Muslim Brotherhood playing with masks to cover ideology

Ahmed Adel

Egypt designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization in 2013 after it was confirmed that the group had masterminded terrorist attacks.  The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia also labeled the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization following Egypt’s move.

After the Egyptian authorities banned the Muslim Brotherhood its international organization had no alternative but to encourage the group’s branches worldwide, i.e. in Tunisia, Yemen, Europe, and Palestine to name to reorganize their action. Therefore, Hamas, the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Al-Islah) Party, and the Tunisian Al-Nahda (Renaissance) Party announced separation from the parent organization in Cairo.

Hamas political leader Khaled Mashal has said his organization is an independent group away from the Brotherhood. The Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) announced separation from the parent Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

Saeed Ramadan, son-in-law of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, was the first FIOE chairman. The head of Al-Islah Party also announced the separation of his party from the parent organization in Egypt.

In 2016, Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood branch said it was an independent organization away from Egypt’s parent group.

However, the Brotherhood branches pretended to sever any ideological ties with the Brotherhood despite the true affiliation with the Egypt’s parent group. The move has been nothing but a mask to cover the well-established ties with the Brotherhood.

However, the death of Mohamed Morsi on June 17 exposed the true nature of these branches, which are affiliated with the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood.

These branches said Morsi was “a martyr”, according to their own ideology. Following Morsi’s death, their statements used words such as “negligence and torture”, considering the deceased man a national hero representing Islam.

Tunisia’s Al-Nahda blamed the Egyptian authorities for the death of Morsi.