A leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood living in the UK has criticized the UK government for sending congratulations to Egypt’s new president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. According to a Guardian report:
June 8, 2014 Britain has come under fire from a senior UK-based leader of the Muslim Brotherhood – under scrutiny in a controversial government review – for sending congratulations to Egypt’s new president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, who led the coup that overthrew the Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi last year.
Ibrahim Munir, head of the Islamist movement’s international organisation, criticised comments by the foreign secretary, William Hague, after Sisi’s 96.1% victory was announced last week.
He said: “The results of the elections were false and the British government knows that. Congratulations reduce the diplomatic credibility of the British government by giving support to the military coup even after thousands of innocent protesters were killed.”
Read the rest here.
Last week, the GMBDW published a translation of a 2009 Egyptian media interview with Mr. Munir,
Ibrahim Munir Mustafa (aka Ibrahim Munir, Ibrahim Mounir) was referred to in the past by the Egyptian Brotherhood as an Executive Bureau member of the Brotherhood’s International Organization while an Egyptian news report identifies him as the Secretary-General of the International Organization and one of its founders in 1982 as well as a spokesman for the Brotherhood in London. The latter Arabic language news report also provides some biographical detail on Mr. Munir who it says was sentenced to life imprisonment in Egypt in the 1950’s in connection with the events following the attempted assassination of then Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. Following his early release in 1975, the report says Mr. Munir traveled and worked in the Gulf States on behalf of the Brotherhood following which he applied for and was granted political asylum in the UK. Mr. Munir is also known to be the general supervisor of the London-based Muslim Brotherhood publication known as the ‘Risalat Al-Ikhwan’ (Muslim Brotherhood Message). Mr. Munir drew international attention in 2010 when he was one of five members charged by Egyptian prosecutors with money laundering and raising funds abroad.
For further details on the money-laundering case, go here.