(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Amb. Dore Gold - The Muslim Brotherhood, which began in Egypt in 1928, has evolved to become a global network with branches in 70 countries. Since 9/11, a global debate has raged over whether the Muslim Brotherhood was a dangerous Islamist terror organization or a real alternative to the jihadist militancy witnessed with al-Qaeda. There is no ambiguity about the purpose of the Muslim Brotherhood. Its regular periodical, Risalat al-Ikhwan, carries a masthead proclaiming: "Our Mission: World Domination." It also carries the motto: "jihad is our path; martyrdom is our aspiration." The founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al-Banna, wrote that the flag of Islam must be raised again in territories it once ruled, like Andalusia (Spain), Sicily, the Balkans, the coast of Italy, as well as the islands of the Mediterranean. Mustafa Mashour, who became the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, included on the list of occupied Muslim lands to be liberated: Palestine, India, and Chechnya. He went on to say, "As the Soviet Union has fallen, so will America and the West succumb." On December 26, 2018, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak testified in court that in 2011, 800 armed operatives infiltrated into Egyptian Sinai through the Hamas tunnels with the aid of the Muslim Brotherhood. They helped 20,000 inmates escape Egyptian prisons including members of Hizbullah, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood. His testimony belied the notion that the Brotherhood had somehow evolved into a peaceful group renouncing violence. The writer, former director general of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israeli ambassador to the UN, is president of the Jerusalem Center.
2019-01-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive