Arab media is reporting that the assistant secretary-general of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) has said that Western countries and organizations have a “hidden agenda of tarnishing the image of Islam and Muslims.” According to an Arab News report:
March 19, 2015 Sweden and other Western countries have adopted double standards while dealing with human rights as they ignore the killing of thousands in Iraq, Syria and Palestine, and highlight the flogging of an individual in Saudi Arabia as a big issue, said Dr. Mohammed Badahdah, assistant secretary general of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY).
Speaking to Arab News, he emphasized that Saudi Arabia’s rules and regulations as well as its judicial system are based on the Qur’an and Sunnah or Shariah. ‘Shariah laws are not made by Parliament or people’s representatives. They are divine laws given by the Almighty for the welfare and security of the whole humanity,’ he explained.
‘It’s the duty of all countries and societies to respect religious faiths, beliefs and cultures of different communities in order to promote peace and stability in the world,’ Badahdah said while denouncing Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom’s anti-Saudi tirade.
‘We are not imposing Shariah on others. Why do then Sweden and other Western countries criticize the Kingdom when we are implementing Shariah in accordance with our faith? This is clear interference in our internal affairs and Saudi Arabia will not tolerate such attacks,’ he said.
Later on in the interview, Dr. Badahdah said:
Western countries and organizations often raise human rights issues in Saudi Arabia not because of their love for the protection of human rights but because of their hidden agenda of tarnishing the image of Islam and Muslims, he said. ‘They want Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries to follow their cultures that allow free mixing of men and women, prostitution, homosexuality and same-sex marriages. They suffer disintegration of families and most of them keep their parents in homes for the elderly.’ Badahdah said despite these strident smear campaigns, Islam is spreading all over the world. ‘It has become the fastest spreading religion in America and Europe. If Muslims properly follow the teachings of Islam and set a good example for others, it will spread even faster.’”
Read the whole interview here.
Muslim Brothers were instrumental in the founding of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) and the organization continues to enjoy close relations with the global Muslim Brotherhood. Several important leaders of the Global Muslim Brotherhood began their careers as part of WAMY including German Muslim Brotherhood leader Ibrahim El-Zayat and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also affiliated with the organization in the 1970’s. U.S. government agencies and officials have argued that WAMY has helped spread Islamic extremism around the world as well as sponsoring terrorism in places such as Bosnia, Israel, and India.
In May 2013, Ahram Online published a very useful history of the tumultuous and sometimes difficult to understand relationship between Saudi Arabia and the Global Muslim Brotherhood.
