Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Supports Bin Laden
Elaph:
The Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Egypt said he considered al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden a "mujahed," in an interview published on the Arabic news website Elaph Thursday. In response to the question about whether he considers bin Laden a terrorist or an Islamic mujahed, Mohammed Mahdi Akef says "definitely a mujahed and I do not doubt his sincerity in fighting the occupation to become closer to God."
Akef says al Qaeda's ideology came as a response to "injustice and corruption," adding that he supports its activities against "occupiers" but not against people. The supreme leader of Egypt's largest opposition group also told Elaph's reporter that the MB would send fighters to fight the occupation in Iraq and Palestine if allowed by the Egyptian government.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 in Egypt. The group states that it's against the use of violence to achieve its goals. The Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed but often tolerated by the Egyptian government. It won 20 percent of the seats in the Egyptian parliament in 2005.