On June 23, 2012, it was reported that Hani Nour Al-Din, an Egyptian Salafi MP, visited the White House and State Department as part of a delegation of Egyptian lawmakers, despite the fact that, as a member of the U.S.-recognized foreign terrorist organization Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya, it is unlawful for him to travel in the U.S. Asked why the State Department had issued Al-Din a visa, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the circumstances had been investigated, but declined to comment further.[1]
Following are excerpts from a June 26 interview Al-Din gave in Al-Jazeera's Washington, D.C. headquarters during his visit to the U.S..[2]
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3477.htm.
Hani Nour Eldin: "[My visit to the U.S.] is an opportunity for us to make it clear that we are not narrow-minded, but instead, that we are open to the world. We are prepared to hold a dialogue with anybody, so that everybody will know what they do not know about us.
"They have heard much about the Salafi movement, mainly bad things about the Salafi ideology, the Salafi schools of thought, and the Salafi groups, including the Salafi dawa, Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya, and others...
"With regard to the Camp David Accord, since the beginning of the revolution all the Islamic movements and political parties concur that we must uphold all the international agreements signed by the former regime. We will honor all the international agreements, including the Camp David Accord.
"There may be reservations… Many believe that some of its clauses are at the expense of Egyptian rights. This will be examined. It would be easy to discuss them and to reach understandings.
"We are talking about the rebuilding of Egypt, which is in need of great stability in Egypt and in the region. Therefore, it would be unreasonable and inappropriate to talk about something that is not within the framework of the accord, or about breaching the accord..."
Endnotes:
[1] Reuters, June 22, 2012.
[2] Al-Jazeera TV (Qatar), June 26, 2012.
