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" … we wold like our
people to know also that we love them more than ourselves and that we wish to
sacrifice our souls for their honour, glory, dignity, religion and their
aspirations, we work for people only for God's sake more than we work for
ourselves; we are for- our belover brothers- and we will never be against
you".
Imam Hassan Al Banna.
A Week of Escalations:
The MB And Al Azhar
Demonstrations
Ibrahim El Houdeibi, Daily
Star
Last week witnessed a
dramatic escalation of events between students affiliated with the Muslim
Brotherhood (MB) and the security apparatus in
The group organized a
symbolic martial arts performance wearing black uniforms and head masks to
express their dismay over university policies. The “show” was intended to scare
away the ruthless riot police, which surrounded the university premises.
Widely criticized by leading
MB figures including Chairman Mohamed
Mahdi Akef, the incident was considered an error of judgment by the students
and an unnecessary provocation. MB opponents, however, used it to hurl
accusations at the MB of setting up a military wing, alleging that the students
belonged to a secret militia.
What worries me, as much as it would worry any Egyptian,
is how the incident manifested the tension and confrontation between the
students on the one hand and the University administration and security forces
on the other.
As an active member of the
Ikhwan [MB] for a few years, and someone raised in a household that upholds the
ethics and principles of the Ikhwan, I failed to make sense of the actions of
these students who supposedly represent the very same principles and goals I
believe in.
The goals set forth by
founder of the Brotherhood Hassan Al Banna’s, his thoughts and teachings, were
more concerned with reforming society peacefully through education and the Islamic
upbringing of individuals. So I am confident that this behavior will be
addressed seriously within the Ikhwan. Measures must be taken to ensure that
such incidents will not be repeated in the future
At the same time, I reject
any attempts to justify this irresponsible act as a reaction to the unjust
dismissal of some students. Although the regime has banned the MB students from
participating in the formal student union elections, and has expelled those who
have organized the parallel “free” elections, that should never drag us out of
our chosen path of reform.
Justification is
unacceptable simply because I believe that one mistake does not justify
another. True that the dismissal of the students was an unjustified mistake, the
students should not have retaliated the way they did. They could have presented
their just cause in a more civilized way. What Al Azhar students did was only
damaging their case by presenting themselves in the worst possible light, and
giving the tyrannical regime the pretext it needed to crack down on the MB.
Few days after the notorious
demonstration, 180 MB students and 17 leaders, including Deputy Chairman
Khayrat El-Shater were taken into custody. And to deceive the Egyptian people,
the regime launched a media offensive propagating the false notion that the
crackdown was a defensive act to prevent the recurrence of similar
demonstrations across other campuses.
The regime and its security
forces are well aware that most of the MB leaders arrested (including
El-Shater) are not involved in any student activities, and publicly condemned
them. But thanks to the emergency laws, the incident gave them a carte blanche
to violate their civil rights codes and make random arrests without clear
charges.
Khayrat El-Shater is a
leader known for his balanced opinions, deep insight, and moderate views on
issues like the relationship with the West, the succession of power and the
MB’s relationship with the regime in general. He was the man who presented the
MB’s stance on pressing issues in his famous article published in the Guardian
“Don’t be afraid of us”; and to illustrate his moderate stance regarding the
relationship between Islamists and the West he published an interview published
on IkhwanWeb titled “We do not promote an anti-Western agenda.”
The Muslim Brotherhood is an
institutionalized organization, which does not depend on an individual for its
survival but rather on its ideology. For decades, the regime has failed to
understand the resilient nature of the MB and mistakenly believed that
preemptive arrests will undermine its ability to fight for reform and change.
What they don’t realize is that the arrest of our leaders will only open the
doors for the emergence of new leaders, further empowering the organization.
The crackdowns by the regime
will fail to derail us from our chosen reform path. We will continue our
peaceful struggle against tyranny, oppression, corruption and authoritarianism,
until we achieve our dream of a free, democratic, integral and prosperous
Ibrahim El Houdeibi is member of Ikhwanweb's editorial
team in
*******
HRW: Senior Leaders Arrested in Predawn Raids,
Along With More than 140 Students
In simultaneous predawn
raids, Egyptian police on Thursday arrested 17 senior members of the Muslim
Brotherhood and rounded up at least 140 students on suspicion of being linked
to this banned nonviolent organization following a protest at Cairo’s al-Azhar
University, Human Rights Watch said today. The Egyptian authorities have
arrested at least 1,000 members of the Muslim Brotherhood in a crackdown that
began in March. Though most of these detainees are now released,
representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood told Human Rights Watch they expect
further detentions in the days to come. Members detained on Thursday include
Khairat al-Shatir, the deputy supreme guide and chief strategist of the
organization.
