FJP Criticizes Foreign Grants to Activists Groups

FJP Criticizes Foreign Grants to Activists Groups

Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) Vice-President Rafiq Habib, stated that his party doesn’t approve U.S. grants opportunties to fund NGO’s in Tunisia, Egypt, and other Middle East and African countries through the Middle East Partnership Initiatives (MEPI), which the US embassy in Cairo announced on its website.

 Habib stated these initiatives raise concerns about foreign funding and possible meddling in Egypt’s domestic affairs, and it will be  better for pro-democracy and activists groups to rely on local funding for their activities without having to answer to foreign entities, according to Habib.

Habib added the sole beneficiary of these foreign funds are usually secular groups, which give them an edge over Islamists, and could be interepreted as the US supporting one faction over the other