FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

News

Arab Governments Are Ganging Up on the Muslim Brotherhood

Egypt designated the Muslim Brotherhood a "terrorist" organization in December. Now Saudi Arabia and the UAE have followed suit.
Photo via Flickr/Hossam el-Hamalawy

Egypt’s crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood was supported by two other Middle East power brokers in the last few days, moving the campaign against the 86-year-old organization to unprecedented levels.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which rose to prominence in Egypt after the January 2011 uprising, has been designated as a terrorist organization there since December.

Then Saudi Arabia followed suit on Friday, equating the group with al Qaeda and Syria’s al Nusra Front. On Saturday, the United Arab Emirates, the region’s economic powerhouse, backed the measure and pledged cooperation with Saudi Arabia. This sends a strong message to Qatar, which is seen as sympathetic to the Brotherhood.

Advertisement

“There has never been a concerted regional effort to destroy the organization,” Shadi Hamid, author of a new book, Temptations of Power: Islamists and Illiberal Democracy in the New Middle East, told VICE News.

Yet following the military-backed removal of Egypt’s former president, and a Muslim Brotherhood leader, Mohamed Morsi last year, there has been strong pushback against Islamist influence in the country — and now the region as a whole.

Saudi Arabia’s new law decrees that those who support or even sympathize with the Muslim Brotherhood could now receive up to 30 years in prison. This follows a royal decree announced on February 3, ruling that Saudi Arabia would imprison any citizen who fights in conflicts abroad for between three and 20 years. The rule also stated that any national who joined or endorsed a “terrorist” organization could be jailed for up to three decades.

The UAE quickly supported its neighbor. “The significant step taken by (Saudi Arabia) in this critical moment requires concerted efforts and joint collective work to address the security and stability challenges that threaten the destiny of the Arab and Muslim nation,” the UAE government said on Saturday, reported by the official WAM news agency.

Last week, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain recalled their envoys from resource-rich Qatar, which they accuse of supporting the Brotherhood. Egypt’s ambassador left Qatar in protest in early February.

Advertisement

Since the Arab Spring uprisings, the regional monarchies have been even more wary of the Islamists’ capacity to mobilize large crowds, as potential opposition to their rule.

“There is zero tolerance for any dissent in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, so even the prospect of potential opposition is a problem,” said Hamid. “What you’re seeing is these countries becoming even more oppressive and allowing even less space than before for political opposition.”

For the Egyptian government, the crackdown on supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood has become a pillar of its war on terrorism. It also uses involvement with the Brotherhood as a blanket accusation against anti-government protesters, activists, or journalists. Egypt’s military also sees the group as a direct threat to their leadership.

Mohamed Gomaa, an analyst at the pro-government al Ahram Institute in Cairo, told VICE News that the Muslim Brotherhood has not cut ties with violent jihadists.

“The Muslim Brotherhood members use it as a political cover for instigating violence against the army,” Gomaa said. “Before including the Muslim Brotherhood into Egypt’s political life, they have to surrender first.”

Throughout its history, the Muslim Brotherhood has disavowed violence and struggled to portray itself as a non-violent organization.

“The Muslim Brotherhood was distressed that this action comes from Saudi Arabia,” the group said in a statement from the London press office it set up in January. “The Muslim Brotherhood does not view the state as an infidel or a rebound state which means the Brotherhood takes no stance of enmity or confrontation with the state, but — rather — acts as an adviser or a guider. ”

Advertisement

One of the Brotherhood’s biggest threats to regimes is its strong support among the people who are most marginalized by the state. This includes the poor, workers, and youth, which the Brotherhood can reach through charity and educational programs.

Along with heavy-handed crackdown on Islamists, Egypt’s new government has also stepped up efforts to address growing frustration among these groups.

On Sunday, military spokesman Ahmed Mohammed Ali announced a new initiative aimed at young Egyptians. New Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Fattah el Sisi, who is expected to run for president this month, is spearheading a project to construct one million houses for low-income youth.

UAE’s Arabtec construction firm signed an agreement with Egypt’s army to build the houses. Hasan Ismaik, Arabtec's chief executive, told Reuters that the $40 billion initiative will give land to lower-income individuals “for free.”

Photo via Hossam el-Hamalawy