The Muslim Brotherhood pledged to defy an Egyptian court’s Monday order that bans the group as an NGO and freezes its assets.
The Brotherhood was accused of violating nongovernmental organization rules by using its offices to store explosives and weapons.
“The Brotherhood affirms that this selective retaliatory political exclusionary ruling comes as no surprise. It is meant to give false and deceptive legal cover for actual ongoing actions already carried out by the military junta since July 3, 2013,” the Brotherhood said in a statement about the ruling from the “putschists’ court.”
“The Muslim Brotherhood reminds the military putschists of their predecessors who tried these same tactics and imagined that they were able to drive the group and its members out of the Egyptian society, of which they are a vibrant vivid and bright and generous part, around which people stand in solidarity and positive support, as has happened in all elections since the January 25 (2011) Revolution – and even before that, and as is happening now in mass protests continuing daily since the military coup, rejecting the putschists, along with the Brotherhood defending the legitimacy of the clear popular choices trampled by the military, and endeavoring to regain the independence of their homeland and future generations.”
Mohamed Morsi won 2012 presidential election with 51 percent of the vote and just 52 percent voter turnout. The Tamarod movement collected 22 million signatures within the span of two months demanding Morsi’s ouster — nearly twice as many votes as Morsi originally received.
Egyptian leaders have now torn up the constitution crafted by the Muslim Brotherhood with the exclusion of religious and ethnic minorities and promise a new draft constitution by mid-October. A diverse panel of 50 will review and debate its contents before it goes to a vote.
“The Muslim Brotherhood as an idea, a method and a group, was, is and will remain steadfast on the Path of God, true to its covenant with God, and faithful to the homeland and the people, committed to the moderate approach with wisdom and good counsel, using all peaceful means within the framework of the just law,” the Brotherhood vowed.
“The Muslim Brotherhood endeavors for truth, strength and freedom. It has transcended geographical borders and boundaries, solemnly promising its nation and its peoples to continue to work, to serve its homelands, championing the causes of its nation, true to its principles, faithful to its method, until the peoples are blessed with freedom and dignified life, and humanity is blessed with the light of Islam and the principles of its Godly laws, which heal humanity and leads to happiness of mankind. Its members will not be cowered or discouraged by an unjust ruling or the tyranny of a repressive regime.”
And then, with a not-so-veiled threat: “‘Those who do wrong will soon come to meet their ultimate destiny.’ (Quran 26:227)”
Current al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri joined the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt when he was 14 years old. In 1981, he was arrested after the Anwar Sadat assassination.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member