Muslim Brotherhood Secretary-General: Civil Disobedience Unacceptable Now, Peaceful Protests Suffice

Muslim Brotherhood Secretary-General: Civil Disobedience Unacceptable Now, Peaceful Protests Suffice

 Dr. Mahmoud Hussein, Secretary General of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), asserted that the group does not support calls for civil disobedience on Saturday, February 11, and urged all Egyptians to double their work efforts and positive endeavors to help build, not destroy, the homeland, and so not to take part in this strike.

In a press statement, Hussein said, “This is very dangerous to the interests of the homeland and its future. It means a general strike that will stop the railway service and virtually all transport, factories, institutions, universities and schools, and will stop payment of monies owed to the government (taxes – electricity, water and gas bills). He pointed out that all this would exacerbate the already difficult situation in the country (economic, social and services). This will lead to the state’s disintegration and downfall.

Dr. Hussein called on those responsible for this action to listen to the sound of reason, wisdom and logic, and to place public interests above any trifling, limited (personal – categorical – party) interests, and to work hard to save this their homeland and their people, and to drop this destructive action.
 
He continued, "If someone intends to demonstrate on that day, this is their right. However, this should be done in a peaceful, civilized way, with exclusion of anyone intent on sabotage and destruction from the ranks of patriotic demonstrators. A protest cannot be both peaceful and destructive at the same time".
 
The MB Secretary-General added, "We succeeded, with the Grace of God, in electing a People’s Assembly (PA) that truly represents us all. It is only appropriate for us now to turn to that elected PA with our demands which it shall meet. We have to be patient, though. Demands are many. And the new PA has to effect reforms of thirty years of rampant corruption, which cannot be done in one day. We must not lend our ears to the media which resort to excitement and agitation and call for violence, sabotage and destruction.