In a translated newspaper interview carried on the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood website, Dr. Mohamed Habib, first deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood, provides a workable definition of the global Muslim Brotherhood. When asked by the interviewer “What about the international Muslim Brotherhood?”, Dr Habib replied:
There are entities that exist in many countries all over the world. These entities have the same ideology, principle and objectives but they work in different circumstances and different contexts. So, it is reasonable to have decentralization in action so that every entity works according to its circumstances and according to the problems it is facing and in their framework.This actually achieves two objectives: First: It adds flexibility to movement. Second: It focuses on action. Every entity in its own country can issue its own decision because it is more aware of the problems, circumstances and context in which they are working. However, there is some centralization in some issues. These entities can have dialogue when there is a common cause that faces Arabs or Muslims over their central issues like the Palestinian cause. At that time, all of them must cooperate for it. I want to confirm that while some see that Palestine caused rifts among the Arabs, we see that this cause is the one for which all Arabs unite.
In the interview, Dr Habaib also makes an interesting comment about visiting U.S. researchers:
Interviewer: But these researchers give their reports to the US administration.
Dr. Habib: This is none of our affair. We deal with them as researchers and academics. What we care for is to present the Muslim Brotherhood’s thought and method. If there are those who work for distorting our image and instigate the public opinion domestically and internationally, we have the right to explain our ideas, values and principles to all people.
Previous posts have discussed the role of U.S. academic Marc Lynch who has been promoted heavily by the Egyptian Brotherhood website and has visited the Egyptian Brotherhood leadership in Cairo.