Muslim Brotherhood refutes violence claims by Egyptian media

Secretary General of the Muslim Brotherhood Mahmoud Hussein refuted claims by Egyptian media that the group has relocated to a particular country or that it carries out activities which contradict with its core principles of non-violent resistance.

In a press release Friday, Hussein reiterated that affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood “are keen on the security and safety of countries where they reside, in the same way they care about Egypt’s security and safety.”

He also reaffirmed the non-violent approach of the Muslim Brotherhood: “The Brotherhood, since its establishment, rejects and condemns violence. Members of the group have never resorted to armed struggle except against foreign occupation.”

Moreover, Hussein stressed that the Muslim Brotherhood has consistently adhered to peaceful means of opposition to the repression it faced by respective governments.

He added that past events that took place during foreign occupation of Egypt “should not be taken out of their contexts”. The group, he stressed, prides itself on its resistance of foreign occupation of Egypt, and “considers it a national duty for every Egyptian.”

Concerning anti-coup activities, Hussein said that “the primary field of anti-coup activity is Egypt” and that the sole means of struggle is the “creative peaceful popular protests by young people and women in all cities and villages of Egypt, not any other place.”

“Attempts to publicize the idea that the Brotherhood coordinates anti-coup activities from other locations or by means of agreements with other countries is an insult to the Egyptian people who have the sole right to change.”

“No matter how brutal the repression against the Brotherhood is, the group will remain committed to this [peaceful] approach,” he stressed.