Marrakech – In an exclusive article The Daily Telegraph reported that the British government will curtail Muslim Brotherhood activities and visits to London by activists following a report by Sir John Jenkins, Britain’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, which was commissioned by Prime Minister David Cameron.
The report highlighted Muslim Brotherhood links with terrorists and armed groups in the Middle East. The Daily Telegraph said that Gulf-based governments put pressure on the UK government to curb the group’s operations in London. It added that the Muslim Brotherhood stands accused of divisive sectarian politics and jihadist links.
The action in London follows the departure of a number of Muslim Brotherhood leaders from Qatar recently, including Mahmoud Hussein, the secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood, and other leaders. The article said that pressure has been applied in London, Doha, and Istanbul to crack down on the Muslim Brotherhood.
The report by Sir John Jenkins, parts of which are said to be too sensitive to publish, contains submissions from high-level Gulf sources. An area of special concern is the Brotherhood’s charities and financial dealings which are now under scrutiny by the UK’s Charities Commission.
The British government’s action stops short of an outright ban on the Brotherhood. However, a close watch is being kept on the Brotherhood’s offices in Cricklewood in London. The Egyptian government, according to the article believes that much of the group’s activities shifted to London following the arrest of former president Mohamed Morsi. The Daily Telegraph quotes Egypt’s Ambassador to the UK, Ashraf Elkholy, as saying that care is needed to be taken to ensure that London does not become a base for Brotherhood activities in other countries.
London has often been accused of allowing revolutionary movements to flourish in the UK. While there have been legitimate instances such as the Tunisian opposition parties during the Ben Ali era, the current surge of Islamist terrorism with ISIL and other armed groups will make the British liberal approach more difficult to sustain. The fact that London is also an important global financial centre means that there must be vigilance with respect to global transfers of funds by terrorist organizations and those linked with them.
Photo: Reuters
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