Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian cleric Sheikh Muhammad Hassan, which aired on Channel 1, Egyptian TV on February 13, 2012:
Sheikh Muhammad Hassan: "With regard to the new map of Egypt, which was conceived [by the West] – did you know that I warned about that map six months ago? I declared this from the pulpit. I told my Egyptian brothers that I was not revealing any secret.
"This map was drawn up by the Americanized Zionist Bernard Lewis, and was presented to the U.S. Congress. They are working day and night to implement this map, and to turn it into an operational program.
"This map would divide Egypt into four mini-states: a state for the Sinai residents, a state for the Nubians, a state for the Copts, and a state for the Sunni Muslims. These people want to bring Egypt down. This is a malicious and dangerous plot, and therefore, I am not surprised that a tremendous sum of over a billion dollars was spent in Egypt over the past months, in an effort to implement this despicable and dangerous plot.
"Therefore, I draw a connection between this malicious American attack – their declaration that they would stop the U.S. aid, and worst still, their threat to halt the U.S. military aid… The U.S. is threatening to halt its financial aid, which comes to 1.2 billion dollars.
"I say to you here, on Egyptian TV: This is small change for a single Egyptian businessman. I hereby declare a new initiative to the Egyptians. I say: Let the U.S. stop its aid, and let the Egyptian people announce, as of tonight, a new kind of aid, called 'Egyptian aid.' Every Egyptian will contribute to it.
"I am convinced that the mothers, sisters, and daughters sitting at the side of the road, selling watercress, radishes, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes, will contribute to this Egyptian aid, so that proud Egypt will have no need for that insignificant U.S. aid, with which the Americans want to humiliate Egypt. With the help of Allah, Egypt will never be humiliated."
