Egyptian media is reporting that what are described as “senior figures” from the Muslim Brotherhood are in talks with the Brotherhood leadership in an attempt to prevent a possible breakdown of the organization. According to the Al-Masry Al-Youm report, the two leaders were identified as Youssef Qaradawi and Youssef Nada:
December 21, 2015 Al-Masry Al-Youm Senior figures from the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood are struggling to preempt a possible breakdown of the 87-year old organization caused by a leadership struggle between its elders and youth. Brotherhood sources have said that Youssef Nada, the organization’s former foreign affairs commissioner, and Youssef al-Qaradawi, a prominent group supporter and a Qatar-based preacher, are in talks with top leaders to mend the growing rift which has seen the younger cadres planning elections for the organization’s top board. According to the sources, the pair is in contact with acting Supreme Guide Mahmoud Ezzat and the so-called, youth-led ‘Administrative Commission’, the latter which has called for allowing younger figures to lead the organization. Ezzat, sources said, has rejected a dialogue with the youth front until it stops making statements in the organization’s name. He also demanded that the youth ‘hand over the media outlets it dominated over the past period’, referring to the Brotherhood website the younger leaders took over forcing the older guard to build their own website. Meanwhile, Essam Tallima, a Brotherhood member, said the group is in need of a new by-law and Guidance Bureau.
Youssef Nada has claimed to be the acting “foreign minister” for the Muslim Brotherhood and was one of the founders and majority shareholders of the notorious Al-Taqwa Bank, formerly located “offshore” in the Bahamas. Numerous Muslim Brotherhood luminaries held shares in the bank, including the bank’s Sharia supervisor Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi and his family, which was supposed to conduct business in accord with Islamic principles. The bank was closed in 2000 after what Nada said were unforeseen developments related to the Asian financial crisis and a run on the bank caused by unfavorable publicity generated by accusations that the bank was funding Hamas. No documentation of the bank’s activities has ever been produced and Nada has refused to hand over the bank records which he said were moved to Saudi Arabia. In 2010, the UN dropped anti-terrorist sanctions against Mr. Nada and other sanctions and restrictions on Mr. Nada by Switzerland were also removed. He remains designated as a terrorist by the US government.
Youssef Qaradawi is the most important leader of the Global Muslim Brotherhood and is the de facto spiritual leader of the movement.
For a profile of Qaradawi, go here.