Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Extremist Wing of Brotherhood in Egypt Ousts Historical Leaders abroad | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55364185
Caption:

A masked member of security forces secures Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, November 11, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany


Cairo- Leaders of Brotherhood extremist wing in Egypt toppled its historical leadership abroad during an alleged meeting of Shura Council, the highest legislative authority in the organization.

Concerned parties said the meeting was most likely held via one of the new communication technologies—a committee that supervised the work of the group last year resigned and elected a new leadership.

Official Brotherhood Spokesperson Mohamed Montaser said that the Shura Council convened in Cairo on Monday in a step that was considered by former leaders as an attempt to hold monopoly over the representation of the group and to deepen the division.

Since ousting the Brotherhood following 30 June 2013 revolution, the organization structure of the group cracked due to security strikes and it got divided into two main wings: a wing headed by historical leader Mohammad Izzat and another headed by Mohammad Kamal who adopts radical thoughts in facing the deepest crisis in the history of the organization.

Repercussions of these steps are still unknown but former members in the Brotherhood pointed out that these repercussions are determined based on the representation of Mohammad Kamal wing in the current time and its success in persuading leaders of the group that these procedures are correct.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook account, Montaser said that the committee submitted its resignation after fulfilling procedures of internal elections.

Excluding the period post 25 January 2011 revolution, the Brotherhood did not hold a meeting for the Shura Council but once in 1995—this meeting was actually raided by security forces back then.

Egyptian authorities consider the Brotherhood a terrorist organization and hold it responsible of the majority of terrorist actions which started to occur since 2013.

The group was established in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna but it received a tough security strike in 1949 and Banna was killed in a clash with Egyptian authorities—the group remained besieged during the fifties and sixties except for the post-23 July 1952 revolution period. Then in the seventies, the brotherhood came into birth again by students leaders.