Arabic media is reporting that the International Organization of the Muslim Brotherhood is planning to send a letter to US and EU authorities intended to distance itself from any “popular resistance, revolutionary and armed movements and militias in the country.” According to a translated report form the independent Arab language news portal Albawaba News:
Muslim Brotherhood sources in Istanbul told Albawaba that following the latest violent incidents in Egypt during the commemoration of the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood’s government, the MB’s International Organization is planning to send a letter of clarification to the US authorities and EU countries to distance itself from any popular resistance, revolutionary and armed movements and militias in the country. The Muslim Brotherhood stresses its adherence to the slogan “our pacifism is stronger than bullets” – which was set out by its General-Guide Mohammed Badie. The report emphasizes that this initiative follows a statement last week by a revolutionary group which threatened violence against all foreign citizens, companies and tourists, and gave an ultimatum for them to leave Egypt.
According to the report, the figures commissioned to write the letter were:
- Abdul Mawgoud Dardery- head of the Egyptian Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) International Relations Committee
- Ibrahim Munir, Secretary-General of the International Organization
- Anas Altikriti, described as a senior member of the International Organization
This is the first time that Anas Altikriti is known to have been identified as a member of the “International Organization Of The Muslim Brotherhood.” Anas Altikriti is the son of Osama Altikriti one of the leaders of the Iraqi Muslim Brotherhood,, and a head of the British Muslim Initiative (BMI) and Cordoba Foundation, both part of the UK Muslim Brotherhood. The MB’s International organization, led by the Egyptian Supreme Guide, is not the same structure as the Global Muslim Brotherhood and is more limited in scope, representing the “official” MB international affiliates. It should also be noted that Abdul Darder was one of the members of last week’s Egyptian Brotherhood’s delegation to the US which met with top US State Department officials.
The report above emphasizes that this initiative follows a statement last week by an unknown “revolutionary youth” group which threatened violence against all foreign citizens, companies and tourists, and gave an ultimatum for them to leave Egypt. The statement was posted on YouTube on 29 January as a clip taken from the Turkey-based pro-Muslim Brotherhood TV channel Rabia. However, the channel has subsequently said that the clip had been forged.