Brotherhood should not interfere in Egypt

Former leading member of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Dr  Kamal al Helbawy has called on the Islamist movement to respect the sovereignty of Egypt and the will of the Egyptian people. The former Brotherhood heavyweight resigned from movement last year when the controversial Khairat Al Shater was nominated for presidency. Helbawy spoke to Arab Today seven weeks after Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-led government, headed by former president Mohammed Morsi, was overthrown by the army following mass demonstrations. Hundreds of Brotherhood supporters have since been killed after the military used force to disperse pro-Morsi sit-in protests in Cairo. Egypt’s interim leaders blame the violence on Muslim Brotherhood leaders, who they accuse of inciting violence. Criticising the Brotherhood’s response to Morsi’s overthrow, Helbawy said Egypt was a sovereign country and that the movement should not interfere in its internal affairs. The former Brotherhood leader added that those people who incite violence should be questioned, saying the Morsi-supporters blockading roads around their sit-in protests was not a peaceful act. The Muslim Brotherhood has tried to gain the support of western countries at the expense of the Egyptian people, he said. Helbawy accused Egypt’s Brotherhood of failing to organise demonstrations properly, saying supporters committed numerous violations during the protests. The Brotherhood should have secured the demonstrations, he said, and praised the actions of the security forces in dealing with the protests. He said he left the Muslim Brotherhood because it had turned away from the mission of its founder Hassan al-Banna. Helbawy criticized the appointment of Mahmoud Ezzat as temporary supreme guide of the formerly ruling group following the arrest of Supreme Leader Mohammed Badie, saying Izzat favours violence and clandestine work. The group has lost its balance since Badie’s imprisonment, he said. The former Brotherhood leader claimed that the group had burned churches and places of worship in clear violation of Islamic teachings, saying such actions have no relation to politics. The Muslim Brotherhood has denied justifying or carrying out attacks on Egypt’s Coptic churches. Regarding the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Helbawy called it a resistance movement, and should to continue its struggle against Israeli attempts to dominate Palestine.