The Islamic Brotherhood’s “Istanbul Front” decided to appoint Mahmoud Hussein as the acting guide of the organization, to succeed Ibrahim Mounir, who passed away on Nov.4.
The move was seen by researchers in fundamentalism as “a challenge to the decision of the London Front, which was led by Ibrahim Mounir, and which had previously appointed Mohieddine al-Zayet, as a temporary acting guide.”
“The escalating conflict between leaders abroad will deepen during the coming period,” said Egyptian expert in the field of combating international terrorism, Colonel Hatem Saber.
The announcement of Mahmoud Hussein’s inauguration comes hours after the exchange of accusations between the Brotherhood leaders, following the “failure” of the demonstrations that were scheduled to be held on Nov.11 in Cairo.
Experts noted that every front was trying to blame the other for the failure of the Brotherhood’s call to protest on that date.
“The disputes between the Brotherhood’s fronts abroad is normal, because of their failure to hold the demonstration, which has revealed that the organization has no support in the Egyptian street,” Saber told Asharq Al-Awsat.
For his part, Egyptian researcher on fundamentalist affairs, Ahmed Zaghloul, said that the organization has been going through a crisis for years, adding that internal disputes escalated after the passing away of Ibrahim Mounir, and the Brotherhood’s failure to mobilize its supporters on Nov. 11.
Zaghloul told Asharq Al-Awsat that the conflict within the organization “will continue during the coming period, and may deepen, especially if the London front fails to formally choose an acting guide.”
“In the meantime, a new group may emerge to claim leadership of the organization,” he remarked.
