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Mon, Oct 18, 2010 | The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

The weekly article written by Muhammad Badi', the General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which appeared in Risalat al-Ikhwan, a London-based Muslim Brotherhood organ. The article repeatedly calls for jihad against Israel and contains strong incitement and hate propaganda which targets the United States and moderate Arab regimes.

Muslim Brotherhood Calls For Jihad Against Israel, US And Moderate Arab Regimes

The Muslim Brotherhood’s London-based publication calls for jihad and terrorist attacks against Israel, and incites against the United States and moderate Arab regimes. However, when addressing leftist and human rights activists of the anti-Israel coalition, the Muslim Brotherhood emphasizes the rights of the Palestinians and tones down its radical Islamic nature.

Hate Propaganda and Incitement (in Arabic) in London-Based Organ

1. In the last few weeks the weekly Risalat al-Ikhwan, the Muslim Brotherhood’s London-based organ, has written in praise of the Hamas attack southeast of Hebron in which four Israeli civilians were murdered. Another article in the weekly called for jihad against Israel and included strong hate propaganda and incitement against the United States and the moderate Islamic regimes. There is nothing exceptional about the articles. For the past decade, since its founding, the Risalat al-Ikhwan has waged a hate campaign against Israel and the West, exploiting Britain’s freedom of the press (For examples see Appendices I and III).

2. The weekly “Media Letter,” which appeared in the September 1 issue of Risalat al-Ikhwan, showered praise on the terrorist attack in which four Israeli civilians were murdered at the Bani Naim junction southeast of Hebron on August 31, 2010. The attack was carried out to undermine the relaunching of the direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

3. The relevant passage of the Media Letter says the following: “The Muslim Brotherhood extols the military operation carried out yesterday by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the city of Hebron in the West Bank. It emphasizes that the option of resistance [i.e., terrorism] is the only option which ensures the return of the stolen Palestinian lands and the establishment of the Palestinian state, whose capital will be the holy city of Jerusalem, on all the land of Palestine, which is Arab-Muslim land. It stresses that support for that option [of resistance] is the personal duty^[1] of all the people, governments and organizations in all the Arab and Muslim countries” (For a picture of the Arabic of the Media Letter, see Appendix III).

4. In a letter published in Risalat al-Ikhwan on October 21, 2010, Muhammad Badi’, the Muslim Brotherhood’s General Guide, called for a jihad and armed intifada against Israel. The article included strong hate propaganda and incitement against the West and the moderate Arab regimes. It was posted on the official Muslim Brotherhood website in Egypt (Ikhwanonline) on September 30 and on the following day it also appeared in the London-based Risalat al-Ikhwan, which represents the Muslim Brotherhood movement throughout the world (Ikhwanpress.com website).

5. Muhammad Badi”s letter was entitled “Islam copes with oppression and tyranny” (See Appendix I for a partial translation) and its main points were the following:

A. Many Arab-Muslim regime are weak, dependent on the West, and act against the interests of the Islamic nation. They forget that the real enemy is the “Zionist entity [sic].” They flee from confronting Israel and do not carry out the command to Allah to wage jihad for his sake with both money and lives.^[2]

B. “World Zionism [sic]” recognizes only the language of force and therefore Muslims must “strike iron with iron.” The reform and change sought by the Muslim nation can only be achieved through “the founding of a jihad generation which concentrates on death the way the enemies of Islam concentrate on life…”

C. The Palestinian Authority, which has returned to negotiations with the Zionists, “is about to breathe its last on the table of direct negotiations.” The Palestinian people are planning a third intifada timed for the anniversary of the second.

D. The United States, defeated and humiliated, is marching towards its annihilation and cannot force an arrangement on the Palestinian people. It is now withdrawing from Iraq, “beaten and wounded,” and is about to withdraw from Afghanistan. The “resistance” [i.e., violence and terrorism] is the only solution for the “Zionist-American tyranny,” and therefore the Arab and Islamic people support it.

6. Mohamed Badia, whose radical Islamic ideology is disseminated by Risalat al-Ikhwan, was chosen as the general guide (i.e., leader) of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt in January 2010. He subscribes to the extreme jihadist ideology of Sayid Qutb, which focuses on immediate, violent jihad against the “infidels” (See Appendix II).

