Grand Mufti of Egypt Shawki Allam, in a visit to London, made the government’s case about the ongoing threat from the Brotherhood..
Egypt has recently stepped up efforts to clamp down on the Muslim Brotherhood and its members in Britain. Grand Mufti of Egypt Shawki Allam warned the British House of Commons on May 17 of the danger posed by members of the Muslim Brotherhood on British soil.
At the House of Commons, Allam distributed a report highlighting the abuses committed by the Muslim Brotherhood. He tried to prove the Brotherhood’s use of violence and its association with jihadi organizations such as the Islamic State (IS). He detailed the most prominent cases that Brotherhood members are facing in Egyptian courts.
Three days later, Allam gave a lecture at Oxford University, where he warned Western media outlets and non-governmental organizations about dealing with extremist ideas, in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood in Britain.
Allam also sought to consolidate Egypt’s influence in Britain. In his meeting with Lord Ahmad, the Minister for South Asia, North Africa, the United Nations and the Commonwealth, Allam said that “Egypt is ready to train imams in Britain and send Egyptian imams to confront extremist ideas.” He also warned of the “spread of extremist ideas in Britain and the world.”
Allam also met with Egyptian community leaders in Britain, and he visited the Civitas research center in London and met with lawmakers, specialists and researchers. During that meeting, he stressed that “Egypt is open to the world and extends its hand to cooperate with Britain and European countries to confront the threat of extremism and terrorism.”
But Allam’s tour in Britain raised the ire of the Brotherhood. Acting General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Ibrahim Munir, who is based in London, sent a letter May 18 to members of the British House of Commons in response to Allam’s report.
“The Egyptian Mufti approved 106 death penalties issued after flawed political trials against Brotherhood members,” Munir said in his letter. “The international community dismisses these trial procedures as lacking justice, and this is what led Egypt to now rank third among the countries with the highest numbers of executions worldwide.”
He added, “Allam came to the House of Commons to justify the position of the Egyptian regime, which was condemned by every major human rights institution and the United Nations.”
Egypt has sought to clamp down on the Muslim Brotherhood in Britain after several of its members moved there from Turkey, after Turkish authorities asked them to stop criticizing the Egyptian regime.
For years, Egypt’s government has been trying to persuade British authorities to ban the Muslim Brotherhood’s activities on British soil. In December 2018, an Egyptian parliamentary delegation met with the then-speaker of the British House of Commons, John Bercow.
In November 2016, another Egyptian parliamentary delegation visited Britain to submit to the British House of Commons a report on the Brotherhood’s involvement in violence and terrorism in Egypt and Arab countries.
Speaking to Al-Monitor, Tarek Fahmy, a professor of political science at Cairo University, said that “Allam’s tour in Britain is an important step aimed at confronting the Brotherhood and its influence on British decision-making centers.”
“Arab countries need to step up their efforts and organize campaigns, send joint delegations to the British House of Commons and hold meetings with pro-Brotherhood members of the House to familiarize them with the dangers and history of the group,” he added.
Munir’s reference to death sentences appeals to “British public opinion, which is against the principle of death penalty,” he added. “The Egyptian regime must submit evidence of the involvement of Brotherhood members sentenced to death in cases of violence and terrorism.”
He explained, “The Muslim Brotherhood is trying to turn Britain into a new haven for its members after the shift in the Turkish policy towards them, which is why the Egyptian state will step up its efforts in the coming period to confront the Brotherhood’s plan to spread in Britain.”