(AFP File Photo)
The Muslim Brotherhood accused the United States and other Western governments of complicity in Egypt’s recent bloodshed and supporting the change of power that ousted former president Mohamed Morsi.
The Brotherhood, which issues a weekly letter, focused on Western support for Morsi’s ouster while “those governments simultaneously boast that they represent human rights and the principles of democracy”.
“We reject any foreign interference in the affairs of our country as we strive for independence and freedom from foreign domination,” read the Brotherhood’s letter. “But what we want is for Western governments to take a stance consistent with their proclaimed principles, and to not support dictatorships as they have done often for a long time.”
The Muslim Brotherhood, which has suffered a crackdown since Morsi’s removal in July, accused the West of standing in front of democratic change in Third World countries if those changes do not come with the same liberal values touted by Western society.
The group also said that countries such as the United States were guilty of carrying out invasions against other countries and torturing prisoners while “claiming to respect human rights.”
Egypt’s democratic transition, according to the Muslim Brotherhood, made it clear that the popular will wanted an Islamist government that would implement projects promoting the country’s independence, which was against the interest of the United States and Western governments and against “American hegemony.”
The Brotherhood also accused those who lost elections in Egypt of conspiring with the “deep state”, following the West and using various parts of Morsi’s presidency to sabotage his administration under the complicity of foreign diplomats and governments, adding that the Egyptian military had been waiting to stage a coup d’état.
It also reiterated its stance against the media crackdown following Morsi’s ouster and the use of repression by the interim government in dealing with demonstrators, also highlighting the role of Al-Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox Church in standing by the change in power.
The message contrasted the Western position with the African Union, which temporarily suspended Egypt from its Peace and Security Council and added that the AU was “more honest and more adherent to the principles of those hypocrites [of the West].”
“Egyptians still remember the eloquent speech delivered by [US] President [Barack] Obama at Cairo University about improving the relationship with the Islamic world and calling for the adherence of the principles of democracy and that he would support the democratic transition,” said the Brotherhood. “Today he gave up this call and masquerading these promises in favour of bold dictatorship and cooperation with the coup killers.”
The Muslim Brotherhood and other groups calling for the return of Morsi have sustained demonstrations since his ouster, considering the interim government illegitimate.
