Subcommittee on Terrorism, HUMINT, Analysis, and Counterintelligence: "Muslim Brotherhood”

Subcommittee on Terrorism, HUMINT, Analysis, and Counterintelligence | Apr 13, 2011 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Opening Statements

Chairwoman Myrick's Opening Statement

Ranking Member Thompson's Opening Statement

Witnesses

·         Lorenzo Vidino, Visiting Fellow, The RAND Corporation

·         Ahmed Subhy Mansour, President, The International Quranic Center

·         Tarek Masoud, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University

·         Robert Satloff, Executive Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

·         Nathan Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University

http://intelligence.house.gov/sites/intelligence.house.gov/files/documents/SFR20110413Mansour.pdf

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Ahmed Subhy Mansour

Muslim Brothers

Pure Islam has the values of peace, freedom, justice and tolerance. The Early Arab Muslims

violated Islam in establishing their mighty empires in middle ages.  Arab Muslim empires

defeated the Christian Europe dividing the world in that time into two camps: The Camp of Islam

and the Camp of war. This contradicts Islam. As a justification, human made Shareeah was

invented. After some centuries, Europe defeated Muslims, then occupied most of their countries.

For reviving their strength and glory Muslims have one of two ways: Salafeyya or modernism.

The History of the Salafi Wahhabi Saudi States

Choosing Salafeyya means to restore the glorious past of the mighty Muslim Empire in the

middle ages and applying its fanatic shareeah in our modern times. This is the way of

Wahhabeyya and accordingly the first Saudi state was created in 1745. The other way of

modernizing Muslims according to the European civilization was adopted in Egypt by the ruler

Mohamed Ali Pasha. Mohamed Ali destroyed the first Saudi Wahabi state in 1818. The second

Saudi state was reestablished and collapsed again during the last decades of the 19th century. 

Abdel Aziz is the founder of the current third Saudi State. He began establishing it step by step

since 1902, and by his tough savage desert soldiers name Al Ikhwan (Brothers) he occupied what

is called now the Saudi Kingdom. He gave it his family name in 1932.

The Saudis established Salafi trends and Muslim Brothers in Egypt

By Al Ikhwan swords, Abdel Aziz added the Holy mosque in Mecca to his state and controlled

the Islamic pilgrimage. Al Ikhwan revolted against him, after defeating them, Abdel Aziz needed

to establish another Ikhwan in Egypt to have Egypt on his side to help his state survive. The third

Saudi State has been in bad need of Egypt to avoid the collapse again. Egypt in that time had its

new religious reform led by Imam Mohamed Abdu who confirmed the secular civil nature of

Islam, while the majority of Egyptians were Sufi, who hated Wahhabism. So, the challenge that

Abdel Aziz had was to stop the religious reform in Egypt and to convert Egyptian Muslims to be

Wahhabist. Abdel Aziz bribed Rasheed Reda, the successor of Imam Mohamed Abdo and 2

Rasheed Reda had become the Saudi agent in Egypt. By the efforts of Rasheed Reda, the largest

Sufi organization in Egypt ( Al Jam’eyyah Al Shar’eyyah) tuned to be Wahhabist. Then in the

same year 1926 ( Ansar Al Sunna) or the partisans of Sunna was created to advocate Wahhabism

under the title of Salafism because Egyptians in that time used to hate the term of Wahhabism. In

1927, (Muslim youth) was created to brainwash the Egyptian youth. All these entities were the

entities of preaching Salafism or Wahhabism.  So, it was needed for political organization with

Salafi Wahhabi doctrine. Rasheed Reda chose the brilliant one among the Muslim Youth, his

name is Hasan al Banna, and the new organization (Muslim Brothers) was created for him in

1928 to take over Egypt for the Wahhabism to help the Saudi State to survive. So, from that early

time, there were the Salafi for preach and Muslim Brothers for the political agenda.

Muslim Brothers in Egypt

In 20 years (1928: 1948), Hasam Al Banna created 50 thousands Muslim Brothers branches in

Egypt, creating the international organizations of Muslim Brothers, created his secret army for

assassinations, making a revolution in Yemen, killing its ruler for the interest of the Saudis and

infiltrated the Egyptian army. After Al Banna’s in 1949, Nasser made the Egyptian military

revolution by the help of Muslim Brothers. As expected, they wanted to control Nasser but he

defeated them, arrested many of them while others of Muslim brothers escaped to their spiritual

home; the Saudi Kingdom.

