Turkish media is reporting that Tunisian Muslim Brotherhood leader Rachid Ghannouchi has jumped on the emerging bandwagon of the Global Muslim Brotherhood in calling for the world to be ruled by “justice.” According to a report in Today’s Zaman:
Rachid Ghannouchi
August 21, 2014 The head of Tunisia’s largest opposition movement Ennahda, Rachid Ghannouchi, said late Wednesday that Muslim leaders should not compromise on justice, adding that the problems in the Islam world should be solved by peaceful solutions.
Speaking at the fourth conference of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), a Qatar-based organization, held in Istanbul, Ghannouchi said there are systems that are devoid of justice and tyrannical authorities in the Islam world and stressed the need for unity. Noting that Muslim leaders need to ensure justice, he said there has to be a balance between sects as well. ‘We need to protect the rights of aggrieved people whether they are Muslim or not,’ he said.
Underlining that there is violence in many Muslim countries, Ghannouchi said it is no use for Muslims to be divided or be in conflict. ‘As Muslims, we need to make an effort for peace to become widespread,’ he said.
Ghannouchi said there has to be a new understanding that prioritizes equality and morality in the world and added that one of the common points of all religions is that the world should be ruled with justice.
The GMBDW reported earlier this month that leading Global Muslim Brotherhood figure Tariq Ramadan had harshly criticized the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) for allegedly insufficient attention paid to concerns about “Justice.” We have also noted that other elements of the US Muslim Brotherhood have also been attempting to position themselves with newly-minted “social justice” concerns. The GMBDW also notes the irony of Mr. Ghannouchi’s desire for “peaceful solutions” while at the same time watching a Hamas military commander admit the organization’s responsibility for the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers, an even which sparked the recent round of the Gaza conflict.
The GMBDW reported in July on a statement by Mr. Ghannouchi, widely described as a leading “moderate”, that appeared to adopt Hamas language to describe the conflict. In May 2013, the GMBDW reported that Mr. Ghannouchi had called for young people to realize that “Jihad belongs in Palestine.” In 2011, Mr. Ghannouchi gave aninterview in which he predicted the end of Israel, a viewpoint which is not surprising given that he has had a long history of ties to Palestinian extremism and calls for terrorism. In March 2014, the GMBDW reported on a dinner held in Washington DC to honor Mr. Ghannouchi that was attended by numerous US government officials.
