U.S. Homeland Security chair: We must support Sisi against terrorism

CAIRO – 25 October 2017: Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security in U.S., Mike McCaul, stated on Wednesday that the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist group which forms real threats to Egypt as well as the region.

Egypt is confronting terrorism and Washington should support it in securing the stability of the Middle East, McCaul added during the conference entitled, “Countering Violent Extremism: Qatar, Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood;” held by Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom.

The conference discussed Qatar's troubled relationship with its Arab neighbors which were the result of its bonds with Iran and funding terrorism.

The institute, one of the oldest decision-making centers in the U.S., will sponsor the day-long conference at the Ronald Reagan Building and the International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

“Qatar has relations that could incite violence, chaos and instability in the region, indicating that Qatar has to change its policy towards the Middle East to remain an ally to the U.S.,” read McCaul.

For his part, Chairman of House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce, said that the U.S. must confront terrorist and extremist thoughts of the Brotherhood; describing them as being against the civil state, adding that they exploit democratic institutions to achieve their goals.

The conference discussed Qatar’s double standards where the state is known for funding terrorists, supporting Iran and Al-Jazeera, which incites violent and terroristic ideas; while, at the same time, hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East and signed an agreement with the U.S. to combat terrorism.

Consequently, one of the topics that were tackled during the conference is the U.S. administration’s call to reveal the content of the memorandum of understanding; signed between Qatar and the U.S. in July.

The memorandum outlines future efforts that Qatar can exert to fortify its fight against terrorism and actively address its terrorism funding issues. This initiative aims to bring a point of resolution between Qatar and the Gulf countries.

News of the memorandum of understanding comes as Qatari officials are pushing back against the campaign led by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
U.S. President Donald Trump, after initially appearing to support the effort to isolate Qatar, has called for mediation and recently predicted a rapid end to the crisis.

If the agreement's content is not revealed, the conference sent a message to Qatar urging them to either end its alliance with Iran or bear its consequences.

This conference held in light of President Trump’s stance against Iran’s regime, and his move to impose penalties on it, listed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization and cancelled the nuclear deal with Iran.
Iranian policies pose threats to the region, as the state is trying to topple the Yemeni government and the monarchy in Bahrain, and fight U.S. interests in the region.

In addition, the conference focused on the different terrorist groups that have been discovered after Trump offered a reward in return for information on the leaders of Hezbollah; intending to arrest them under the premise that they pose a threat to U.S. security.