Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said on Monday that Osama bin Laden, who was killed by US forces in Pakistan, did not represent Islam and said the United States should pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan.Indeed, the Muslim Brotherhood said this. But AFP left out what else they said.
"Islam is not Bin Laden," Mahmud Ezzat, the Brotherhood's number two, told AFP.
"After September 11, there had been a lot of confusion. Terrorism was mixed up with Islam," he said. "In the coming phase, everyone will be looking to the West for just behaviour."
From the Ikhwanweb website, in Arabic:
While Islam denounces violence and terrorism it believes it was not necessary to resort to assassination stressing a fair trial of any criminal whatever the crime would have sufficed.The Muslim Brotherhood statement, rather than denouncing Al Qaeda as AFP implies, actually condones Al Qaeda actions against allied troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as Palestinian Arab terrorism.
It is on this note that the MB calls on the Western world, its people and governments to not link Islam with terrorism, and to correct the erroneous image which has been created in this regard.
The MB however confirms its belief that there is a difference between combat and resistance stressing that combating violence is necessary however each country has its right as stipulated in international conventions guaranteed by divine laws to defend itself against oppression against innocent people as is the case of the Palestinian people and Israel's Zionists.
Ending its statement the group cites that so long as occupation remains resistance is legitimate and it calls on the United States, NATO and the EU to end the occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq, and recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
Furthermore the MB calls on the US to end its intelligence operations and to cease from interfering in the internal affairs of any Arab or Muslim country.
Not quite as peaceful as some like to pretend.
(h/t Dan for last link)