7. The Internet weekly Muslim Brotherhood organ Risalat al-Ikhwan posts strong hate propaganda and incitement against Israel and the West, and is the Muslim Brotherhood’s main publication. It is issued in London by the Muslim Brotherhood Information Centre and is also disseminated via the Muslim Brotherhood’s London-based main website, (Ikhwanpress). Its general supervisor is Ibrahim Munir, born in Egypt in 1937, who has lived in London for many years. He belongs to the global Muslim Brotherhood’s guidance team, is the global Muslim Brotherhood’s secretary general and the movement’s spokesman for dealing with the West.^[3]

Ibrahim Munir (L), the general supervisor of the Muslim Brotherhood weekly Risalat al-Ikhwan, and Muslim Brotherhood spokesman for the West (Photo from globalmbreport.com website); Muhammad Badi' (R), General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (Photo from the Muslim Brotherhood's Egyptian website, October 1, 2010).

Muslim Brotherhood Doubletalk

8. The Muslim Brotherhood, whose European activity is based in London, has great weight in the world coalition acting to defame Israel and erode its legitimacy. The Muslim Brotherhood was well-represented aboard the Mavi Marmara, in the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG) and in other organizations belonging to the anti-Israel coalition operating throughout the world.^[4] To wage its campaign against Israel the Muslim Brotherhood joined forces with leftist activists (especially from the extreme left), human rights activists and labor union members, who are not always aware of the Muslim Brotherhood’s real worldview and radical Islamic agenda, which is, however, expressed in its Arab-language articles in its London-based organ.

9. The Muslim Brotherhood uses doubletalk: When appealing to its Arab-Muslim target audience, it reveals its genuine worldview and political agenda. Those include the negation of the State of Israel’s right to exist, the demand for the establishment of an Islamic Palestinian state on all the land of Palestine, and fierce opposition to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The Muslim Brotherhood preaches a continuation of the terrorism against Israel, praises the terrorist attacks against the United States in the various theatres of fighting, and is hostile to the West and the moderate Arab regimes. However, when appealing to its fellow members of the anti-Israel coalition, Muslim Brotherhood activists are careful to hide or obscure their Islamic radicalism (and sometimes even deny belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood). They adopt terminology from the field of “human rights discourse,” and speak of the “deprivation” of the Palestinians and the “brutality” of the “Israeli occupation.” Those terms serve them as a foundation sufficiently broad to include all the members of the coalition acting against Israel.

Appendix I

Translation of sections of the weekly newsletter written by the Muslim Brotherhood’s general guide and issued in both London and Egypt (London, Risalat al-Ikhwan, September 30, 2010)

1. “In the name of Allah, and a prayer and peace for the prophet of Allah, may the prayers of Allah be upon him and his blessing for peace and for whoever follows him. The Muslim law which Allah gave his creations requires Muslims to stand before the nations that deny Allah and feel superior to his Shari’a [law], like the two pans of a scale, one higher than the other. If Muslims take the straight path to Allah and faithfully carry out his orders and laws, Allah lets them have fame, a firm stance and victory…”

2. “…Many Arab and Muslim regimes have not succeeded in stabilizing their people because of their weakness and dependence [on the West], and they often work against the interests of the [Islamic] nation. They even make the mistake of looking for a remedy in [human] intelligence, from which they can expect nothing [as opposed to the divine message]. The Arab and Islamic countries now suffer from problems because the [Arab and Muslim] will has disappeared and has been left in the hands of the Zionist enemies and their supporters. [The Arab-Muslim regimes] have already forgotten—or pretend to have forgotten—that their real enemy is couching at the door, it is the Zionist entity. They have turned their weapons against their [own] peoples, while they flee from confronting the Zionists and do nothing for the unification of the nation and its revival, and ignore the command of Allah to wage jihad for his sake, with money and lives, so that the word of Allah might be superior and the word of the infidels inferior…”

3. “Muslims today need [to adopt] the concept of glory and to acquire all the means of force to deal with World Zionism, which understands only the language of force, and they have to strike iron with iron and confront the storm. They [the Muslims] have to understand that the reform and change the [Islamic] nation seeks can only be acquired by jihad and sacrifice and the rise of a generation of jihad warriors who concentrate on death the way the enemies [of Islam] concentrate on life…”

4. “The resistance is the only solution: The stage of indirect talks ended without the Palestinians getting anything and without the Palestinian negotiator having learned his lesson. The Palestinian Authority, which returned to negotiations with the Zionists, is about to breathe its last on the table of direct negotiations. [However,] the Palestinian people are preparing themselves for a third intifada timed for the anniversary of the second. We now see the people, on the [West] Bank and in [the] Gaza [Strip], seethe [like boiling water with anger] at the Zionists and their supporters.”

