Brotherhood propaganda and political deals in the age of corona

Doaa Emam

The corona virus pandemic has revealed how the Brotherhood deals with disasters that afflict mankind. After the pandemic entered a number of Arab and Muslim countries where the Brotherhood holds power, the group’s rhetoric changed from a theory of divine retribution that only afflicts the West to exploiting the affliction to buy popularity and conclude political deals.

Aid provided by the Brotherhood has targeted specific groups, either providing aid in exchange for supporting Brotherhood parties in future legislative entitlements or declaring that their headquarters and capabilities are placed at the disposal of the state, as it seeks to alter authorities’ views on the group’s various entities.

Jordan

In Jordan, the Brotherhood chose the second scenario, as it announced in a statement that it had put all its expertise, capabilities and cadres in service of government measures to face the corona pandemic in the Hashemite Kingdom. The Islamic Action Front (IAF), the branch of the Brotherhood in Jordan, prepared an economic study that it claimed represents a methodology for the recovery of the Jordanian economy after the potential losses from the pandemic.

In early April, IAF Secretary-General Murad Adaileh announced that his party presented the study, which attempts to impose the group’s vision on the government’s work by providing its opinions and advice to the country’s decision-makers about how to get out of the crisis and deal with the negative effects on the economic and social situations.

Ennahda

In Tunisia, political circles have accused the Brotherhood-affiliated Ennahda Movement, which participates in the government coalition, of purchasing loyalty with money intended for the poor in order to maintain its popular base.

This coincides with a sharp decline in the popularity of the Tunisian Brotherhood following Ennahda’s internal crises. A wide spectrum of the public holds it responsible for the stifling economic and social crisis against the backdrop of its mismanagement as part of the government. Critics say the group is channeling aid funds to those close to it in an attempt to regain support.

Passionate speech

In Algeria, Brotherhood General Observer Abderrazak Makri, secretary-general of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), made a passionate speech in which he stressed the need for his party to engage with the state to face the corona pandemic, even announcing the possibility of his own involvement in treating patients as a doctor. “I am ready for that if I am granted the legal capacity to join alongside the medical staff in hospitals,” he said.

But Makri’s speech was not devoid of attempts to incite Algerians against the state. “The country’s economic crisis has been greatly affected by the consequences of the corona pandemic,” he said, suggesting that exchange reserves be tapped if necessary to preserve the lives of Algerians.

Mauritania

During the recent weeks, the National Rally for Reform and Development (Tewassoul), the Brotherhood’s branch in Mauritania, has intensified activities organized in mosques and arenas to distribute food boxes and medical supplies such as protective masks and disinfectants bearing the party’s logo. This scene has been described by observers as similar to what happens during the election season.

Despite the political disputes between the Brotherhood-affiliated party and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, the head of Tewassoul expressed his desire for his party to participate in the measures taken by the president. A phone call was also made between the two parties, in a move considered by Mauritanian activists as an opportunity for Tewassoul to reappear on the scene by taking advantage of the corona crisis.

In this regard, Tarek Abu Al-Saad, a researcher in the affairs of Islamic movements, told the Reference that the Brotherhood is used to exploiting humanitarian issues and twisting the truth. He noted that the Brotherhood always claims it is the only group defending any given cause, while they do nothing in reality, as many situations have passed unnoticed without the group taking any response commensurate with the size of its claims.