Al Erian: MB Bloggers’ Criticism To Leaders Healthy Phenomenon

Muslim Brotherhood youth expressed their dissatisfaction to the lies published by Al-Masri Al-Youm daily newspaper around the Muslim Brotherhood group. The latest of these lies was published by the newspaper last Tuesday, May, 29, 2007, about a rectification revolution carried out by Muslim Brotherhood bloggers inside the group and that some of them reject the principle of obedience in addition to objecting to many slogans used by the group, including slogan “Islam is the solution, according to the paper.


The MB youth rejected the newspaper’s reports and considered them totally groundless. They said they know very well the real size of corruption and dictatorship in Egypt, leaving only little areas for the moderate group to give vent to its ideas. They pointed out also that the MB leaders know very well what the MB younger generation write on their weblogs. However, the leaders haven’t taken any repressive attitude against them. No MB blogger has been ordered to stop blogging or to change the content of what he is blogging about.


We fully, MB youth and bloggers, support our group specially during such tough times and do our utmost effort in order to make our reformist call and ideas reach all Egypt, said the bloggers.


The MB bloggers confirmed that the group adopts well known decision making mechanisms which are respected by all members. They added that this ideological action is fruitful and is expected from a group that adopts the method of public action.


The newspaper’s groundless reports were stirred by several successive articles written by a Muslim Brotherhood on his weblog http://yallameshmohem.blogspot.com/. Al—asri Al-Youm Newspaper considered the articles a fertile material for fabricating a fake crisis among Muslim Brotherhood youth and to question their to the group and schism in ideology, through citing views published by the MB loggers on their own weblogs. The newspaper didn’t notice the fact that a difference in opinion inside any institution or group signals the maturity and development of that group when it allows its youth to freely criticize without fear.


Al-Masri Al-Youm’s reports and citations about a possible schism from MB youth inside the group stirred an expected confusion among both MB leaders and youth. However, the MB young bloggers’ reaction of denying any emerging rebellion or schism ended this confusion.
Mohamed Hamza, administrator of “mohamza80.blogspot.com” wrote a blog to three parties: the Muslim Brotherhood leadership, Al-Masri Al-Youm Newspaper and the web public, in which he confirmed that their criticism as young men through weblogs is a constructive, not destructive, self-criticism. It is a discussion in a refined and decent manner between the group’s leaders and youth. He confirms that he sticks to his blogged ideas, that newspapers claims won’t make them leave their group and that any retreat from these ideas will be based on logical and intellectual conviction.


On the weblog http://43arb.info/meit, the administrator commented sarcastically on Al-Masri Al-Youms groundless claims, saying these reports were gathered from “friends in a café”, not through a press reportage. He added that the newspaper overblew the topic to fabricate a crisis inside the Muslim Brotherhood group out of nothing.


For his part, Essam El-Erian, the leader in the Muslim Brotherhood group, commented on the lies published by Al-Masri Al-Youm about MB bloggers:


“This disagreement is a point which is to the benefit, not harm, the Muslim Brotherhood. This shows that the group’s youth practice a freedom of expression. They can blog whatever they want about any topic with full freedom and without any restriction. The meetings between MB leaders and the youth are suspended due to the repressive detentions. Such meetings make the regime cracks down to prevent them because they the youth benefit from the experience of the leaders in the direct meetings and the leaders benefit from the enthusiasm of the youth. But for the regime’s crackdowns, there will be no gap between the leaders and the youth.


Al Erian pointed out that the content of MB youth’s weblogs reflects a refined thought and a full maturity among the youth. The media interest in the MB weblogs show reflect the MB effectiveness in the arena. Personally speaking, I am happy about what our young men and women in the Muslim Brotherhood write on the blogosphere.