Persecuting Muslim Brothers and controlling Salafi trends

These developments in 1950’s and 1960’s weakened Muslim Brothers; the political trend, but

strengthened the Salafi trend as Nasser tolerated them while persecuting Muslim Brothers in

Egypt. Muslim Brothers in the Saudi Kingdom made a problem for the Crown Saudi Family who

monopolizes the wealth and the power using Wahhabism to serve their policy. There were some

conflicts between Muslim Brothers and the Saudis, so the Saudis focused on helping the Salafi

trends using it in controlling the Muslim communities in the West and the US, a policy that is

still currently ongoing.

In the 1970’s, President Sadat empowered Muslim Brothers and Salafi trends together. In his

time the secret and public organization of Muslim Brothers increased in number, like Jamaah 3

Islameyya, Jihad, Al takfeer wa al  Hijra, Al Najoun men Al Nar and Al Shawqeyyoun. The

Salafi trends mushroomed, producing thousands of organizations and NGO’s in allover Egypt.

Sadat enabled them to control mosques, media and education. As usual, the Salafi trend

concentrated in advocacy while Muslim Brothers had troubles with Sadat. Finally they killed

him.

In the time of Mubarak , he persecuted Muslim Brothers and all their secret and public

organizations while encouraging Salafi trends, infiltrated them, using some of them in its dirty

work against Copts, Baha’is , Shiites and the secular trends. To please them, Mubarak persecuted

the Quranist Muslim scholars who are experts in waging war of ideas against Wahhabism and its

bloody terrorist culture. In return, the Salafi trend kept themselves away from political field

supporting Mubarak enjoying their control on mosques, media and education.

After Mubarak

After Mubarak, this Salafi trend became free and appeared suddenly as untamed beast

threatening Egypt, exposing the secret agenda of Wahhabism and Muslim Brothers. After

Mubarak, Muslim brothers have many troubles; the Salafi trends occupy the picture instead of

them, giving bad news for the future when Muslim Brothers take over Egypt. Muslim Brothers

try in vain to tame the Salafi leaders to conceal the Wahhabi secret agenda. Muslim Brothers

suffer also from disputes among their popular leaders (Mohamed Habib , Mohamed Abou Al

Fotouh and Al Za;afaray ) and their youth who are more open-minded than the seniors.

The problem will be more intense after the success of the Libyan, Yemen, and Syrian and

Jordanian revolutions. The Salafi trends will occupy the empty picture threatening Middle East

and the American interest in this region.

Activities in the US

Muslim Brothers as political organization is does not exist in the West and/ or US. All the

activists and leaders here have the Salafi agenda of brainwashing the Muslim communities in the

West to be the fifth column in the West according to the Sunni Salafi belief of dividing the world

into two camps; the camp of Islam and the camp of infidels/war. This needs a Muslim Salafi 4

body to infiltrate the enemy camp to sabotage it from within. So, their Jihad here is to keep the

Muslim communities away from integration, poisoned them to be enemies to their fellow

Americans, recruiting and brainwashing Americans to convert to Islam, not the real Islam but the

Salafi Wahhabi dogma and prepare thousands of people to be suicide bombers and create what

we can say the American Taliban. For this cause, they control most of the mosques, the socalled Islamic schools and many of the Islamic studies in the Western and American universities.

They have the unlimited support from the Saudi and Gulf State secretly and publicly.

Example

For the past 25 years, I have struggled against Saudi influence in Egypt.  On coming to the U.S.

as a political asylee, I found the same Saudi influence at work in Sunni Mosques, Centers, and

schools — most of them controlled by the same fanatics who advocate the Wahhabi Salafi

culture of terrorism.

To take a typical example, the official Saudi translation of the Holy Quran deliberately

mistranslates Chapter One, [Al Fatehah] — the opening of the Quran.  It says: “Guide us to the

straight path. The path of those on whom You have bestowed Your blessing, not of those who

earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray.”

The Saudi translation adds commentary on these verses, describing the Jews as those who earned

the anger of God, and the Christians as those who went astray.  This Quranic Chapter One, Al

Fatehah, is recited seventeen times in the daily Muslim prayers. So, by means of this

mistranslation, every American Muslim is brainwashed each day seventeen times to be a

terrorist.  Millions of copies of this translation have been distributed in the Islamic centers and

schools and mosques in the U.S., asserting that all Christians and Jews are infidels, and—

according to the Wahhabi faith — should be killed1

1. In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

:

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http://www.qurancomplex.com/Quran/Targama/Targama.asp?nSora=1&l=eng&nAya=1#1_15

2. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord2 of the ‘Âlamîn (mankind, jinn and all that

exists).3

3. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

4. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of

Resurrection).

