The GMBDW has obtained a translation of a 2009 Egyptian media interview with Ibrahim Munir, an important Muslim Brotherhood leader living in exile in the UK. Key points from the interview include:
- Munir heads the London office of the Muslim Brotherhood, which functions as a research centre and is recognised by the authorities. The centre is aimed at scholars and others; he refuses to speak about those who visited it, but says that some were from the European Commission. The centre publishes the weekly Risalat al-Ikhwan, which is aimed to present the Muslim Brotherhood to European eyes.
- Munir is an “ordinary Brother”, although admits being a member of the Brotherhood’s Guidance Bureau [Maktab al-Irshad al-‘Am] in Egypt for many years. At the moment, however, he does not exercise his authority; this will happen if the office moves to Cairo. Munir speaks on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood anywhere, however he is only one voice.
- Referring to a recent visit in London of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood senior Dr. Saad al-Katatni, Munir says that they have met several times, including in Istanbul. He had also met with people like Necmetin Erbakan and Erdogan, but these meeting had nothing to do with any organisational issues.
- According to Munir, the question of the “International Organisation” of the Muslim Brotherhood has been raised by the Egyptians so they can make the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist entity. Islamic organizations, some following the Muslim Brotherhood ideology and some not, are operating in every European country and all in accordance with the laws of every country they operate in.
- Munir adds that there exists cooperation on matters of ideology and politics, and this cooperation is organised; in the past it succeeded in removing any terrorist or extremist ideology from the Islamic, Arabic and international scene.
- The Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe (FIOE) is an independent entity in charge of the work in Europe [Islamic Action], registered at the EU and based in Brussels. The European Commission cooperates with it.
Particularly interesting to the GMBDW is the admission that organizations “following the Muslim Brotherhood ideology” are operating in European countries and that the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) is in charge of Muslim Brotherhood operations in Europe. The GMBDW has long described FIOE as the umbrella group for the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe.
Ibrahim Munir Mustafa (aka Ibrahim Munir, Ibrahim Mounir) was referred to in the past by the Egyptian Brotherhood as an Executive Bureau member of the Brotherhood’s International Organization while an Egyptian news report identifies him as the Secretary-General of the International Organization and one of its founders in 1982 as well as a spokesman for the Brotherhood in London. The latter Arabic language news report also provides some biographical detail on Mr. Munir who it says was sentenced to life imprisonment in Egypt in the 1950’s in connection with the events following the attempted assassination of then Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. Following his early release in 1975, the report says Mr. Munir traveled and worked in the Gulf States on behalf of the Brotherhood following which he applied for and was granted political asylum in the UK. Mr. Munir is also known to be the general supervisor of the London-based Muslim Brotherhood publication known as the ‘Risalat Al-Ikhwan’ (Muslim Brotherhood Message). Mr. Munir drew international attention in 2010 when he was one of five members charged by Egyptian prosecutors with money laundering and raising funds abroad.
For further details on the money-laundering case, go here.