It is generally acknowledged that the UK has turned into a safe haven for Muslim Brotherhood (MB) fugitives who have had the audacity to open their headquarters above a kebab shop in north London. Britain’s laissez-faire policies have served as a magnet for extremists seeking a bolt-hole from which to plan attacks on other countries.
An e-mail I received from a Brotherhood supporter living in Surrey is one example. He condemned my stance; extolled British freedoms and then he showed his true colors by praising the Sinai-based terrorist group Ansar Beit El-Maqdis that has claimed responsibility for a number of bombings. “Ansar Beit El-Maqdis are fighting against the army,” he wrote, adding, “Long live the Muslim renaissance!”
I wrote back pointing out that 90 percent of Egyptians are Muslim and that the majority see — and have always seen — the army as a force of protection.
Until recently, the British Foreign Office took the line that the MB was a moderate political/social organization that had renounced violence. Indeed, subsequent to Egypt’s terrorist branding last year, the Foreign Office was adamant that the UK had no intention of following suit. That statement was naïve or resulted from willful blindness when people in Egypt only had to step outside their front doors or watch local TV channels to see just how peaceful the MB’s following really was. Peaceful individuals don’t burn churches, throw firebombs at security forces, wield AK 47s or shoot policemen before desecrating their bodies.
Earlier this month, British Prime Minister David Cameron took the surprise step of launching an investigation into the Brotherhood’s ideology, activities and links with terrorist elements. MI6 will assess Egypt’s assertion that the MB was responsible for the suicide bombing of a tourist bus in Sinai when three South Koreans were killed. MI5 is tasked with calculating how many Brotherhood leaders flocked to Britain’s shores following the ousting of their man in the palace, Muhammad Mursi, currently on trial for ordering the killing of protesters, collaborating with foreign groups and espionage.
Cameron’s decision was timely; he wants to know whether the MB is as benign as its accomplished global PR squad makes out, or whether the group’s honing-in on the UK amounts to a hornets’ nest that could one day sting the British people. The UK media is divided on the wisdom of such “a review.”
The media is scared to take on the Brotherhood — and many in Whitehall and the Foreign Office are of a similar mind. Let the MB do what it likes in our midst even if that’s plotting mayhem, destruction and bombing far from our shoes, as long as we’re alright, who cares!
Well, here’s some news for all you shoe-shivering, weak-kneed types in my home country. It’s too late for appeasement.
The Muslim Brotherhood has taken off the gloves and made outright threats; firstly warning the government not to restrict its activities else it will fight authorities in the courts and, secondly, threatening that if the UK does pronounce the MB a terrorist organization its followers might choose violence as their only option.
A senior Brotherhood official in the UK, Ibrahim Mounir, spelled out the consequences of such labeling. “If the UK makes this option, you can’t predict what would happen with Muslims around the globe, especially the big Muslim organizations close to the Muslim Brotherhood and sharing its ideology.”
The Muslim Brotherhood is holding a virtual knife to Cameron’s throat. I hope he has the good sense to see that as the writing on the wall for the MB future in the UK. His duty is to protect the British people first and foremost not to wrap a cozy blanket around foreign exiles and fugitives because he fears repercussions. So far he’s been brave enough to put his head above the parapet to do what’s right; I hope he keeps his nerve and doesn’t allow himself to be intimidated. It’ll be months before the review reaches the public domain, but in the meantime, if the PM fancies brushing-up on the topic, he should Google “Muslim Brotherhood Al-Qaeda.” Eye-opening indeed!
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