A recent report in MEMRI highlighted that a Saudi journalist praised US President Donald Trump for designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood a terror organization.
By Rachel Avraham
According to a recent report in MEMRI, “In response to U.S. President Trump’s executive order to consider designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as terrorist organizations, senior Saudi journalist Mamdouh Al-Muhaini, general manager of the Saudi Al-Arabia and Al-Hadath channels, wrote that this decision is welcome, although it comes too late.”
MEMRI continued, “Such a move, he argued, will benefit the Muslims before anyone else, because the MB spreads hatred and extremism, acts to isolate the Muslim communities in the West from their surroundings, and disseminates an ideology that has given rise to many terrorist organizations. Weakening this movement will therefore free the Muslims communities in the West from the influence of political Islam, and help to eradicate extremism and restore the image of Islam, which is a tolerant religion that has been hijacked by extremists.”
Al Muhaini wrote, “”Designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization serves the interests of Muslims. The Trump administration’s plan to designate the Brotherhood was delayed because the legal process is complicated. Even so, it would be an important step. And despite all the American domestic reasons behind such a designation, the people who would benefit most are Muslims themselves.”
According to him, “”First, the designation would weaken the Brotherhood’s influence over Muslim communities in the United States and Europe… Many Islamic centers and associations in America and the West promote political Islam rather than the true essence of the faith. Their goal is to produce ideological cadres rather than upright believers. They create intellectual barriers between Muslims and the American and European societies they live in, pushing them into isolation that prevents healthy engagement with their surroundings.”
Al Muhaini noted, “We have seen extremist individuals emerge from these communities and later join militant groups. How did this happen? Simply because the Muslim Brotherhood and other activist movements shaped an extremist religious imagination. Weakening their hold would open space for ideas of tolerance and religious moderation to grow and spread, encouraging greater integration and cohesion.”
According to him, “Second, designating the Brotherhood is in the interest of Muslims because it would reduce the spread of destructive hatred. We know that violent movements trace their roots to Brotherhood-influenced ideology… This is something Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states understood long ago when they designated the Brotherhood. Their influence harms minds and blocks progress using religious arguments that are, in reality, motivated by a desire for power. What happened is that many of these extremists migrated from the East to the West, carrying their ideas with them. They poisoned their new environments, spread inflammatory propaganda, and fueled hatred in every direction. They used religion and aligned with any group willing to help them incite against the states that opposed them.”
Al Muhaini concluded, “Third, I agree with those who say Islam has been hijacked. The hands of Bin Laden, Baghdadi, Soleimani, and Zarqawi are stained with the blood of innocent people, most of them Muslims… Yet these figures cite verses and prophetic sayings to justify the horrors they committed. None of this reflects Islam. Islam is a great religion that, like other major faiths in history, calls for moderation and balance. It does not clash with modern civilization when interpreted rationally and scientifically. The Brotherhood hijacked this Islam and pushed us out of it, creating a distorted version that the world came to believe was the real thing. Weakening the Muslim Brotherhood would help restore Islam to its true form and free it from those who have distorted and misrepresented it.”
