RECOMMENDED READING: “Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood Rules Out Talks With Iran”

The Al-Monitor Middle News portal has published an interview with the head of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood political bureau in which he rules out talks with Iran, calling the Iranians “untrustworthy.” The article, which also discusses Hassan Hachimi’s views on the role of the Syrian Brotherhood in the Syrian National Coalition, begins:

June 12, 2014 Doha, Qatar — The head of Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood political bureau, Hassan Hachimi, ruled out near future prospects of talks with Iran regarding the Syrian civil war, calling the Iranians ‘untrustworthy.’

The remarks were made during an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor on the sidelines of the Brookings Institution’s US-Islamic World Forum in Doha.

‘They have made many attempts [to engage the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood]and continue to do so, but we are still refusing to meet with them because we see them as part of the problem and an untrustworthy partner,’ he said, accusing Iran of backing the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which this week captured Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul.

‘The image they [Iran] are trying to send [is]that here we have a battle that is the same as yours, we are fighting terrorism, and we have now [Iranian President Hassan] Rouhani who is a moderate, and who is trying to cooperate, and Syria all of a sudden might be a partner.’

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pledged support to the Iraqi government June 12 in its fight against the radical group, condemning ISIS as ‘an extremist, terrorist group that is acting savagely.’

The Brotherhood leader rejected assertions his organization had lost influence within the Syrian National Coalition, or that its relationship with Saudi Arabia had been constrained since Riyadh designated the global organization a terrorist group in March.

Read the rest here.

The Syrian National Coalition was created in November 2012 and included members from the Syrian National Council (SNC), an earlier group that was dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report had also identified three SNC leaders that were tied to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood as well as pointing out that Ghassan Hito, recently chosen by the Syrian National Coalition as its interim Prime Minister, was also part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. The SNC and Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi enjoyed close relations and Moaz Khatib, identified above as the SNC President, is also close to the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. 

The GMBDW reported in April 2013 that  the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood was planning to open offices inside Syria for the first time since it was quashed by then Syrian President Hafez Assad in 1982. In May 2013 , we reported that the Syrian Brotherhood had opened direct contact with opposition groups.

The GMBDW has discussed a number of reports relating to the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood including:

• In November 2013, an interview with Ali Sadreddine Al-Bayanouni, the leader of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood from 1996 to 2010.

• In October 2013, the author of a recently released history of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood published an article that looked at the armed wing established by the Syrian Brotherhood.

• In August, 2013 the same author published an article which looked at the current status of the Syrian Brotherhood.

For a comprehensive account of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood as of 2006, go here.

For Lefèvre’s recently released book on the history of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, go here.

For an article which looks at some of the differences between the Syrian and Egyptian Brotherhoods, go here.