Fahmy: Al Jazeera sponsors outlawed Brotherhood, Nusra

CAIRO - 22 June 2017: Egyptian-Canadian Journalist Mohamed Fahmy said on Thursday that Qatar-owned al Jazeera network is sponsoring groups of the outlawed Muslim brotherhood and al-Qaeda-affiliate in Syria Al Nusra.

“Just as we expect governments to abide by basic human rights we also expect news outlets like Al Jazeera to respect the ethics of journalism, stop endangering the lives of its staff, and refrain from sponsoring groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Nusra, an affiliate of Al Qaeda, and other terrorist groups,” Fahmy said in a press conference on what happened during his trial in Egypt and the Al-Jazeera’s editorial policy in the Arab region.

Fahmy had spent more than a year in prison in Egypt where he was accused of ties to an alleged terrorist organization as well as reporting false news with the aim of spreading chaos.

He added that he sued al Jazeera network before the British Columbia court over its “negligence, misrepresentation, and breach of contract,” in May 2015.

“Al Jazeera did and on behalf of the Qatari government who control the general direction of the coverage,” he said.

Fahmy quoted Islamic scholar associated with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group Qaradawi’s inciting violence statement. A video interview showed Qaradawi, a leading figure of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, articulating his permission of suicide bombing if required as a necessary tactic by a wider group and not an individual.

“One may blow himself up only if the Al Gamaa (Brotherhood) needs him to do so. If the Al Gamaa (Brotherhood) needs someone to blow himself up into a congregation of people—they must organize the operation with the least casualties if possible and preferably the bomber should survive too. One must submit to the Al Gamaa (Brotherhood) and not act alone.” Qardawi was quoted as saying.

Fahmy, 43, added that there is a difference between freedom of expression and inciting rhetoric “that poisons the minds of people and possible inspires them.”