Human Rights Watch called on
the Egyptian government to immediately release, or charge, all members of the
Muslim Brotherhood imprisoned in this months-long campaign, as well as students
arrested for their suspected links to the group.
“Once again, the government
is detaining members of a peaceful group whose only crime is pressing for
reform,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch’s
The arrests follow a
demonstration by the Free Student Union, a group comprised mostly of students
affiliated with the Brotherhood formed in November 2005 to protest alleged
government interference in student union elections. On December 10, the
students held a sit-in at an apartment building where they have been living
since al-Azhar administrators expelled them from dormitories for their
political activities. Roughly 35 of them, who wore balaclavas with “samidun”
(“the steadfast”) written across them, gave a brief martial arts demonstration
and performed military-style exercises. On December 14, police surrounded the
dormitory and arrested at least 140 students there, although it is not clear if
all participated in the demonstration. Police have not released the names of
the detained students.
Photos from the
demonstration raised alarm in the press that the Muslim Brotherhood was forming
a militia, and police said they were opening an investigation to determine
whether this was true. Senior members of the group quickly distanced themselves
from the students’ actions, stressing that their organization is peaceful, does
not maintain a militia, and that Brotherhood members who participated might
face disciplinary action. Mahmud `Izzat, secretary general of the banned
organization, told Human Rights Watch that some of the men detained on Thursday
morning had personally chastised the students for their actions.
“We apologize for this
skit,” the Free Student Union said in a statement released Wednesday. “This is
not our way. It reflected poorly on our school and ourselves by making us look
like a militia. This image is absolutely untrue. We are students. We did this
skit because we felt that no one was listening … to our requests for justice in
the university…. The university administration, in cooperation with the
security apparatus, has denied us our rights to participate in student union
elections.”
“These arrests are merely a
part of the government’s continuing campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood,”
said Whitson. “If there is evidence that anyone detained has committed an
offence beyond belonging to the Brotherhood, the government should bring
charges before an independent court and produce the evidence. If not, the
authorities must release the detainees immediately.”
The most recent
arrests took place within a months-long government crackdown against the Muslim
Brotherhood. Most recently, according to the Muslim Brotherhood’s Web site,
State Security officers in late November detained 21 members of the
organization in the Munufiyya governorate, northwest of
Article 86(bis) of
The Egyptian government has
never convincingly justified its continued categorization of the Muslim
Brotherhood, which has renounced violence since the 1970s, as an illegal
organization. Human Rights Watch called on the categorization to be revoked,
and for the authorities to discontinue using its illegality as the pretext for
arresting its members.
List of
prominent Muslim Brotherhood members arrested on December 14:
