European Muslim Brotherhood Weighs In On Mideast Crisis

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Elements of the European Muslim Brotherhood have weighed in with their condemnations of the ongoing Mideast violence. Both the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) have issued unequivocal statements likely reflecting the perceived potential damage done to Muslim Brotherhood governments in the region. The FIOE statement begins: 

The Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe (FIOE) expresses its condemnation of the attack, which targeted the American Consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, and claimed innocent victims, among them the American ambassador to Libya. Without doubt, this sad incident cannot be justified, as it contravenes religious codes, moral principles, and diplomatic traditions. Moreover, this type of aggression is in no way representative of the moral values of the Libyan people, who struggled and made sacrifices in order to build a better future for their country in a state of law. The Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe draws attention to the fact that committing shameful acts of disrespect against Islamic sanctities, from whatever quarter, cannot justify perpetrating acts of aggression against embassies and shedding the blood of diplomats; this is a contravention of the teachings of Islam that prescribe the protection of these envoys, even in times of war. 

Read the rest here.

 The MCB statement begins:

The Muslim Council (MCB) calls on all parties to halt violence sparked by outrage at a video trailer of a disgraceful film mocking the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Such violence led to the death of US ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, yesterday – the 9/11 anniversary – following the release of a trailer for a video mocking the life of Islam’s most holy figure. Crowds also stormed the US embassy grounds in Cairo, where they burned the US flag.’The violence we saw is not in keeping with the teachings of the Prophet, whose honour these people wish to defend. Those who carried out these attacks are in a minority and do not speak for Muslims, or our faith. 

Read the rest here

report on FIOE by the NEFA Foundation describes FIOE as follows:

The Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) claims to be an independent organization representing the interests of Muslims in Europe. In reality, the FIOE is an umbrella group that comprises the global Muslim Brotherhood in Europe. Strong links connect FIOE’s leadership central institutions and member organizations to the Brotherhood, as well as to Saudi Arabia. Funding for the FIOE is derived largely from Gulf sources, including some of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates. The FIOE has strong ties to Hamas and Hamas fund-raising organizations, and some FIOE member organizations show evidence of links with Al-Qaida. The FIOE recently opened a headquarters office in Brussels and has had some success in positioning itself as a “dialog partner” for the EU and other important institutions.

post from June reported that FIOE issued a statement expressing its “great sorrow” over the death of French Holocaust denier Roger Garaudy.

The MCB is a U.K. umbrella group that has been dominated by the Jaamat-I-Islami and usually acts in concert with the Global Brotherhood. The MCB Secretary General Farooq Murad is also a current trustee and former chairman of Muslim Aid, known to have been part of the Union of Good, the world-wide coalition of Islamic charities raising funds for Hamas.

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