The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) has congratulated Egypt on the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak by making reference to the country as part of the “Ummah”, a term used to denote the worldwide community of Islamic believers. According to the ICNA Twitter feed:
And the Pharaoh has finally stepped down!…Congratulations Egypt! May you prosper and be a beacon for the Ummah!
The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is a less well-known part of the Muslim Brotherhood network in the U.S., generally thought to be closely tied to the Jamaat-e-Islami organization of Southeast Asia, itself known to be allied with the Muslim Brotherhood. ICNA is particularly close to the Muslim American Society, a part of the US Muslim Brotherhood and tied to the Egyptian organization, and the two organizations have been holding joint annual conventions for many years. Previous posts have discussed ICNA ad campaigns intended to present Islam to the U.S. public. The New York campaign drew national media attention when it was reported that Siraj Wahajj, an American Islamic convert associated with the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood and an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was behind the New York campaign.