Egyptian media is reporting that an Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leader has condemned a French magazine for publishing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad on its cover and naming him as guest editor. According to a report on Ahram Online:
Thursday 3 Nov 2011 A Muslim Brotherhood leader has condemned the French magazine Charlie Hebdo for publishing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad on its cover and naming him as guest editor. Mohamed Saad El-Katatny described the cartoon as a heinous crime aimed at aggravating Muslims. He also slammed the magazine’s staff as “irresponsible.” El-Katatny asked Islamic institutions, including Al-Azhar, the highest religious authority in the Sunni Muslim world, the International Union of Muslim Scholars, and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to address the responsible bodies to prevent the publication of similar cartoons in the future. He also urged the French government to investigate the incident and take all necessary legal measures against Charlie Hebdo. A day after the publication of the cartoon, the Paris office of the magazine was destroyed in a petrol bomb attack. The publication’s website was also hacked.
It should be noted that the Muslim Brotherhood today has become a global network and that the Egyptian mother branch is not necessarily the most important part of the movement. Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi, close to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, is often referred to by the GMBDW as the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, an acknowledgement of his role as the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to lead the Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide.