Egypt’s top Islamist expects assassination of liberal figures
Nageh Ibrahim, the ideologue of the Gamaa al-Islamiya, said his expectation “was based on an analysis of the political situation not on information.” (Photo via Nageh Ibrahim’s Facebook page)
By AL ARABIYA
A senior member of Egypt’s former militant Islamist group al-Gamaa al-Islamiya has warned that liberal politicians and intellectuals who oppose President Mohammed Mursi’s latest constitutional declaration could face a campaign of targeted assassinations starting from December.
Nageh Ibrahim, the ideologue of the Gamaa al-Islamiya, which took up arms against ousted president Hosni Mubarak's regime in the 1980s, told Al Arabiya that his expectation “was based on an analysis of the political situation not on information.
He
said recent escalation of violence in different parts of the country,
including successive attacks on security forces in Sinai, attacks on
Muslim Brotherhood offices and on mosques, point to a possible bloody
reaction against liberals.
Ibrahim first made
his statement in an interview with the London-based Asharq al-Awsat,
saying targeted assassinations against prominent liberals would be a
“natural reaction” to violence and mistrust, and political polarization
in Egypt.
And while he supported President
Mursi’s latest decrees to consolidate his powers by making his decisions
irrevocable by the judiciary, Ibrahim called for the president to
include more civil and liberal figures in his government and take their
demands into consideration when making decisions.
“Had
the president included representatives of the civil powers in the new
government, he would not have had so many enemies,” Ibrahim said.
“This has to be done before Egypt becomes divided, not only politically but possibly geographically as well.”
He warned that if Mursi backtracks on his decisions, the country would plunge further into turmoil.
But
his statement on the assassination of liberals drew sharp criticism
from his colleague Essam Derbala who is chairman of al-Gamaa
al-Islamiya’s Advisory Council and member of the group’s political wing
Construction and Development Party.
Derbala described Ibrahim’s statements as “irresponsible” and not representative of the group’s or the party’s opinion.
“This
is a very bad timing for issuing such statements,” Derbala was quoted
as saying by the Egyptian newspaper al-Mesryoon. “This would promote
divisions in the Egyptian society and spread fear of Islamist groups.”
Derbala
expressed his doubts that Ibrahim issued those warnings based on
factual information and saw them more as mere speculations.
“These
are just speculations that reflect his own point of view, but are not
official especially that he does not hold any positions now in the
group.”
Tarek al-Zomor, leading member of the group, also played down Ibrahim’s statements as mere speculations.
“All
the changes in Egypt are made in a peaceful way,” he said. “This is the
path Egypt has taken since the January 25 Revolution.”