Brotherhood using Covid-19 to destabilize Egypt

Noura Bendari

The Muslim Brotherhood has been trying to spread lies and rumors about the way the Egyptian state is responding to the Covid-19 outbreak since the disease hit in Egypt last year.

Muslim Brotherhood media platforms broadcast from Turkey have been trying to cast doubt on the abilities of the Egyptian state to deal with the disease.

Around 75 % of the rumors propagated in the past period were focused on Covid-19, according to Naayem Saad Zaghloul, the head of the Media Center of the Egyptian cabinet.

She said those propagating these rumors sought to turn the Egyptian public against the government, cast doubt on the ability of state institutions to deal with the disease and sow the seeds of tension between medical workers.

Brotherhood media platforms also worked to spread fear among ordinary people. Based on these fears, villagers in Daqahlia province prevented the body of a female medical doctor who died from the coronavirus from being buried in their village.

The Brotherhood also sought to spread rumors about Covid-19 outbreak in the prisons.

Doubting Chinese vaccine

The Muslim Brotherhood also tried to bring into question the Chinese Cinopharm vaccine. They started a major campaign against the vaccine after its first shipment arrived in Cairo in December 2020. The campaign tried to spread false information about the vaccine being unfit for preventing Covid-19 infection.

Rumors as a weapon

Extremist groups always use rumors as a weapon to destabilize countries, said Muneer Adeeb, a specialist in Islamism.

He added that the same groups consider unrest a strategic objective.

“The Muslim Brotherhood use rumors to bring the Egyptian state down,” Adeeb told The Reference.

He said this extremist group still dreams of reaching power in Egypt once more.