5. The United States cannot force an arrangement on the Palestinian people, regardless of how much money and power it has. It is now withdrawing from Iraq, defeated, beaten and wounded, and is on the brink of withdrawing from Afghanistan. Its planes, missiles and modern military technology have been defeated by the will of the people who stubbornly adhere to the ‘resistance’ [muqawamah], [as was proved] by the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.”

6. “The resistance [al-muqawamah, i.e., terrorism and violence] is the only solution in view of Zionist-American arrogance and cruelty, it is sufficient that the Arab and Muslim nations all stand behind the resistance, help it and support it. The people know full well who the men of the resistance are and who those are who sold the [Palestinian] cause and bargained for it. We say to our jihad fighter brothers in Gaza: Be patient, stand firm and know that Allah is with you [as it is written in the Qur’an] “So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in Faith” [Surah Al-Imran, Verse 139].

7. “The fall of the United States and the annihilation of the Zionist entity: The Soviet Union collapsed dramatically, and for the United States there are much more serious reasons than what caused the collapse of the Soviet empire. A nation which does not extol morality and humanitarian values cannot lead humanity, and when the divine order comes, its money will be no avail, as happened to other [strong] nations in the past. For behold, we see the United States at the beginning of the end and marching towards its downfall, as Allah said, “But when they forgot the warning they had received, We opened to them the gates of all (good) things, until, in the midst of their enjoyment of Our gifts, on a sudden, We called them to account, when lo! they were plunged in despair! Of the wrong-doers the last remnant was cut off. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds [Surah Al-An’am, Verses 44-45]…”

8. “The Islamic nation is capable of reform and change: The Islamic nation has the means to improve and change…It has the law [the Islamic law, the Shari’a], the method and the signs marking the way^[5] and the way of implementation of the messenger of Allah [the prophet Muhammad] and the historical reservoir of the experience of the prophecies of the past and [knowledge] about the condition of the nations and the circumstances of their collapse and the appearance [of other nations]. Wholeness of thought or the way of thinking are the foundation for change, and therefore Allah, may he be exalted, considered that jihad by the Qur’an [i.e., intense study of the Qur’an] and the formulation of sharp thoughts to be the highest value of jihad.”

9. “…Today we see how needy the [Muslim] nation is of unity, cohesiveness and correct preparation, and before them all we must appeal to Allah. Oh, nation of Islam, unite, oh, sons of Palestine, unite, you are before enemies lying in wait for you, and know that Allah has the best plans and through him you will be victorious, [know] that Islam can overcome oppression and tyranny. We all know that the outcome of the confrontation is known, and Allah, may he be exalted, has already ordained it…Allah stands behind every intention and it is he who leads the way.”

Appendix II

The worldview of Muhammad Badi’, the General Guide (i.e., leader) of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

1. Muhammad Badi’ was born in the village of Al-Mahalla al-Kubra in the Egyptian delta in 1943. He studied veterinary medicine at the Zaqaziq University in Egypt, receiving his degree in 1979. He has been teaching veterinary medicine at the Bani Sawif branch of Cairo University since 1987.

2. He adopted the jihadist ideology of Sayid Qutb, who was executed in 1966 after he called for resistance by terrorism to the rule of Gamal Abdel Nasser. Qutb’s ideology advocates the use of immediate terrorism and violence against the so-called “infidels,” including Muslims who are not sufficiently religious. His ideology is opposed to that of Hassan al-Banna, Muslim Brotherhood founder, who advocated preaching the values of Islam (the da’wah) as the way to prepare the ground for a violent jihad against the infidels at a later stage.

3. During the 1960s Muhammad Badi’ was jailed for nine years after having been convicted of membership in a Muslim Brotherhood military cell which planned to overthrow the secular Egyptian government. Thousands of Islamist operatives were arrested at the time, Muhammad Badi’ among them.

4. After his release he remained faithful to Qutb’s ideological (although for reasons of personal security he did not always express his views in public) and continued as responsible for ideological guidance within the Muslim Brotherhood. In January 2010 he was chosen as the movement’s general guide (i.e., as leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt). He was the first general guide who affiliated himself with the Qutb faction within the movement.

5. His philosophy and radical Islamic world view have spread to Muslim communities throughout the world, including Europe. London is the most important center in Europe for spreading Muslim Brotherhood ideology and where the movement’s important media are located.

