MEMRI TV has just released archival clips of two current Egyptian presidential candidates, Hamadein Sabahi and Al-Mun'im Abu Al-Futouh. The clips are from 2005 and 2004, respectively.
Hamadein Sabahi
Hamadein Sabahi, a former journalist and anti-Mubarak oppositionist with pan-Arabist and Nasserist views, is one of the founders of the Al-Karama ("Dignity") party, and was elected to parliament in the 2000 and 2005 elections. He is a staunch opponent of the peace treaty with Israel, advocates the direct funding of Palestinian resistance movements, and seeks to improve Egypt's relations with Turkey and Iran.[1]
In the archival clip, which aired on Dream 2 TV on July 17, 2005, he stated, "Any kidnapping or slaughtering of an American in Iraq is good," and added "I support Al-Qaeda when it kills Americans".
Abd Al-Mun'im Abu Al-Futouh
Abd Al-Mun'im Abu Al-Futouh, who is running as a moderate Islamist,[2] is a former Muslim Brotherhood leader and member of the office of the MB General Guide, who left in order to facilitate a presidential bid[3] (or, by other accounts, was expelled for deciding to run again the Muslim Brotherhood's wishes[4]). He is a co-founder of the Al-Nahda party, which regards religion as the central component of Egypt's identity, and believes that any attempt at revival that excludes this factor is doomed to fail.[5] In his current presidential bid, he is backed by Salafi Islamists, by Gama'a Islamiyya, and by the Islamist group Wasat ("Center") that says it is moderate – as well as by Google executive and activist Wael Ghonim.[6]
In the archival clip, which aired on Al-Jazeera on April 25, 2004, he stated, "Like all members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and around the world, I personally hope to have a chance to bear arms to confront the U.S. occupation in Iraq... This is a matter of religion, not of politics. When a Muslim land is occupied, jihad becomes an individual duty".
The following are the transcripts of the archival clips:
Secular Egyptian Presidential Candidate Hamadeen Sabahi, July 2005: Kidnapping or Slaughtering Americans in Iraq is Good; I Support Al-Qaeda When It Kills American Soldiers
Hamadeen Sabahi: "When a weapon is pointed at the Americans, it is good. Any weapon that kills an American is good. Any gun pointed at the Marines is good. Any kidnapping or slaughtering of an American in Iraq is good."
[…]
"One must salute this organization [Al-Qaeda] when it kills any American soldiers – a soldier, not a civilian. The presence of Al-Qaeda in Iraq as part of the resistance is a positive phenomenon that should be supported. I support Al-Qaeda when it kills Americans." […]
Islamist Egyptian Presidential Candidate Abd Al-Mun'im Abu Al-Futouh, April 2004: I Personally Hope to Bear Arms to Confront the U.S. Occupation in Iraq
Abd Al-Mun'im Abu Al-Futouh: "With regard to the resistance, I say clearly that we support the armed resistance. We, as members of the Muslim Brotherhood and its world leadership, support the armed resistance in Iraq against the American occupier, one hundred percent. Like all members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and around the world, I personally hope to have a chance to bear arms to confront the US occupation in Iraq, just as we wish to bear arms against the Zionist enemy in Palestine.
"This is a matter of religion, not of politics. When a Muslim land is occupied, jihad becomes an individual duty for every man and woman, boy and girl. A woman should set out on jihad without her husband's permission, and a child without the permission of his father. This is something one cannot toy with." […]
Endnotes:
[2] Associated Press, April 30, 2012; Miami Herald, April 16, 2012; McClatchydc.com, April 14, 2012; Carnegieendowment.org, April 13, 2012
[3] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 2869, "In Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood Officials Accused of Setting Up Terror Cells," March 22, 2010, http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4049.htm, and MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 753, "Egypt's Islamic Camp, Once Suppressed by Regime, Now Taking Part in Shaping New Egypt – Part II: Muslim Brotherhood Prepares for Parliamentary, Presidential Elections," October 25, 2011, http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5745.htm.
[4] Foreignpolicy.com, April 16, 2012.
[6] Associated Press, April 30, 2012; Jerusalem Post, May 1, 2012.
