Muslim Brotherhood follows ISIS's lead: Al-Azhar Observer

CAIRO – 25 February 2019: Al-Azhar Observer accused on Saturday the Muslim Brotherhood group of following the lead of the Islamic State (IS) and other terror groups, which aim at spreading chaos, implementing secret agendas, and trying to threaten the country's peace and security.

Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Terrorism, which has been established in mid-2015, was described by Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb, as "Azhar's eye watching the world," the observatory reported.

The observatory's remarks came in response to a statement issued by a website speaking on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood group designated by Egypt as a terrorist organization. The statement is entitled "Delayed Consolation and Deserved Retribution."



Addressing "the brothers," the MB's alleged statement called for a "revolution" that will put an end to "oppressors," and through which "you retaliate for martyrs … save your families, and your homeland."

The Azhar Observatory said that the statement openly called on Egyptians to work on spreading chaos across their country. It added that the statement has uncovered the group's "ugly face, which they have always tried to hide to deceive the youth."

The Muslim Brotherhood, through the statement, "has explicitly admitted they are a group that practices violence and that this is their habit," the observer said, adding that the group's "miserable and desperate goal is the destruction of the pillars of the state, and the [creation] of a strife among its sons …"

Commenting on the title of the MB's alleged statement, the observer said that the "terrorist" Muslim Brotherhood's "unruly desire" in "revenge and retaliation has nothing to do with the instructions of the religion (Islam), which the group (MB) tries in vain to [cut] and use its teachings to serve their malicious purposes."

The observatory also criticized the group for describing its executed elements as "martyrs," saying that the "real martyrs are those who defend their homelands against every aggressor, and [sacrifice] their souls to [protect] its soil, sky, people and all those living on its land, not those who terrorize its people, threaten their security and peace, and seek to spread corruption and chaos."

The observatory's remarks come a few days after the Egyptian authorities had executed nine people, including four who admitted in a video they belong to the MB group, over charges of assassinating Egypt's top prosecutor Hesham Barakat in 2015.

Osama al-Azhari, the Egyptian president's adviser on religious affairs, described the observer's statement as "propos," in a Facebook post, adding that he "supports each word of it."

Moreover, Egypt's Dar al-Ifta attacked the Muslim Brotherhood in many posts on its Facebook page. On Saturday, Egypt's religious authority said that the terrorist group has explained Quran verses based on their desire, adding that they have claimed the believers' verses apply on them only from all other Muslims.



Earlier, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights OHCHR expressed concern that the trials that led to the execution of 15 people in Egypt this month may not have been fair, under allegations of the use of torture in obtaining confessions.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry expressed total rejection of the OHCHR's remarks attacking the Egyptian judiciary, affirming the independence of the judiciary and its right to issue verdicts in accordance with Egyptian laws, which are also based on respect for the relevant international standards, a statement by the ministry read.