Muslim Brotherhood takes up Arms—in support of Hizbullah


Last night, al-Arabia TV (Dubai) reported that a new Sunni Jihadi front has been established in Lebanon, named The Islamic Action Front (Jabhat al-Amal al-Islami). According to Muslim World News (MWN), Fathi Yakan, a follower of Sayyid Qutb, is believed to be the main establisher of the new Front, which brings together major Sunni organizations from all parts of Lebanon (which altogether include several thousand members), aiming to “fill an existing gap” and “create an authoritative body for the Sunnis in Lebanon”, that will “work in co-operation with the other authoritative bodies”. Yakan further stated the Front’s commitment to all aspects of Jihad, including its military side, and its willingness to fight alongside Hizbullah.

In addition, Ibrahim al-Masri, Deputy Head of the Jamaa Islamiyya (the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, also according to al-Arabia), said in a seperate interview their fighters stand shoulder-to-shoulder fighting with Hizbullah. Al-Masri dated the military co-operation of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hizbullah back to the 1980s. He said their fighters are stationed in villages on the Lebanon-Israel border strip (including Shabaa and Shuba); they are assisted, he affirmed, by the Jamaa’s infrastructure of (civilian) institutions and have their own ammunition and stocks.


Today, Muslim Brotherhood leader Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s website, Islam Online published an article that quotes Masri as stating “The Sunni Islamic Group in Lebanon fighters are defending…southern Lebanon hand-in-hand with Hizbullah.” He further states that “we have military combatant groups in the border areas to defend villages there.” This is probably one of the first times Muslim Brotherhood has admitted to having a “military combatant group.”


It is also clear that Qaradawi and the Muslim Brotherhood are rejecting the fatwa issued last week by Saudi prominent clergymen which prohibited support of Hizbullah due to its Shiite background.


On July 30th, Qaradawi’s official webpage published an interview the Sheikh gave to the official paper of the nationalist liberal al-Wafd party in Egypt on July 27. MWN analysis highlights the following points the Sheikh raised:

• Qaradawi states that the Lebanese resistance is a “lawful (shari) Jihad”, which, alongside its “Palestinian sister” represents the “noblest form” of resistance. Currently, says the Sheikh, when “our Nation is in a situation of lack of vividness and disgrace”, the only proof the Nation is still alive is the “resistance we see in Palestine and Lebanon”. There is no dignity, says the Sheikh, in any other acts, and all the Arab organizations are surrounded by submission. Qaradawi now sees Jihad as a religious individual commandment (faradh ayn) which is obligatory to women even without the consent of their husbands, to children even without the consent of their parents and servants even without the consent of their masters”.


• In the Sheikh’s opinion, the Arab organizations think Israel is an unbeatable force, in a similar way to how the Mongols were thought of (in the 13th century). He calls upon them to start acting and stop talking. The Sheikh adds that the problem with achieving Jihad is the lack of freedom inside the Nation, and “if there had been freedom in our countries, millions would have volunteered to join Jihad and help resistance in all the Arab and Muslim countries to win”.


• Sheikh Qaradawi stresses the Lebanese resistance should not be perceived “Shiite” but as part of the Muslim Nation (ummah). The ground for his statement is “(the Shiites) agree with (the Sunnis) on most of the main principles (of Islam) and (only) differentiate over part of the branches. Furthermore, says the Sheikh, the Shiites in Iraq should be condemned for their radical approach. He calls them to abandon their hostility towards their “Sunni Muslim brothers” and stand together against the daily massacres, “from which the only ones to gain are the American occupation and the Zionist entity”.


• Sheikh Qaradawi praises the Lebanese resistance, which “succeeded in cleansing the Muslim land from the Israeli filth, except for the Shabaa farms, that, with Allah’s will be released soon”. He says one of the noblest achievements of the Lebanese resistance is the capture of Israeli soldiers, after “the prisoners were only from our side, and thousands of our sons are in the occupation prisons”. The Sheikh further praises the Lebanese resistance which “succeeded in bombarding with missiles the Israeli valley, made the Zionists hide in shelters, made Israel for the first time acknowledge its (civilian) casualties by Hizbullah’s bombardments and caused it (financial) damages in millions.


• Sheikh Qaradawi says the US hopes to change the map to create a “new Middle East”, in which Israel is the only ruling power and is able to force its wills over everyone. He proves it by saying that while all the world calls for a cease fire, Rice granted Israel a green light to “complete the destruction of all essentials of life”, and (Israel) started it by destroying houses, killings of innocents and turning civilians into refugees.


Related Topics:


Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Calls for Holy War
The Media Line – New York,NY,USA


The articles and statements that are undersigned by the Muslim Brotherhood(MB) are only the ones that express the official opinion of the group.
Those which are not only express the views of their authors