochbihler – Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) – Greens/EFA
Joanna Senyszyn – Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), Vice-President of the Polish SLD party – Socialists & Democrats
Willy Meyer - Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) - GUE/NGL
Sir Robert Atkins – European Ccnservatives and Reformists (ECR)
Ivo Vajgl – Alliance of Liberals and Democrats of Europe (ALDE)
Martin McGuiness – Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, MLA, MP
Gerry Adams – Teachta Dála (TD)
Joe Costello – Minister of State, TD
Jan O’Sullivan – Minister of State, TD
The campaign comes as a result of the ongoing hunger strike of a growing number of Palestinian prisoners over the past month. At the end of 2011 there were a handfull of prisoners on strike, now there are over 1,500. The campaign aims to address the undemocratic treatment of civilians who are detained without charge or trial for indefinite amounts of time, often secluded in solitary confinement in cramped cells with little to no sunlight or food. After the release of 1 Israeli soldier in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners last autumn, there are still approximately 5,000 Palestinians detained in Israeli jails – a majority of which are civilian women and children. Apart from the illegal nature of the Israeli military occupation under international law, the treatment of these prisoners in particular must be addressed so they are allowed proper medication, food and family visits – that is what the Palestinian hunger strike is about. This is not the first time Palestinian choose the non-violent method of hunger strikes, but it is the first time that there is such international support to see their treatment improved. The petition also calls upon HRVP Catherine Ashton to intervene and put pressure on Israel to treat the prisoners according to international law. The CEPR is grateful to the parliamentarians who have signed the petition to implement human rights in Israeli jails and encourages others to join.
A post from earlier this month reported that a European Muslim Brotherhood initiative described as a “broad campaign in solidarity with the prisoners in occupation jails” was launched at the recent Palestinians in Europe conference held in Denmark.
The CEPR Web site describes the organization as follows:
The Council for European Palestinian Relations (CEPR) is an independent not-for-profit organisation which has been established to promote dialogue and understanding between European, Palestinian and Arab parliamentarians and policy-makers. It seeks a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on justice and the restoration of Palestinian rights in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law.
The CEPR appears to operate largely as a lobbying group at the EU and has accompanied EU lawmakers on trips to Gaza.
Despite its claim of independence, the CEPR is headed by Dr. Arafat Shoukri (aka Arafat Madi, Arafat Madi Shoukri) who is also the executive director of the Palestine Return Centre (PRC) in the U.K. The PRC has strong ties to the global Muslim Brotherhood and two PRC directors are also directors of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), generally regarded as part of the UK. Muslim Brotherhood. The PRC is also listed as an affiliate of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) dominated by UK. Muslim Brotherhood groups. PRC activities are frequently promoted by the MAB, MCB, and other U.K Brotherhood organizations. PRC director Ghassan Four is also a Trustee of INTERPAL, a key member of the Union of Good and part of the Muslim Brotherhood Hamas fund-raising network . PRC director Zaher Birawi is a Trustee of Education Aid for Palestine (EAP), also a part of the Union of Good. Mr. Birawi is also head of programming for Al-Hiwar TV which frequently features MB/Hamas individuals and organizations and was founded by Azzam Al-Tamimi, a U.K Muslim Brotherhood leader and close to Hamas. An Israeli web site, known to be close to Israeli military intelligence, has reported that Mr. Birawi, along with another PRC Trustee are “past Hamas operatives who found refuge in Britain in the early nineties.” Dr. Shoukri is also the chairman of the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza (ECESG) which was the main organizer of the unsuccessful Second Gaza Flotilla and which operates from the same address and has the same telephone as the PRC.
In March, a post reported that the CEPR issued a statement condemning Israel’s latest military actions in Gaza.
GlobalMB @ May 16, 2012
