Not THAT Muslim Brotherhood

One of the key players sitting at the conference table now amid the continued upheaval in Egypt is the Muslim Brotherhood. It seems clear that groups like the MB have no interest in democracy but do use whatever tools are available to advance their agenda.  Yet, you will find no shortage of commentators telling us not to worry, it is only "Israeli propaganda" that describes the MB as a terrorist group opposed to democracy.

The New York Times online, for instance, offers scholar Tariq Ramadan noting that Ramadan's own grandfather, Hassan al-Banna, founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928,  but finding no need to also mention that al-Banna was a close ally of Hitler and spent much of WWII in Germany planning for Hitler's Final Solution to come to the Jews of the Middle East.  Ramadan, who was banned by Homeland Security from entering the US  because of ties to terrorist organizations but who has recently had his visa reinstated, "calls on the West to stop demonizing" organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood. Paul Berman's book, The Flight of the Intellectuals explains why Ramadan is always called upon to explain Islam to the West.

Current statements from the Muslim Brotherhood, however, speak for themselves clearly enough that we don't need scholarly interpretation. The most recent would be that of the MB in Egypt saying that the Egyptians, who have had a peace treaty with Israel for 30 years, should "prepare for war with Israel."

Stand With Us has created a fact sheet that documents the Muslim Brotherhood's support for Hezbollah, as well as for Osama bin Laden; the obvious link between the MB and Hamas; and the MB's goals of "conquering the West." The fact sheet will help you keep your bearings when you're told that the Muslim Brotherhood is just another peaceful constituency in Egypt.