Ahmad Al-Baghdadi, a professor of political science at the University of Kuwait, recently published an article in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa and later in the Egyptian government weekly Akhbar Al-Yaum in which he called for outlawing and disbanding the Muslim Brotherhood organization, and confiscating its sources of funding. He also criticized U.S. policy on this subject, claiming that it is too lenient with organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood. The following are excerpts from the article: [1]
'What is Preventing the U.S. from Adding the Muslim Brotherhood to the Terrorist List?'
"Three senior Arab political leaders accused the Muslim Brotherhood organization of terrorism: the Saudi Minister of the Interior claimed that they bit the hand that fed them in the Saudi kingdom; the late Syrian president Hafez Al-Assad could not find any solution to their terror other than to obliterate them … and recently, the Egyptian president [Hosni Mubarak] said openly and clearly that the Muslim Brotherhood organization is a terrorist organization that Egypt does not need. By Allah, only Satan needs them.
"Following these pointed, clear, and unwavering statements, what is preventing the U.S. from adding the Muslim Brotherhood organization to the terrorist list, and what is preventing the U.N. Security Council from considering them as such [i.e. a terrorist organization], as was done recently in the case of the Saudi separatist [Sa'd Al-Faqih], who incited to hold demonstrations in the [Saudi] kingdom? If this [adding the Muslim Brotherhood to the terrorist list] were to happen – and we hope that it will – it would necessarily lead to the freezing of all of the organization's bank accounts in all of the Arab countries and in the West, and its leaders would be considered international outlaws for supporting terrorism."
'The Policy of Bribing Religious Organizations is a Total Failure'
"Perhaps the most puzzling thing is the U.S.'s silence regarding the Muslim Brotherhood, despite the fact that [this organization] supports terrorism, whether by supporting Bin Laden … or by publishing terrorist fatwa s, or by calling to destroy democracy…
"Does the U.S. expect this organization to become like the Turkish Justice and Development Party [the ruling party in Turkey,] and expect to have political contacts with it, assuming that it is an opportunistic party operating by the principle of 'the ends justify the means?' [Is] the U.S. expecting that the Muslim Brotherhood organization will similarly agree to maintain political contacts with the U.S.?… If the conservative right-wing in the U.S. believes this, it is mistaken, since this political organization, which [only] exploits religion, does not believed in rights, justice, or equality, nor does it believe in human rights – so how can the U.S. believe them? Is this not pure nonsense?
"Let's assume for the sake of argument that this indeed happens [that the Muslim Brotherhood turns into an opportunistic party] and that it submits to the will of the U.S. in order [to fulfill] its desire to take power. What [though] will the U.S. do with the new Salafi [2] Jihad movement, which is not ready for a cease-fire with the infidels and whose sole goal is to destroy the U.S. from within and from outside? Will the U.S. buy it like [it wants to buy] the Muslim Brotherhood?
"The policy of bribing religious organizations is a total failure, since these religious organizations are like snakes. You can never know when and where they will bite you. Thus, the best policy for dealing with [these] snakes is to kill them right off, in order to ensure your own wellbeing. Reliance on these organizations means the destruction not only of democracy, but also of the future which the U.S. aspires to achieve through its 'Greater Middle East' program."
'The Region has No Future as Long as Organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood Exist'
"Therefore, the region has no future as long as organizations like these continue to exist - and in particular the Muslim Brotherhood organization, which is the most widespread organization and the one with the most funds in Islamic banks. Thus, there is no solution other than to destroy them politically and economically. Does the U.S. need clearer proof than [that furnished by] the Egyptian president's latest statements to the German weekly Der Spiegel [3]
"Staying silent in the face of the Muslim Brotherhood's social, political, and economic activities [only] multiplies its strength and reach. The day will come when the only solution for this will be confrontation, and it is better that this be now and not later. The solution is simple: to put [these organizations] on the international terrorist list and to force all the countries that have contacts with these organizations to dismantle them and to confiscate their funds. There is no other solution."
[1] Al-Siyassa (Kuwait), December 27, 2004; Akhbar Al-Yaum (Egypt), January 1, 2005.
[2] By the term "Salafi Jihad movement," the author means Al-Qa'ida and its like.
[3] In Der Spiegel (December 20, 2004), Mubarak said: "The Muslim Brotherhood has a terrorist past. They have killed a prime minister and others who don't agree with their political goals. In 1954, they even tried to blow up President Gamal Abdel Nasser. No, the last thing our country needs is a group like the Muslim Brotherhood. Religious or denominational hatred rips apart entire societies… Religious parties are a threat to domestic peace and stability."
