عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Akef, Former Supreme Guide of Muslim Brotherhood, Dies at 89

Egypt's former Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef, who has died aged 89, looks on during a trial in Cairo in February 2015. (AFP)
Egypt's former Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef, who has died aged 89, looks on during a trial in Cairo in February 2015. (AFP)
TT
TT

Akef, Former Supreme Guide of Muslim Brotherhood, Dies at 89

Egypt's former Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef, who has died aged 89, looks on during a trial in Cairo in February 2015. (AFP)
Egypt's former Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef, who has died aged 89, looks on during a trial in Cairo in February 2015. (AFP)

The former supreme guide of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Mahdi Akef died in hospital on Friday after a recent deterioration in his health.

Akef had suffered from chronic problems linked to old age.

Aliya Mahdi Akef made the announcement on Facebook, saying "my father is in the care of Allah (God)".

A report released by the Qasr El Eyni Hospital said that Akef was admitted in January and that he was diagnosed with bile duct cancer and an enlarged prostate among other conditions.

Born in 1928 -- the year Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood -- Akef became deeply involved in it at a young age.

After leading its student section, the former physical education instructor joined the group's Guidance Bureau in the 1980s before being elected supreme guide in 2004, at the age of 76. He resigned six years later.

The Brotherhood, which Egypt labels as a terrorist organization, did not offer the real explanation for his resignation, saying that he stepped down due to health reasons.

Sources from inside the Brotherhood said at the time that disputes between the Guidance Bureau and Akef forced him to quit.

Akef was arrested and jailed in 2013 after the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi. This was followed by a crackdown on other Brotherhood members.

After Morsi's ouster he was sentenced to life in prison, meaning 25 years of detention, for his alleged role in the deaths of 12 anti-Brotherhood protesters who tried to attack the Brotherhood's Cairo headquarters in June 2013.

He spent the last years of his life in and out of hospital while serving his sentence.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
TT
TT

Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.