By India Tomorrow News,
New Delhi, 17 March 2014: India’s largest socio-religious organisation Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has urged Saudi Arab government to review its decision whereby it has declared Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwanul Muslimoon – Egypt’s renowned Muslim organisation) as a terrorist group.
Like many other eminent Islamic institutions and scholars in India, Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Omari, Amir (National President) of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has expressed surprise at the drastic change in the policy of Saudi Arab towards Muslim Brotherhood. Maulana Omari said a balanced Saudi stand on Muslim Brotherhood would be in larger interest of Islam and global Muslim community.
Eminent clerics from Nadwatul Ulema, India’s second largest Islamic seminary have also expressed concern on the Saudi move.
In a statement, Jamaat chief said Saudi Arab was among the first countries which had supported Ikhwan when brutal Egyptian rulers unleashed reign of terror on its members several decades ago. The change in Saudi approach came last year when the democratically elected government of Ikhwan was overthrown by Egypt’s military. Rather than supporting democratically elected president Mohammad Morsi, Saudi Arab supported military coup.
“Now by declaring Ikhwanul Muslimonn as a terror group, the Saudi government has put not only all the requirements of justice but also its own valuable and good traditions on the backburner. This change in the policy of Saudi government is beyond comprehension,” said Maulana Omari.
Saudi Arab included Muslim Brotherhood in the list of terror groups earlier this month. The group has also criticized the Saudi move.
In an official statement on 07 March 2014, Muslim Brotherhood said:
“The Muslim Brotherhood was surprised at the press release by the ministry of interior in Saudi Arabia, in which it adds the Muslim Brotherhood to the list of – what it calls – terrorist groups…”
“In the light of the solid principles of the Muslim Brotherhood regarding intervention in other countries’ affairs, we would like to assure that this new stance by Saudia Arabia contradicts entirely with its historical relations with the Muslim Brotherhood ever since the time of the founder king until now,” read the statement.