Muhammad Badia (Photo from Ikhwanonline, the Muslim Brotherhood website in Egypt, September 30, 2010)

Appendix III

Passages from Risalat al-Ikhwan, the London-based Muslim Brotherhood organ, preaching hatred and jihad against Israel, the Jewish People, the United States and the West

The highlighted paragraph praises the terrorist attack at the Bani Naim junction in which four Israeli civilians were killed (Media Letter, Risalat al-Ikhwan, September 1, 2010)

Issue No. 652, July 27, 2010

1. In his weekly letter, Muhammad Badi’, the General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, discusses the Battle of Badr, in which a small force of early Muslims, although outnumbered, defeated the Meccans. “Can we be like them?” he asks. “They were few and they were forced into jihad, yet they ultimately prevailed. Bolstered by faith, they decided to launch a jihad despite their numerical disadvantage.” Badi’ notes that praying to Allah and yearning for paradise were the motivating forces that propelled the Muslims to victory in the Battle of Badr. He further states that “our brothers in the faith [of Islam] are reaching out to us wherever Muslims are persecuted. We see them in Palestine, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and other places, attacked by enemies and betrayed by friends. Are we not men of Badr who believe in Allah, shall we not render them assistance?”

Issue No. 653, September 3, 2010

2. According to an article about the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, it is not at all certain that the Americans actually intend to leave Iraq by the end of 2011, and that “the only thing that can resolve American vagueness other than the establishment [of an independent Iraqi state] is the Iraqi resistance [al-muqawama al-iraqiyya].” It goes on to add that “now more than ever, the resistance is called on to step up attacks on the occupiers, unite its forces, and make the liberation of Iraq from its occupiers and enemies its top priority.”

Issue No. 258, August 8, 2003

3. The following are excerpts from an article by Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna preaching hatred and violence against the “Zionist gangs” and the “aggressive colonialism” (cover page): “…Humanity as a whole has strayed from the path of righteousness; evil powers have joined forces against the good that is still left in the world; Satan, [in the image of] the despicable Zionist gangs, together with the aggressive, evil-mongering colonialist countries, has taken one guise after another. Now we Muslims of the world must be aware of the [wrong] path we are following…and return to the path of our ancestors, [for] we reject all of those regimes as well as the situation we have found ourselves in…”

4. “…We [Muslims hereby] declare jihad for the sake of Allah, the truth and the good, [a jihad] against this unbridled vile act…whose flames and hellfire have burned us all, whose fire and brimstone will soon reduce the world to cinders if the situation does not change. If we win, we shall live happy and joyful; if we are to die, we must die as honorable martyrs [shaheeds]”.

5. Excerpts from a letter by Muhammad Ma’mun al-Hudaybi, the former General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood (pp. 2-3):

A.”…This is what is happening now: the campaign was waged in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the massacres reached Afghanistan and Iraq, and Zionism [was given free reign] to do as it pleased with the people of Palestine. If it were not for the mercy of Allah, may He be exalted, and the outbreak of the Intifada, the holy war that repaid them for their deeds and gave them what they deserved, the situation would have gotten worse…”

B. “And so, the wars of the [world’s] single pole [i.e., the United States] reached the oil sources and swept over Iraq, having already swept over Afghanistan. They [also] ravaged Sudan and are now threatening Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. That one and only superpower means us no good and will not let us lead dignified lives…[The United States] has become the world’s only hegemony, seeking to govern it in ways and with practices that constitute a policy not committed to values or ideals… It has also been overrun by arrogance, condescension and a feeling of racial superiority toward all nations. That superpower has embarked on an evil scheme that is spreading in our Arab and Islamic world…”

C. “…The [United States’] historic campaign against Islam and Muslims is currently taking various forms: invasions, raids, destruction of countries, plunder of natural resources, murder and elimination of innocents, arrests and torture of victims, attempts to cut the roots of identity and change the right and authentic Islamic curricula… It is small wonder, therefore, that the United States has declared a war on Islam as a faith, as a way of life and as a divine regime…”

Issue No. 329, June 20, 2003

6. The editorial (p. 1) strongly criticizes the American-British campaign against Iraq, accusing the United States of being motivated by economic and personal interests and violating all international laws. The editorial notes, “it doesn’t take more than one look at what is happening in our world—in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Asia, South America, and Africa—to realize what is behind the deceitful messages woven by the American spider in a web to push the countries into the global system…”

