Religious scholars, lawmakers and institutions in Egypt have praised the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars for labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group that does not represent Islam and warning the world against cooperating or sympathizing with the transnational organization.
“The warning of the top scholars in Saudi Arabia was timely, and it will limit the Brotherhood’s incitement and violence,” Mahmoud Mohanna, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars at al-Azhar, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
A fatwa observatory linked to Egypt's Dar al-Ifta also said that the Council’s statement marks a final chapter in the history of the Brotherhood, a group which uses faith to mask its acts of sedition and violence.
Founded in 1928, the Brotherhood was blacklisted by Egyptian authorities in 2013 after being tied to violence that took place upon the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi, who is a member of the group.
Hundreds of the Brotherhood’s leaders and supporters, like the group’s Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie, are facing fierce trials in Egypt based on their involvement in inciting violence.
Some Brotherhood members face death and maximum prison sentences.
Ibrahim Negm, advisor to Egypt’s Mufti, stated that the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide appreciates the statement put out by the Council and its ruling that the Brotherhood is a deviant group responsible for stoking sedition and destabilization.
Negm warned of the dangerous of the Brotherhood’s manipulation of religion and it giving rise to terrorists.
“The Saudi warning against the Brotherhood’s terrorism is a statement worthy of appreciation and praise,” Egyptian lawmaker Amina Nassir told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“This warning is a wonderful step for the stability of the region, and stops any sympathy with this group,” she added.
“Unfortunately, no one was spared by the members of this group, which has taken violence and incitement as its method,” she said, commenting on how the Brotherhood’s violence and sedition has affected everyone. .
It is noteworthy that the Court of Urgent Matters in Egypt had officially banned all Brotherhood-related activities in 2013, and ordered the seizure of the group’s assets.
