Entities all over the Muslim world has been cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood, all while the Brotherhood and its affiliates expand their influence throughout the West. The highly publicized Holy Land foundation trial – the largest terrorism financing trial in the history of the United States — exposed an extensive list of Brotherhood operatives in America, as well as offshoots in Canada. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Russia, Bahrain and Syria have all banned the Muslim Brotherhood and designated it a terrorist group. The U.S., Canada, and the EU need to do the same. Labeling groups which are connected to Hamas as “unindicted co-conspirators” isn’t enough. Take, for instance, the Canadian government of the former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It declared IRFAN-Canada (Islamic Relief) a terrorist entity for funding Hamas. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) recently reintroduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, and explained that he believes it will “advance America’s fight against radical Islamic terrorism.” He’s right.
Last week, in a telling move, Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, the head of the UAE fatwa council, withdrew from the speaker list at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit mega-conference in Toronto because it featured MB-linked groups.
“Al-Azhar decrees prohibition of joining Muslim Brotherhood,” by Mohammed Abu Zaid, Arab News, December 21, 2020:
CAIRO: Al-Azhar Fatwa Global Center has said that joining the Muslim Brotherhood and other terrorist groups is forbidden according to Shariah and that God has forbidden division and disagreement.
The Egyptian newspaper Al-Watan quoted Al-Azhar as saying in its announcement that God forbids people from pursuing any path that distracts them from following the truth, explaining that keeping to the Qur’an and the Sunnah, in accordance with Shariah, was the only way to please God.
“It is clear to the public what these groups have done in distorting some texts, cutting them out of their context, and using them to achieve personal goals or interests and corrupting the land,” the center said in the fatwa.
“Membership in these extremist groups is considered forbidden by Shariah.”
“Joining the terrorist Brotherhood is forbidden by law [and is considered] cooperating in immorality and aggression, for that group violates the law of God and is involved in terrorism,” said Abdullah Al-Najjar, a member of the Islamic Research Academy.
Hussein Al-Qadi, a researcher in religious affairs and Islamic movements, said that the fatwa is the first of its kind in the history of Al-Azhar.
“This fatwa has never been issued from Al-Azhar before. Various statements were issued by Al-Azhar describing the Brotherhood as being outdated. In fact, Imam Muhammad Mustafa Al-Maraghi, reformer and rector of Al-Azhar, demanded the dissolution of the Brotherhood,” Al-Qadi said….
Buraq says
Looks like Al Azhar has taken note of the recent Arab/Israel detente. A deft piece of ideological choreography realigns Al Azhar with the real world. And if several more Arab States join the detente, then who needs the Arab League? The League’s fundamental anti-Israel stance is now being outmaneuvered by history’s relentless march to a future characterised by collaboration, not war.
Wellington says
But a concern of mine, Buraq, is that Biden and the jokers advising him will be stupid enough to fall back upon supporting the MB fully as well as doing other stupid stuff like doing away with Trump’s doing way with supporting the so-called Palestinians and even rejoining that foolish Iran nuclear deal negotiated by Obama and Kerry which Trump pulled out of.
Biden is a dimwit and he will surround himself with highly well educated stupid people. Never overestimate Joe Biden.
gravenimage says
Grimly likely, Wellington.
James Lincoln says
Wellington,
Biden / Harris *will* certainly cause a lot of damage to the United States – as well as to the rest of the world.
The only question is how much…
If the Republicans can hold the US Senate during the George runoff elections, there will at least be some kind of “backstop” against the most egregious stuff that has to work its way through Congress.
However, there is still the issue of those pesky Presidential “Executive Orders”.
If the Republicans lose control of the U.S. Senate, all bets are off – and the United States as well as the rest the world are in for some *very* dark times.
But you knew that already…
ronyvo says
AND, never underestimate our president Donald J Trump.
Lion heart says
? think Al-Azhar is practicing Taqiyya ( Quran 3:28 ) Never rule that out
jca reid says
That’s a bit rich….. pot calling the kettle black! Islam actively promotes & endorses, perversion, degeneracy & immorality as the normal conduct for males to follow.
gravenimage says
Al-Azhar says Sharia forbids joining Muslim Brotherhood, accuses it of ‘immorality, aggression and terrorism’
………………
Of course, Al Azhar mostly sees the Muslim Brotherhood as rivals for power in Egypt. I doubt they actually have any ideological issues with their aims. They are both perfectly Islamic, so how could they?
Infidel says
Didn’t Muslim Brotherhood founders, like Sayeed Qutb and Hasan al-Bana, graduate from al-Azhar? In other words, isn’t the Ikhwan a product of that ‘university’?
gravenimage says
Yep.
Wellington says
Agreed, gravenimage. When Muslims aren’t humiliating, maiming or killing kuffaars, they’re doing the same to each other.
What a totally screwed up (and malevolent) religion Islam surely is. For any adult with even average intelligence (not sure this would include Joe Biden even in his “prime”) not to see this is simply indefensible. Of course, compounding all this is that the average IQ of 100 in the West (ah, but for how long?) has, as the equivalent IQ in Muslim lands, something around an 85. This in and of itself is a highly important difference since IQ, arguably more than any other single factor, determines the fate of a society.
Message to the Islamic world: Overall, you not only have produced the worst religion of all time, you’re collectively dumb. Muslim interbreeding coupled with the doping down of the mind by simply adhering to Islamic nonsense which, additionally, forbids “thinking outside the box” does terrible things to the intellectual capacity of the human species. Exhibit #1, Muslims? Look at the Ummah in a metaphorical aggregate mirror for validation here.
James Lincoln says
Wellington,
To your point regarding IQ:
“80-89 — Below average
This is also the I.Q. range most associated with violence. Most violent crime is committed by males from this range.”
https://paulcooijmans.com/intelligence/iq_ranges.html
gravenimage says
+1
Infidel says
Quick question: do al Azhar edicts apply only to countries that follow the shafi’i school of islamic jurisprudence, or do books like ‘Reliance of the Traveler’ apply to all sunnis – shafi’i, hanafi, maliki and hambali? And wouldn’t that affect which sunni entities reject the muslim brotherhood, and which ones don’t?
Wellington says
Pertinent and related queries, Infidel. I don’t know. Anyone? Robert Spencer? Hugh Fitzgerald? Pope Francis I? (Sorry, nix that last one).
ronyvo says
AlAzhar and Muslim leaders in general start to feel the presssure on Islam, which is about time. However, living with Muslims for over 25 years and being forced to study the Koran under imam from Al-Azhar make me strongly believ that takyya plays a dubous game.
patriot eagle says
It seems to me that from the point of view of the Muslim mind, the following are true:
1) An “extremist” is someone who does not walk close to Mohammad. Heretics and those who dabble in secular politics in Western countries or who hedge on Sharia, defining their own “My Islam” might be “extremists” in the minds of such devout Muslims.
2) A “terrorist” is a non-Muslim or Muslim who challenges the ruling class in a Muslim-dominant nation.
Those nations that have banned the Muslim Brotherhood did so to thwart the subversion and undermining of the extant government.
This Al Azhar fatwa calls for a closer adherence to the Sunna of Mohammad, a call to walk closer with Mohammad.
To the Western mind, a devout Muslim is an “extremist” or potential “terrorist”.
Therefore, the same English words have different meanings depending on the ideological frame of reference which supports the user’s worldview.
Islamic “peace” is where Islam rules. Those who are not Muslims will feel subdued and not free to think outside the box.