Egyptian cleric says US aid to Egypt is a "jizya" tax

From MEMRI:

Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian cleric Dr. Khaled Said, which aired on Al-Hafez TV (via the Internet) on March 17, 2013.

Khaled Said: If the revolution declares a framework for dealing with the West and America – they will accept it, kiss our hands, and double the aid they give us. We consider this aid to be jizya [poll tax], not regular aid.

Interviewer: Is this the rhetoric of the revolution?

Khaled Said: It certainly is.

Interviewer: The aid the Americans give us is the jizya tax they have to pay?

Khaled Said: Yes, it is. They pay it for the right of passage through our airspace and territorial waters.

Interviewer: They pay to keep us quiet?

Khaled Said: They pay so that we will let them be.

Interviewer: Is that a fatwa?

Khaled Said: Indeed. The aid constitutes jizya.

[…]

We must strive to realize the goals of the revolution, and to establish a sovereign, Arab Islamic state in Egypt. Then this state will impose payment of aid upon America as jizya, in exchange for allowing it to realize its interests – the ones that we approve, get it?

They must pay reparations for destroying our country and the Islamic nation – them and others in the West – so that we will agree to cooperate with them.

Interviewer: But this is not what jizya means.

Khaled Said: Nevertheless, I call it jizya.

This mentality explains why Arabs are so upset when the US puts even the lightest restrictions on aid - they don't consider it aid; they consider it reparations.

It is unclear who caved during the USAID kerfuffle in 2011, where Egyptian media reported that they formally reject USAID money because of its restrictions. USAID is still giving money to many specific Egyptian projects, that generally are pro-democracy and pro-freedom.