Gamaa Islamiyya party abandons Tarek al-Zomor

CAIRO – 28 June 2017: The supreme committee of the Building and Development Party, the political arm of the Gamaa Islamiyya, accepted the resignation of its chairman, the fugitive terrorist Tarek al-Zomor, on Tuesday. Furthermore, the committee accepted Mohammed Shawqi al-Islambouli’s resignation from its membership.

This step came during a special meeting followed by an official statement in which the party announced accepting Zomor’s resignation and “emphasized the validity of the legal position for both Zomor and Islambouli when they competed in the party’s elections.” The party also described both members “as models of high political performance.”

The party said in the statement that “it always calls for peaceful opposition in the state, national unity and an inclusive community reconciliation.”

”The party is committed to provide all necessary legal evidence to the Supreme Administrative Court to confirm the validity of the legal position of its members,” it said, adding, “only official statements issued by the party represent its positions on various issues.”

The party announced that “a General Conference will be held to elect a new chairperson after Zomor’s resignation,” but did not set an exact date for the conference and elections.

On June 26, Zomor announced his resignation from the party in an official statement.

“I resign from my position as the chairperson of the Building and Development party, one month after my election for the second time as the head of the party following my listing on a new terrorism watch list,” Zomor’s statement read. “I don’t want to be an obstacle for the party or to cause any possible challenges resulting of such measures.”

On June 9, Zomor’s name was included on a terrorism watch list of 59 individuals and 12 organizations announced in a joint statement issued by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain believed to have ties with Qatar.

Zomor was a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad before his election as the chairperson of Gamaa Islamiyya. He is accused in a number of terror-related cases on charges such as inciting violence. In 1984 he was imprisoned in relation to the assassination of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Zomor lives in Qatar and has been accused of inciting against the Egyptian police, army and the current regime.

The Building and Development Party was established after 2011’s January 25 Revolution.