The European Muslim Brotherhood has joined other elements of the Global Muslim Brotherhood by condemning Israeli military action in Gaza while neglecting to mention either Hamas rocket attacks on Israel or the kidnapping and murder of the there Israeli teenagers that sparked the recent crisis. The statement by the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) begins:
July 8, 2014 On Monday night, 7 July, the occupation government decided to launch a new aggression on the Gaza Strip, threatening to bombard cities and residential neighbourhoods, as well as destroy civilian infrastructure, terrorising close to two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the majority children and women; indeed, it immediately began to execute this.
Days after the horrific crime in Jerusalem against the Palestinian youth, Mohammed Abu Khudair, who was burnt to death at the hands of an extremist Israeli gang, the acts of killing, repression, and violations directed against Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem by the occupation’s forces and gangs of extremist settlers under their protection have escalated.
The Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe condemns in the strongest terms the latest aggression by the Israeli occupation government and military forces on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and the escalation in acts of killing, repression, and violation perpetrated in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
The Federation warns of the disastrous consequences of any military attack on the Gaza Strip, which has been subject to a suffocating blockade, and lacks shelter from bombardment, with no food or medical reserves, while its inhabitants face crippling shortages of fuel and electricity.
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In December 2008, during that round of the Gaza conflict, the FIOE issued a statement referring to “ruthless massacres” and describing the Israeli actions as “unprecedented in its nature.” The GMBDW noted at that time that “None of the Global Muslim Brotherhood statements made mention of the Hamas rocket attacks on Israel that precipitated the attack.”
The Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) claims to be an independent organization representing the interests of Muslims in Europe. In reality, the FIOE is an umbrella group that comprises the global Muslim Brotherhood in Europe. FIOE has long had a problematic record with respect to terrorism that includes:
- Youssef Qaradawi, the head of the FIOE European Council for Fatwa and Research, is known for his fatwas supporting terrorism in Israel and Iraq.
- Ahmed Al-Rawi, the long-time former head of FIOE, has also made statements supporting terrorism in Israel and Iraq.
- Both Qaradawi and Al-Rawi are Trustees of the Union of Good, the worldwide coalition of charities raising funds for Hamas that was recently designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.
- FIOE has issued effusive statements of praise for Ahmed Yassine, the late spiritual leader of Hamas killed by Israel.