Acknowledging what has always been a close relationship, Pakistani media is reporting that Jamaat e Islami (JEI) Pakistan and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood have announced that they would “join hands to solve issues faced by Muslims all over the world and to promote the true image of Islam.” According to a report at Dawn.com:
LAHORE: The Jamaat e Islami Pakistan and the Ikhwanul Muslimoon (Muslim Brotherhood) of Egypt, on Wednesday decided to join hands to solve issues faced by Muslims all over the world and to promote the true image of Islam. The leadership of the two parties made the announcement in a meeting at the Ikhwanul Muslimoon headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday, says a press release issued by the JI media office. Both the parties also decided to strengthen the relations between Islamic movements in different countries, and to counter propaganda against Islam. A three members JI delegation, led by the JI chief Syed Munawar Hasan, is currently on a four day visit to Egypt on the invitation of the Ikhwanul Muslimoon chief Dr. Muhammad Badei. Formal talks between the two sides were held between the JI chief, Secretary General Liaquat Baloch and JI Foreign Affairs chief Abdul Ghaffar Aziz, and the Muslim Brotherhood chief Dr Muhammad Badei, Secretary General Dr Mehmudul Hasan and other central leaders. The two sides held detailed discussions which focused on the need for closer and stronger ties between Islamic movements all over the world. Also discussed during the meetings were the latest situations in Kashmir and Palestine. JI chief Syed Munawar Hasan congratulated the Muslim Brotherhood leadership and the Egyptian people on the successful revolution in their country, and also paid homage to the martyrs of the Tehrir Square. He also welcomed the recognition of the Ikhwanul Muslimoon’s legal status within Egypt, and the formation of the Freedom and Justice party.
The JEI was founded in 1941 and is Pakistan’s oldest religious party. The party had its origins in the thought of Maulana Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi (1903-79), the most important Islamist intellectual in the history of Southeast Asia. Maududi was also a major influence on the global Muslim Brotherhood with whom the JEI has long enjoyed close relations. A previous post discussed a 3-day Islamic conference held in late October 2008 in Lahore that brought together leaders of the JEI with leaders in the global Muslim Brotherhood. Previous posts have discussed various anti-American, anti-Indian, anti-Israeli, and anti-Semitic comments made by JEI leaders. Earlier this month, JEI leader Syed Hassan called for the end of operations against the Taliban and called Osama Bin Laden “a man of character.”
In the United States, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is generally considered to represent the JEI. ICNA has a particularly close relationship with the Muslim American Society (MAS), a part of the U.S. Brotherhood, and the two organizations have been holding joint conferences in recent years. In addition, many past and present leaders of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), also part of the U.S. Brotherhood, have backgrounds that are strongly associated with JEI. One notable example is India-born Muzammil Siddiqi, a past ISNA president and leader of the Fiqh Council of North America. A previous post has discussed a recent speaking invitation by ISNA to another JEI leader.
In the U.K, the umbrella group known as the Muslim Council of Britain has had many leaders and groups close to the JEI.