7. An article by Muslim Brotherhood General Guide Muhammad Ma’mun al-Hudaybi published in the same issue praises jihad and calls for adherence to Islam and a struggle against the infidels. “…We must remember,” the article says, “that this criminal attack by the forces of evil and heresy against our nation is nothing new…[However,] victory has always belonged to truth and those who fight for it, those who have demonstrated patience and perseverance, fought a holy war, survived, fought, sacrificed, won, and conquered—or died as martyrs for the sake of Allah [istishhad] and gone to heaven as they were promised…” [the author goes on to quote fragments of verses from the Quran]. “Oh youth of Islam, oh clerics, oh brothers…there is no victory without sacrifice, no control without jihad… s for you, men of the resistance in Palestine [i.e., terror operatives who at that time perpetrated deadly suicide bombing attacks], who stand in the line of fire and serve as an example for the entire Muslim nation…You stand in the breach to hold back [the enemies of] Islam…Your persistence and your commitment to the struggle instill hope in the hearts of those who seek the truth and fight a holy war across the globe to reach it… Oh men of the Intifada, may Allah bless the sons of Al-Qassam and their sheik [Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades], who issued the call: ‘Jihad is a choice between victory or martyrdom for the sake of Allah,’, [a call] which shook the armies of the Jews” (original emphasis).

8. Following are examples of articles which support suicide bombing attacks and glorify their perpetrators:

A. An article citing an interview given by Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar, speaker of the Assembly of Representatives of Yemen, to Al-Hayat, a newspaper published in London. Al-Ahmar strongly criticizes the Arab organizations that consider suicide bombing attacks as terrorism (p. 4).

B. An article by Fahmy Howeidy, a major Egyptian intellectual and journalist, criticizing the use of incorrect terminology in the Palestinian context. The article criticizes the portrayal of shaheeds as suicide bombers in the world media. He claims that the shaheeds are thus cast in a negative light instead of being portrayed as liberation and freedom fighters willing to sacrifice themselves for their nation and homeland (p. 6) (Note: Fahmy Howeidy holds radical Islamist and anti-Israeli views. He wrote an encyclopedia about Jewish history containing anti-Semitic passages).

9. Following are examples of articles which cover the activities of radical Islamic jihadist movements worldwide:

A. An article (p. 10) about Kashmir, titled “Under no circumstances will the Kashmiri resistance give up its mission of driving out the Indian occupation.” The article says that the Islamic resistance movement, which includes all the countries of the Islamic world, has also influenced the people of Kashmir. They embraced jihad as a means of fighting the Indian occupation, particularly after the Islamic Mujahideen heroically stood up to the Soviets [the article goes on to describe four Islamic organizations that make up the Kashmiri resistance movement: Hizbul Mujahideen (“Party of the Holy Warriors”), Jabhat Tahrir Jammu Kashmir (“Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front”), Harakat Tahrir Kashmir (“Kashmir Liberation Movement”), and Al-Mu’tamar al-‘Aam li-Ahzab al-Tahrir (“General Conference of Liberation Parties”)]. The article describes the struggle of the Kashmiri people (also referred to as intifada, a term borrowed from Palestinian terrorism), in which 83,500 Kashmiri Muslims “died in battle for the sake of Allah” before 2002.

B. An article about Muslims in Tanzania who organized a mass anti-American rally (p. 11). The demonstrators strongly condemned American policy, saying it was a potential threat to any Muslim who wanted to adhere to his own opinion. The demonstrators read a letter that was supposed to be sent to the US ambassador, accusing the US of waging a war on Islam rather than on terrorism.

Issue No. 318, March 20, 2003

10. A letter was published on page 2 from Muslim Brotherhood General Guide Al-Hudaybi entitled “It is beneath Arab and Muslim rulers to dip their hands in the blood of thousands of Iraqis.” The letter stated that the Americans, armed with WMDs, intended to destroy and annihilate Iraq, as well as to exterminate and deport millions of Iraqis. Their objective was to put their hands on Iraqi oil and redraw the map of the region “in a manner that will emphasize its division and separation.”

11. In addition, the letter says, “The current official Arab position, which illustrates Arab defeatism, paved the way for the American war in Iraq. However, what will happen the day after?” asks the article (p. 3). “Make no mistake: no person and no government will be able to escape. Today [it is] Iraq; tomorrow [it will be] Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, and all the Arab and Muslim nations, countries and rulers.” The letter calls on the Arab rulers to “carry the flag of jihad,” noting that it was the call to jihad under Saladin’s banner that brought about the liberation of Jerusalem and the defeat of the Crusaders.