1. Khairat al-Shatir, second deputy to the
supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood
2. Mahmud Abu Zaid, professor of surgery at al-Qasr al-`Aini Medical Faculty,
3. Muhammad Baligh, professor at the Conjunctivitis Institute in
4. Amin `Abd al-Ghani, engineer
5. Ahmad `Izz al-Din, journalist, press secretary to the supreme guide
6. Mustafa Salim, accountant
7. Mamduh al-Husaini, engineer
8. Yasir `Abdu, secretary general for the Giza Merchants Syndicate
9. `Isam `Abd al-Muhsin, professor of biochemistry at al-Azhar Medical College
and head of the Giza Medical Syndicate
10. Farid Jalabat, professor in the
11. Sadiq al-Sharqawi, businessman
12. Mahmud Mursi, engineer
13. Fathi Baghdadi, director of al-Masa`i schools
14. Sayyid Ma`ruf, manager at `Umar Affandi Co.
15. Salah al-Dusuqi, assistant professor of anatomy at al-Azhar Medical College
16. Jamal Sha`ban, accountant
17. Sahib Shawkat al-Malt, secretary general of the Free Students Union at
*******
Who Is
Mohammed Khairat Saad Al-
Shatter
- Born in Dakahleya on
Academic Qualifications
- B.Sc. of Civil Engineering,
- Master Degree in Construction Management,
- B.A from Anthropology Department, Faculty of
Arts,
- Islamic Studies diploma, Islamic Studies Institute,
1999
- Diploma in Social Work and NGOs, Faculty of
Economics and
- Political Science,
- Diploma in Business Administration, Faculty of
Commerce,
-Diploma in International Marketing, Faculty of
Commerce,
Professional Career
- Worked as an administrator in the Faculty of
Engineering,
- In 1981, late president Sadat suspended him from working in the university
- In 1981 onwards he established his own business in
different areas and companies
- He currently runs his private group of companies, in
addition to being a board member in some major banks and companies
Political
and Islamic activities
- Khairat Al-Shatter started his political activities
as early as 1966 When he was a secondary school student
- He was a founding member of the general Islamic action in 1967
especially in Alexandria where he played pivotal role in establishing the
general Islamic awakening (Sahwa) starting early seventies
- He has been a Muslim Brotherhood member since 1974
- He took the lead in many Muslim Brotherhoodaffairs,
inter alia, Education, Human Development and Management
- He was elected member of Muslim Brotherhood Guidance
Bureau in 1995
- Al- Shatter has been to prison several times during
Nasser and Mubarak eras
- In 1968 after participation in the famous students
demonstrations that followed the 1967 War, he was kept in prison for four
months then dismissed from university .Right after he was released, he was
drafted into the Army in the
- In 1992 he was imprisoned for one year in the famous
Salsabeel case
- In 1995 he was sentenced to five years, along with
54 members of Muslim Brotherhood who were sentenced from three to five years;
he was released in July 2000
- In 2001 he was imprisoned for almost one year in
what was known as Imbaba group, a Muslim Brotherhood meeting
-
*******
Al Masri Al Youm
Journalist Regrets Parade Photos
“I hope that those reading
this message will know to what extent I am emotionally suffering after
publishing those pictures [MB students' parade]" "Since, Monday, when
Al Masri Al Youm Newspaper published the news of Al-Azhar militias, I have felt
sad about what will happen after; there was fear inside me but I did not know
that all this would happen.”
This is part of the
testimony of Amr Abdullah, journalist who took the photos of
Yallatalaba web site
interviewed the journalist through telephone and requested his testimony about
the incidents, in which he said also:
When I arrived
at the university dormitory, I noticed that all the university
gates were heavy gaurded by police and appeared like military
barracks. Then I went to the university dormitory and noticed that its gate was
fully open and fully besieged by the security.
I also noticed a group of
students were standing in lines wearing masks showing only their eyes, and
chanting condemning the intervention of the security in the university
affairs.
Then, the performance of
karate and kung fu started; in fact, I was surprised with what I saw, given
that this was not the first time to hold such performances which I heard about
before and were part of sketches about the resistance and
These sportive performances
were not that strong; they were just a show-off; also, the young men did not
use any kind of bladed weapons in addition to their fully avoiding any
skirmishes with the security forces.
Then I reported the apology
vigil and the regret that the students expressed about this performance which
was overblown out of proportion.
This was everything that
happened during that day; I hope that anyone i offended to forgive me; this is
because I –I swear by Allah- did not mean to offende any body. I was just doing
my job honestly and I didn’t support one side against the other.
Amr Abdullah- Al Masri Al
Youm
*******
Egyptian Security Beat
Journalist Mohammed Abdul Quddus
In a continuous
violation 0f rights of journalists in Egypt, Mohamed Abdul Quddus, the
secretary general of the freedoms committee in the Press Syndicate yesterday
was beaten by ten security agents because he insisted on breaking the
security siege around the syndicate, and standing amid Abdul Khalek Tharwat
street and chant slogans against the regime through a loudspeaker.
The syndicate’s freedoms
committee considered arresting Ezzuddin as unjust measure that came under the
emergency law that controls the country. It demanded Attorney General,
counselor Abdul Magid Mahmoud to intervene to end the crisis, urging the
journalists in all institutions to participate in a complete sit-in protest at
the unjustified detentions against journalists specially that Ezzuddin isn’t
related to Al-Azhar incidents or the students’ military parade for which the
security services launched a crackdown on the leaders of Muslim Brotherhood and
university students.
