Mounir Responds to Saudi Crown Prince Attacks on the Muslim Brotherhood

Mounir Responds to Saudi Crown Prince Attacks on the Muslim Brotherhood

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Deputy Chairman, Ibrahim Mounir, played down the importance of Saudi crown prince Mohamed bin Salman’s pledge to “eliminate what is left of the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology”, which he made during his interview with CBS news’ 60 Minutes on March 19th. Monir considered the statements by bin Salman "a denial of the good of the Muslim Brotherhood that defended Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States during the tide of the Nasserism, Baathism, Communism, and other alien, subversive ideologies," He said.


Mounir said in an interview with Quds Press: "It is regretful that such talk comes today from a Saudi official. It is the Muslim Brotherhood, whether in Egypt or outside, which defended Saudi Arabia and the correct Islamic beliefs during the Nasserist and Baathist tide."


He added: "The Muslim Brotherhood was the shield that broke the conspiracy of Nasserism and Baathism, which they wanted to be a substitute for religion, and the Muslim Brotherhood stood up against the Westernization campaigns carried out by those who called themselves intellectuals of enlightenment."


He continued: "It was the Muslim Brotherhood’s thought that thwarted this dangerous tide, side by side with good men from inside and outside Saudi Arabia, who fought back the fierce campaign that would almost wipe out religion, and if it was not for divine support, neither Saudi Arabia nor the Gulf could be exited today."


He called on the crown prince “not to forget the subject of ‘free princes,’ who said that Nasser dragged them in the sixties, from within the ruling family, and if it was not for the Grace of Allah and the Saudi family’s awareness of the Nasserist threat, Saudi Arabia would have probably been disappeared from the map long time ago."


"This is not the first attack against the Muslim Brotherhood and will not be the last," Mounir said. "Neither the Saudi crown prince nor anyone else can eliminate the sound Islamic thought. The Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology is based on a rule of moderation: no exorbitance or squander."


He added: "Islam spreads and extends all over the world, and whoever undertakes a war on Muslim awakening and Islamic tide is delusional" as he put it.


Mounir’s comments to Quds Press come in response to remarks made by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman in an interview with "60 Minutes" on CBS News aired hours before his trip to the US.


The crown prince added: "The Saudi schools have been invaded by elements of the Muslim Brotherhood, but in the near future they will be eliminated completely."


Bin Salman launched an attack on the so-called Tayyar Al Sahwa, i.e. the Awakening movement,’ saying that it had dominated the country for nearly 30 years. He indicated that Osama bin Laden had precipitated a wedge between the Middle East and the West.


He also said that before 1979, the Saudis lived a "wonderful and natural" life, like the rest of the Gulf States, citing examples where women were driving cars, and there were movie theaters. But after 1979 there was a hard and intolerant Islam in the Kingdom," considering that he and his generation were "victims" of that thought.