5. You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).

6. Guide us to the Straight Way.4

7. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace,5

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(V.1:2) Lord: The actual word used in the Qur’ân is Rabb There is no proper equivalent for Rabb in English

language. It means the One and the Only Lord for all the universe, its Creator, Owner, Organizer, Provider, Master,

Planner, Sustainer, Cherisher, and Giver of security. Rabb is also one of the Names of Allah. We have used the word

“Lord” as the nearest to Rabb . All occurrences of “Lord” in the interpretation of the meanings of the Noble Qur’ân

actually mean Rabb and should be understood as such.

not (the way) of those who

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(V.1:2). Narrated Abu Sa’îd bin Al-Mu’alla: While I was praying in the mosque, Allah’s Messenger  عليه ﷲ صلى

وسلم called me but I did not respond to him. Later I said, “O Allah’s Messenger, I was praying.” He said, “Didn’t

Allah say - Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and His Messenger when he وسلم عليه ﷲ صلى calls you.” (V.8:24). He

then said to me, “I will teach you a Sûrah which is the greatest Sû rah in the Qur’ân, before you leave the mosque.”

Then he got hold of my hand, and when he intended to leave (the mosque), I said to him, “Didn’t you say to me, “I

will teach you a Sûrah which is the greatest Sûrah in the Qur’an?” He said, “ Al-Hamdu lillahi Rabbil-’âlamîn [i.e.

all the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the ‘Âlamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists)], Sûrat Al-Fâtihah

which is As-Sab’ Al-Mathâni (i.e. the seven repeatedly recited Verses) and the Grand Qur’ân which has been given

to me.” (Sahih Al-Bukhâri, Vol.6, Hadîth No. 1).

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(V.1:6) Guidance is of two kinds:

a) Guidance of Taufîq i.e., totally from Allah, i.e. Allah opens one’s heart to receive the truth (from disbelief to

Belief in Islâmic Monotheism).

b) Guidance of Irshâd i.e. through preaching by Allah’s Messengers and the pious preachers who preach the truth

i.e. Islâmic Monotheism.

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(V.1:7) i.e. the way of the Prophets, the Siddîqûn (i.e. those followers of the Prophet, who were first and foremost

to believe in him, like Abu Bakr As-Siddîq), the martyrs and the righteous, [as Allah وجل عز said: “And whoso 6

earned Your anger6 (i.e. those who knew the Truth, but did not follow it) nor of those who went

astray (i.e. those who did not follow the Truth out of ignorance and error).7,8

Continued Brainwashing of Muslims

If the Saudi influence in the U.S. continues for some decades, a great part of the silent Muslim

majority in the Muslim world and Muslim communities in the West and the U.S. will be

brainwashed to become terrorists.  We are talking about a billion and a half people, who are

increasing daily in number, threatening the West in the near future.  It is enough for the Saudi

tactics to brainwash few millions “only” in the West and the U.S. to achieve its aim peacefully

without the necessity of armed conflict.  For the terrorist organizations, it is enough for them to

use a war of ideas to recruit millions inside the West, the U.S., and in the Muslim world, using

them in making dirty bombs to cause chaos among those they believe to be the “camp of evil.”

For more details:

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=7472

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=7113

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=6380

obeys Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad وسلم عليه ﷲ صلى), then they will be in the company of those on

whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddîqûn, the martyrs, and the righteous. And how

excellent these companions are!” (V.4:69)].

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(V.1:7) Narrated ‘Adi bin Hâtim عنه ﷲ رضي: I asked Allah’s Messenger وسلم عليه ﷲ صلى , about the Statement

of Allah: 1. “ المغضوب غير عليهم Ghairil-maghdûbi ‘alaihim (not the way of those who earned Your Anger),” he

وسلم عليه ﷲ صلى replied “They are the Jews”. And 2. الضالين وﻻ Walad dâllîn (nor of those who went astray),” he

وسلم عليه ﷲ صلى replied: “The Christians, and they are the ones who went astray” [This Hadith is quoted by AtTirmidhi and Musnad Abu Dâwûd].

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(V.1:7): Narrated ‘Ubâdah bin As-Sâmit عنه ﷲ رضي Allah’s Messenger وسلم عليه ﷲ صلى said, “Whoever does

not recite Sûrat Al-Fâtihah in his prayer, his prayer is invalid. (Sahih Al-Bukhâri, Vol.1, Hadîth No. 723).