*******
Azhar professors released
The
The statement said that:”
Whatever injustice laid on the students, they shouldn’t have been driven to
such actions that cause ambiguity over their peaceful expression, something
that may affect the rightness of their cause", pointing out- at the same
time- that the security services and some biased media seized this opportunity
and exaggerated the mistake for which the students apologized in front of the
university administration.
The teaching staff members
rejected arresting some university professors with claims or without any claim,
" although they are well-known for their efficiency and respect in various
local, regional and international arenas”, considering this " an episode
in a series which has been adopted during more than two years, without any
indication these unjust policies will end".
The statement denounced accusing
professors of violence or terrorism " in a way that disagrees with the
what these colleagues are known for, including good manners, self-restraint and
an interest in keeping the stability of the university life and keeping away
from any thing that may distort its image and derail it from its sublime
message of preparing a generation of young men who can be shouldered with the
responsibilities of improving this nation and saving it from the abyss of
backwardness and subordination".
The statement cited Dr.
Mahmoud Abu Zeid " who is known among all of his sincerity and dedication
to serve his faculty and university: in addition to his being a remarkable
professor in his field, he supervises for a long time a number of programs in
the Faculty of Medicine, that aim at improving the quality of education inside
it, and adopting its academic programs in the various arenas".
The board of directors of
the Cairo University teaching club declared its rejecting such a futile method
in dealing with Egyptian well-reputed figures: it demanded immediately
releasing the university professors as there is no excuse for the provisional
detention because they are public academic and societal figures whose jobs and
addresses are known, and they aren’t feared to flee appearing in front of
investigators in the times that the prosecution defines; thus, it is useless to
restrict their freedom and deprive their students from their knowledge and
directions, specially while the university is approaching the first term exams.
The teaching club demanded
also the security services to stop such repressive practices " that keeps
our beloved homeland in within a circle of cultural backwardness, while all the
world is witnessing increasing freedoms and human rights".
*******
MB Bloc Calls For Parliament
To Investigate Al Azhar Events
The Muslim Brotherhood’s
parliamentary bloc denounced the regime’s latest security crackdown that led to
arresting 140 students and professors of
“ This serious escalation
against the Muslim Brotherhood over a sport performance that the MB students
organized at all-
The statement added that
what took place in
The bloc’s statement praised
the attitude of the Muslim Brotherhood group that sought to contain the crisis
and declared its rejection to any situation that may lead to causing fear and
worry among people, and showing MB’s care for the security and the stability of
the country and showing the group’s reformist approach and peaceful method.
*******
IIFSO condemns
Al-Azhar student detentions
The International Islamic Federation of Student
Organizations (IIFSO) denounced the latest arrest campaign that the Egyptian
security services launched against Muslim Brotherhood students from
The IIFSO praised the Egyptian student movement and
the Muslim Brotherhood students, who struggle to restore their political rights
and their public role, calling for immediately releasing the detainees of the
last campaign.
The IIFSO said in a statement- a copy of which was
obtained by Ikhwanweb:" We have followed up- with severe concern- the
violations of freedom of Egyptian students and harassments of the Egyptian
security services against the student movement in universities, including
intervening in the university affairs, striking off candidates from student
union elections, flagrant interventions in the election process itself,
excluding some students from living in university dormitories, unjustified
dismissals, to reach its peak with arresting about 200 student leaders in
Al-Azhar University, topped by the secretary general of the Free Student
Union".
The IIFSO confirmed that the students have the full
right to exercise their peaceful activates inside the university campus, away
from any security intervention, and it considers establishing freely and
democratically elected Free Student Unions away from the government vented
unions " as a bold cry and a practical and legitimate method of protesting
at the violations committed in the student arena by the regime’s bodies that
persecute the nation’s best youth while it gives hollow promises of
democratization and freedoms".
Within framework of a series of measures that IIFSO
called for due to latest arrests on
The Federation expressed its full solidarity with the
detained students, and called on its institutions all over the world to send
messages of protest to Egyptian embassies in their countries and to Human
Rights Organizations as well, to protest and to exercise pressures on the
Egyptian government to make it release the detained students.
