In a rally organized by its political wing, the leader of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood has called for a “third Intifada” in response to recent events in Israel described as “Israeli measures against Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and Hebron.” According to one report carried by a Middle Eastern news portal:
Islamist leaders have called on the Palestinians to start a third Intifada in response to Israeli measures against Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and Hebron.During a festival on Friday organised by the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, hundreds of participants chanted anti-Israeli slogans and called on the government to end diplomatic relations with Israel. Participants waved green flags and pictures of victims of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza a year ago. They also held banners condemning the Wadi Araba Peace Treaty and Israeli practices in Arab countries. Several senior Islamist leaders, professional association activists and opposition figures were present during the one-hour ceremony, which was also held to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad. Overall leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, Hamam Said, who was the first to take the podium, highlighted the latest attack by Israel soldiers on Palestinian worshippers at Al Aqsa Mosque compound earlier on Friday. “This is happening under the watchful eyes of Arab and Muslim nations without anyone taking action we are not even hearing statements of condemnation,” he said. Said added that a third Intifada could be the only answer to Israel’s recent decision to include the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and Bethlehem’s Bilal Ben Rabah Mosque to a list of Israeli heritage sites. Kamal Al Khatib, a senior Islamist leader in Palestine, also attended the rally, where he warned against continued attacks on worshippers in Jerusalem. Several other Islamist leaders also addressed the gathering, including head of the IAF freedoms committee, Ali Abul Sukkar, former IAF secretary general Ibrahim Zeid Keilani, and president of the IAF shura council Hamzah Mansour.
The Jordan Times had reported earlier that the rally was organized by the Islamic Action Front (IAF), generally regarded as the political wing of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood web site had also reported “The IAF underscored that the silence over these Israeli procedures would persuade Israel to advance with its plans to ‘judaise’ Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling on the Arabs and the Muslims to take actions to face the ‘conceitedness’ of Israel and its plans. An earlier post discussed the statement by the IAF leader that his movement is willing to sacrifice “our lives and money” for the sake of holy sites, referring to a recent Israeli government decision to include two sites on the West Bank as Israeli National Heritage sites.
The IAF Secretary-General is Ishaq Farhan, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, one of the three founders of the IAF, and a former education minister and senator. Mr. Farhan is also listed as a director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), founded in the U.S. in 1980 by important members of the Global Muslim Brotherhood who wished to promote the “Islamization of Knowledge.” IIIT was associated with the now defunct SAAR Foundation, a network of Islamic organizations located in Northern Virginia that was raided by the Federal government in March 2002 in connection with the financing of terrorism. In 2000, Mr. Farhan was denied entry to the U.S. after having had his visa revoked in the prior year without informing him. The New York Times reported at that time that unidentified American diplomats called Mr. Farhan a “moderating force” and that he “as kept a distance from the vociferous opposition to peaceful relations with Israel.” However, in 2003 a media report said that the IAF had “declared a jihad in favor of Iraq and Palestine if the US attacks Iraq.” More recently, after congratulating President Obama on his election, the IAF called his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan “a hostile step against the Arab and Islamic worlds. In 2009, the IAF also called Israeli actions in Gaza “the ugliest crime in history.”
A post from earlier this week reported that the deputy leader of the IAF is scheduled to appear as a featured speaker at the annual conference of the Center for the Study of Islamic and Democracy (CSID) in April. As that post discussed, CSID has many ties to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood.