Dr. Bahaa Helmy Writes: Europe Bans the Muslim Brotherhood

Bans on the Muslim Brotherhood are following one another in the European countries through the issuing of new laws prohibiting and restricting the activities and outlets of the group, after it became clear to the world that it is a hotbed for spreading extremist thought and settling it in Europe, and that it provides support and financing for terrorism in various forms and ways.

The countries of the European Union have woken from their sleep or their negligence to the truth of the thought and ideology of the Brotherhood, which Britain founded and where it still embraces some leaders and figures of extremist fundamentalist thought as one of the tools and mechanisms of British policy, used to implement its agenda against any Arab or other country when needed.

After the group spread and took control of the joints of several Western states, and dominated the spreading of its call and ideas among Arab and Muslim communities through mosques, charities and websites through which it provides material and in-kind aid, and through religious centres, schools and study circles to entrench its bases and spread its ideology, exploiting the leniency of governments and the favourable environment for them.

The group describes itself as the largest group of political Islam in the world and as the backbone of the body of the Islamic call, ignoring the institution and beacon of Al-Azhar, and as playing the greatest role in presenting the comprehensive project for the great renaissance hoped for by Islamic peoples; it listed its features as being a Salafi call, a Sunni way, a Sufi truth, a political body, an athletic group, scientific associations and an economic company, and said that it welcomes and encourages juristic disagreement, as they put it, that it enjoys the art of dealing with everyone, and that it is a divine, universal and comprehensive call proceeding in gradual steps to achieve its desired goal.

The countries of the European Union discovered the falseness of those slogans and the growing danger of the thought, ideology, behaviour and goals of the terrorist Brotherhood and its methods of circumvention, after millions of euros were recently seized and confiscated on their way to financing terrorism; it became clear that the Brotherhood is involved in supporting many terrorist operations in Europe and the world, and that the group has close relations with organizations, associations and governments of states that finance it and support its ideology.

This led France, Germany and Austria to issue laws banning the Brotherhood and its activities, exposing its tricks and monitoring its methods of collecting and transferring funds and the revenues of economic projects, and the money-laundering operations and proceeds of organized crime carried out by the group, whether at the European level or across borders.

On the other hand, a ban on the Brotherhood is not expected in Britain or the United States of America, especially after the victory of the Democratic Party, which covers the group with a special umbrella, since they are spies and tools of treason, after the leaked correspondence of Secretary of State Clinton revealed American political and material support for them amounting to billions of dollars to target ruling regimes and some Arab governments in what became known as the Arab Spring revolutions.

The Brotherhood’s participation in this conspiracy drew the region into an unprecedented whirlpool of violence, with conflicts, partition, fighting, tens of thousands of dead and millions of refugees and displaced persons from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and elsewhere.

Egypt was able to foil the rest of the plan at the hands of its armed forces, its national police, a great people and an invincible determination.

The countries of the European Union have understood the justifications and reasons for the Egyptian people’s revolution against the terrorist group, and the Egyptians’ belief in rejecting extremism and terrorism, and the credibility of the political leadership in warning the world of the danger of the thought, ideology, financing and plans of the terrorist group to societies and all humanity has been confirmed to all.

Since it is the mother that incubates all fundamentalist and terrorist groups, which adopt the principle (if there are Muslims in a place or area, there must be Brotherhood), a saying that expresses the ideology and danger of the Brotherhood’s penetration of peaceful societies.

The Egyptian people, with all its components, set the finest examples of patriotism, drawing on the civilization, history and human values acquired over time, which have formed the identity and awareness of the owners of the land, and their ability and inner motives directed towards protecting the homeland, the Nile and history. So long live Egypt and its great people.