The Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm has reported that Wagdi Ghoneim (aka Wagdy Mohamed Ghoneim, Wagdi Ghuniem) has been added to a list of 90 leaders of the “International Organization of the Muslim Brotherhood”. Mr. Ghoneim is an Egyptian cleric known for his anti-Semitic speeches. In January 2005, Mr. Ghoneim agreed to be voluntarily deported from the U.S. based upon Department of Homeland Security concerns that his past speeches and participation in fund-raising activities could be supportive of terrorist organizations. Following deportations from Bahrain and South Africa, he appears to have settled in Qatar where MEMRI reported on remarks by Mr. Ghoneim which aired on Al-Jazeera TV and which praised violent Jihad and criticized the U.S. and Europe as “Godless” nations. Ghoneim is closely tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood and has been a frequent speaker or invited speaker at Brotherhood events including those sponsored by the Union of Islamic Organizations in Italy (UCOII), the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI), and the League of Swiss Muslims. Known for his anti-semitic speeches, global media have also reported that he is closely associated with Hamas. Ghoneim was recently identified as one of sixteen individuals on a Home office list of people banned from the U.K. on the basis of ” unacceptable behaviour by seeking to foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs and to provoke others to commit terrorist acts.
According to the report, 36 Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Egypt are to be taken to court and identifies an investigative memo containing the names of 90 Brotherhood leaders ‘abroad’ who are part of the Brotherhood’s International Organization. Prominent individuals identified include Ayad Al-Samarrai, the speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, and Saudi Sheikh Awad Al-Qarni who has been called the Mufti of the Al-Qaida organization in the Arabian Peninsula by a jihadist internet forum. Both Al-Samarrai and Al-Qarni have denied ties to the Egyptian Brotherhood. Also identified as part of the Muslim Brotherhood international leadership are four individuals from the United Arab Emirates, reported to have been arrested in Alexandria last year including Hasan Mohammad Hasan.
A previous post discusses the nature of the Brotherhood’s International Organization.