Brotherhood’s reconciliation bid coming up against a brick wall

Hossam al-Haddad

The outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement tries to convince Egyptians that it wants to make reconciliation with state authorities.

In April and March 2018, Kamal al-Helbawi, who is a member of the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, tried to propagate information that his organization wanted to reconcile with the Egyptian state.

He called in an interview with a Palestinian newspaper for the formation of a panel of wise people to broker reconciliation between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian state.

This reconciliation, he said, has to end conflicts between the two sides.

Helbawi said his call for reconciliation excludes only those who were involved in violence, as if the Muslim Brotherhood was not involved in this violence.

However, his call for reconciliation was categorically rejected like previous initiatives.

Nonetheless, deputy head of the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, Ibrahim Muneer, welcomed Helbawi’s suggestion. He said his organization was ready to consider any mediation to end what he described as the “crisis” with Egypt.

Nevertheless, on July 28, 2018, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi turned down the initiative.

He said he had decided to fight terrorism without any procrastination or hesitation.

Sisi added that his administration had no option but to stand against the ideology of terrorist organizations that want to use religion to serve their political goals.

“Those who want to live among us have to stop harming us,” Sisi said.

He even threatened that those who would point their guns at Egyptian police and army troops would be faced very decisively.

On October 11, 2020, President Sisi said almost the same thing.

He said during a seminar marking the 47th anniversary of the 1973 October war victory that he could not reconcile with those who “want to destroy Egypt and harm its people”.

Until now, the Muslim Brotherhood encourages its affiliates to carry out destructive actions, including hampering transport and staging protests.

The Muslim Brotherhood has a long record of violence and causing problems to ordinary Egyptians.

Egyptian TV host Lamees al-Hadidi described Sisi’s assertion against reconciliation with the Muslim Brotherhood as the “most brazen” message against this reconciliation in years.

“Sisi’s remarks today are extremely important,” Hadidi said on the private TV channel, ONTV. “We need to take notice of these remarks.”

Renowned lawyer and writer Mukhtar Noah described the Muslim Brotherhood as a “defeated” group.

He said the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood have to surrender to the authorities so that they can undergo trials.