Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the Dangers of Rabble-Rousing | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Women, who support deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, hold his posters as they rally at the Rabaa Adawia square where they are camping, in Cairo July 8, 2013. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah


Consecutive and brutal blows to international peace happening lately force us to address the root cause, “terrorism.” Within the limited window of 48 hours, the very same terror order managed staging untold damage by targeting people at the safety of their hometown streets and churches, not in one country, but two.

The Stockholm truck attack in Sweden, followed by the two Egypt Palm Sunday bombings stand to remind us that the battle against terrorists goes beyond the borders of the their self-proclaimed states, such as the one established in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt.

These terrorists are not only at odds with state armies, but their violence systematically targets the very social fabric of civilization.

Explosions at two Coptic Christian churches in Egypt happened on Palm Sunday, killing at least 40, including worshipers. While in Sweden, the beer truck ploughing into pedestrians proved that the threat of terrorism rises above capacities of security services when it comes to unconventional methods, like stealing a vehicle and running it into a crowd of innocent civilians.

Egypt’s attacks are far from a coincidence, given the extensive rabble-rousing campaigns led by hardline groups that not only incite acts of violence but accredits them with self-styled legitimacy.

Cairo has spared no effort in raising awareness on demagogues being just as much a partner in terror as the perpetrators themselves.

Clouds of global anger have been massing against religious fanatics and fundamentalist rhetoric, which should signal to groups, such as Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, that they have become a target not only to the governments they are at odds with, but also a larger number of states, institutions and civil groups.

In the past, ultra-conservative groups’ violence was justified on the premise of animosity with local political systems. These groups have also long directed blame towards the Salafist school of Islam – a sect at which they are at odds with – was responsible for terrorism. But these poor justifications wavered away in time.

Political differences do not excuse coercive proselytizing and murder. More so, the fault in scapegoating religious schools for terrorist actions –clearly-driven by political agendas– has also been exposed.

The Muslim brotherhood today undergoes a major crisis in achieving its goals. Based on that, it has resorted to anarchism as a mean to reestablishing. Brotherhood hardliners did not waste the openings found in light of the turbulence which accompanied the Arab Spring riots.

But after failing to do so, the group took another route and advocated itself as key for peace, trying to convince the world that its self-tailored pan-Islamist approach is the source of stability.

Such global extortion is no longer tolerable, especially with the former United States administration being replaced with a fiercer anti-extremist administration under President Donald Trump.

On the other hand, we have the opportunists, the wave riders, exploiting Gulf-Gulf differences to advance personal agendas. Those too must take caution—the world has reached an extremely sensitive and dangerous stage. Terrorism has become an international issue, and whether involved directly or indirectly all will be held accountable.

Later on, the brotherhood sought to level out the playing field by putting the region’s security at stake. But for a number of years their promiscuous goals had no avail.

Its incitement has been made futile, the brotherhood could not even establish state dominance either-one of its rudimentary aims – and above all has failed to secure a place among key players in the regional arena.

After repeated bombings in Egypt, disagreements with regional countries, and international warnings against programs affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, it appears that the brotherhood’s agenda has become detrimental to its very own self, followers and governments embracing the group. It could be said that the group is well on the verge of becoming an international target.