12. Other articles written to provoke active resistance to the United States in Iraq:

A. Saudi clerics call for resistance to American forces (p. 6): The article cites a memorandum of opinion issued by a group of Saudi clerics, calling on Muslims to launch a jihad (holy war) against the US. It also notes that jihad is the Muslim nation’s duty.

B. A sermon by Dr. Sayyid al-Tantawi, Sheikh Al-Azhar (the highest religious authority in Egypt and in the entire Sunni Muslim world), addressed to Arab leaders and the Muslim world, admonished them to avoid extending assistance to the US in its coming war against Iraq (p. 6).

C. A memorandum of opinion issued by the Association of Muslim Clerics in Algeria, which supports jihad against the Americans (p. 6): The association announced its support for the religious ruling issued by Al-Azhar regarding the need to call for jihad against US and British forces if Washington and London launched an offensive against Iraq.

D. A memorandum of opinion issued by the Iraqi Islamic Party (the Muslim Brotherhood branch in Iraq) (p. 3): “This war,” it says, “is an extremely serious crime according to Islamic and human principles. It [constitutes an act of] aggression [by] one nation against [another] nation, and is part of a large-scale imperialist plot…”The memorandum calls on the Islamic and Arab nation to show sympathy for the Iraqi people and use “all means possible” to alleviate their suffering.

Issue No. 243, August 3, 2001

13. The issue features a lengthy editorial by editor-in-chief Mahmoud Ahmed titled “The culture of history…and the policy of religion” (pp. 1, 8). The anti-Jewish article contains anti-Semitic statements based on the Islamic past. Citations from the article include:

A. “…The Jews have been hostile to Islam ever since the establishment of the Islamic state in [the city of] Al-Madina. They have been hatching plots against the Muslim nation since the day of its creation. The noble Quran mentions and confirms that hostility and scheming…”

B. “…And a Jew was behind the incitement of nationalist tendencies in the last Caliphate [i.e., the Ottoman Empire] and the revolutions which began with the removal of Islamic religious law [Shari’ah] from the legislation and its substitution with ‘the [secular] constitution’ and ended with the ‘hero’ [author’s quotation marks] Ataturk’s abolishment of the Caliphate; behind the doctrine of animalistic sexuality [was] a Jew; behind most theories [that led] to the destruction of all the holy sites and [the elimination of all] inhibitions [were] Jews!…”

Appendix IV

Hassan al-Banna quote that the Muslim Brotherhood’s objective is “world domination” removed from Risalat al-Ikhwan masthead

1. The first issues of Risalat al-Ikhwan, the Muslim Brotherhood organ first published in London about a decade ago, clearly stated that the Muslim Brotherhood’s objective was “world domination.” The quote belongs to Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna.

2. The phrase “word domination” was removed sometime in 2003, possibly due to the Muslim Brotherhood’s concerns over drawing the attention of UK law enforcement authorities after the September 11 terrorist attacks. While the title was slightly changed, the themes of Risalat al-Ikhwan’s articles remain the same. Following are scans of the Risalat al-Ikhwan cover page before and after the change.

Notes:

[1] Fard a’yn. The view that jihad is the personal duty of every Muslim is the foundation of the jihadist ideology of Dr. Abdallah Azzam. Azzam was a Palestinian from the Jenin region who joined the Muslim Brotherhood during his studies in Egypt. He later developed a radical Muslim ideology and until he died was Osama bin Laden’s spiritual mentor. Today he serves as a Hamas hero and role model.

[2] The basic meaning of jihad is that of believing Muslims fighting infidels for the sake of Allah. Muslim clerics gave the term other meanings beyond the military, including jihad waged with money (al-jihad bil-mal), meaning raising money for needy Muslims but also for jihad warriors. Extremist Muslim clerics, especially Yussuf al-Qardawi, give great importance to jihad through money, which they regard as an important means for establishing a broad social structure which will ensure a continual flow of funds for the activities of the jihad warriors.

[3] Britain news, Ikhwanweb.com, GlobalMBReport.

[4] For further information see the October 5, 2010 bulletin, “The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG) is an anti-Israel, pro-Hamas umbrella organization which participated in the Mavi Marmara flotilla. The ECESG is currently involved in organizing an upgraded flotilla, and in other projects to further isolate Israel, part of the campaign to delegitimize it.”

[5] Ma’alim al-Tariq, the title of a well-known book by Sayid Qutb, a prominent expounder of the Muslim Brotherhood’s jihadist element.