*******
Dr. Nafeaa: Regime Rejects
All Effective
Parties Not Only MB
Muslim Brotherhood cannot be eradicated
Dr. Hassan Nafeaa, head of
the Political Sciences Department, Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences,
Cairo University, wrote an article in which he reviewed the yearlong conflict
of successive regimes in Egypt with the Muslim Brotherhood, citing the recent
arrests which reached out to sixteen Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including MB
second deputy Chairman, Eng. Khairat el Shater as well as a host of
Dr. Nafeaa quoted part of
the statement released by the Interior Ministry to the effect that these
arrests were made at arrest warrants by the State Security Prosecution after
the police were tipped off that those leaders were implicated in riots staged
in
Egyptians tend not to
believe Interior Ministry’s statements:
Commenting on the context of
the statement, Dr. Nafeaa said that no neutral, unbiased observer can confirm
or dismiss what came in the statement, adding that there is a tendency among
Egyptians to dismiss statements made by the Ministry of Interior"
especially that the arrests of the MB leaderships have been in full swing for
years either there are reasons for the arrests or not", he said, citing
the recent release of two senior MB leaders, Dr. Essam Al Arian and Dr.
Mohammed Mursi, who were detained for seven months without charges and were
released without clear reasons.
Nafeaa briefly traced the
history of the Muslim Brotherhood, founded by Hassan el Banna in 1928, saying
that the group sustained a lot of ordeals at the hands of all successive
regimes since it started to call for establishing a model society. The
professor attributed this collision to ideologies adopted by these regimes,
mainly the pro-West liberalism at the king's reign, pro
Reviewing the outcome of the confrontation of the
group with the successive regimes throughout more than sixty years, the writer
said that it is time to learn lessons from these yearlong confrontations, which
he summed up as follows:
First: The Muslim Brotherhood is here to stay and no one can
eradicate it, now that the group has taken root within the political and social
life in
Second: The unabated crackdowns on the group only invigorated
power into the group; incriminating its activities made it less communicative
with others, which made it continue its activities even away from the eyes
of the
law.
Third: Imposing restrictions on the other political parties
outside power eventually works in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood only, making
the group the only alternative for the incumbent regime, especially when the
latter lacks a national vision or project to rally the public around it, as is
the case of
The writer reinforced his
assertion by inviting readers to have a look at the recent parliamentary
election, when only 23% of the eligible electorate participated. He
pointed out that this led to a political polarization on the part of the two parties,
with the writer warning that this could lead to an appalling political vacuum,
as both parties is not a party in the full sense of the word. To hammer home
this viewpoint, the writer said that the ruling party doesn’t take its power
from the public support inasmuch as the awe and aura of its security agencies.
Likewise, he added, the Muslim Brotherhood power doesn’t reflect the public
support inasmuch as the influence of religion on the Egyptian society.
According to the writer,
exchanged accusations between the ruling party and the Muslim Brotherhood make
the silent majority uncertain of both parties. " The ruling National Party
relentlessly uses the media to exaggerate the threat of Muslim Brotherhood, to
lead the people off its responsibility for the deteriorating situation and to
consolidate its monopoly of power and wealth." he said, adding that
"the ongoing persecution of the MB members will turn them into victims who
deserve to be the only alternative especially in the light of the political vacuum,
taking the country to an untold chaos and unrest, " to which the incumbent
regime seems to take us "the writer warned. Concerning his outlook for the
future of the political life in
Who is to blame for this
political standoff?
After several meetings and
talks with MB leaderships, the writer said he concluded that the problem doesn’t
lie with the Muslim Brotherhood inasmuch as the incumbent regime. He lashed out
at the regime for its refusal to make room for any party enjoying public
support, citing the Al Wasat (centrist) and Karama (dignity) parties which have
for ten years struggled to get an official license allowing them to exercise
their activities. "If that is the case, why do we call on the group to go
the same way while all of us know its result?," he wondered.
However, he concluded by holding the civil society organizations responsible to
seek a formula to dispel the doubts between the MB group and all political
forces having a desire for reform" If we fail to eliminate the exchanged
accusations between the Muslim Brotherhood and other political powers seeking change,
there will be no hope for an alternative, genuine and democratic system, and in
this way we, unaware, sit awaiting the coming disaster, which will inevitably
come" he concluded.