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As it’s shown here, they ascribed to the prophet Mohamed this false saying (not the way of those who earned Your

Anger),” he وسلم عليه ﷲ صلى replied “They are the Jews”. And الضالين وﻻ Walad dâllîn (nor of those who went

astray),” he وسلم عليه ﷲ صلى replied: “The Christians and they are the ones who went astray.”7

How to react

There are many choices: the Best, the Good, and the Available:

The Best: Creating an American agency, or American foundation for making America the

super power in war of ideas

The mission:

1- Promoting the American image in the Muslim World.

2- Win the war of ideas against the radical Muslims ( Salafi)

3- Reforming Muslim World to accept democracy peacefully

4- Reform the American Muslims to defend America in the name of Islam

5- Recruiting the open minded Muslims to serve America in this mission.

Second:

How?

(A) - Network of Arabic websites to handle Online War of Ideas to defeat the terrorism and

promote the American Image in the Muslim world.

It will explore, analyze and combat the radical Muslim websites.

(B)  Conferences to reform the Muslim World in these fields:

1- Reforming the Muslim communities in the U.S by:

*-Reforming mosque in the U.S to defend America in the name of Islam not to insult America by

misusing Islam

*-Reforming the Islamic schools in the U.S

*-Reforming the research centers of Islam in the American academia to discuss Wahhabism and

face its terrorism and extremism.

2- Constitutional and Legislative Reforms in the Arab and Muslim World, such as:

*-Reforming of the Elections Law in the Arab World

*-Reforming the laws of Liberties:

*-Reforming the Criminal Law in the Arab legislation

*- Leading an effort to convince the Islamic world to accept Universal Declaration of Human

Rights as Islamic law according to the real core of Islam

.

3- In the field of education:

*-Reforming Al-Azhar: 

*- Reforming Higher Education in the Arab World starting with Egypt

* -Discussion of the International Human Rights Charters in the Light of Islam8

(c) Independent T.V channel and company to produce programs and drama to reach and

undeceive the silent Muslim majority (more than one billion people)

(D) Higher Education Islamic institute in which open minded Imams will be graduated to

undeceive the American Muslims.

The Good:

1 - Using Hollywood in producing drama subtitled with all Muslim languages and distributing

them in the entire Muslim world to achieve the same missions mentioned before.

2- Or: establishing a powerful company in Egypt that owns independent T.V channel and

company to produce programs and drama to reach and undeceive the silent Muslim majority in

Middle East.

The available

1- Supporting the IQC ( The International Quranic Center )to do these missions under

American supervision. The IQC is a nonprofit 501c3 American organization  that

represents thousands of Muslim scholars who are pro Americans and experts in war of

ideas. IQC has its Ahl Al Quran site, the only site that is fighting successfully war of

ideas against terrorism defending America without any fund from the US.

2- Make this mission a program in the Woodrow Wilson Center. WWC has many programs

including Middle East Program. But it does not have any program about the Muslim

World, Islamic studies in field of war of ideas. WWC can sponsor the distinguished

scholars to do this job.

Finally:

Sample of concept proposal to be tackled by IQC or WWC:

Online War of Ideas to defeat the terrorism and promote the American Image in the

Muslim world

Generally: This aims to:

*Analyze, Detect, and fight the extremist culture of terrorism inside the US and abroad.

*Understanding the culture behind terrorism and fighting it from inside Islam.

*Waging the War of Fatwa against them

*Translating and countering the Arabic fanatic websites to the Americans policy makers.

Briefly: It’s to explore & Action together.

To explore the battle field to analyze and detect the Arabic fanatic websites, sort them, know

how they brainwash the young Muslims and prepare them to be suicide bombers, how they

recruit them, and how they raise fund. To find the best way to defeat them and how to deal with

“Al Fatwa”- the verdict or the rule given by the Sheikh – as the most dangerous weapon against

them. Also, it is very important to expose the so – called moderate Muslims and sheikhs - who

have two discourses, who are deceiving the West and the U.S, while they are working for the

terrorism.9

In details: This needs four professional groups:

1. Survey Group:

The mission of this group is to survey all the Arabic sites on line and sort them out in different

categories.  The group will begin by establishing the criteria that define each site and divide them

accordingly. The Arab religious sites have different kinds of moderate and fanatic sites and

others in between. They are also having different sects and cults and many lines inside each. It is

very important to define the differences between the frank sites belong to Al Qaeda and other

terrorist organizations, and the so – called moderate sites, which are more dangerous than Al

Qaeda because it have two discourses.

There are also the fanatic secular sites. They are owned by communists and leftists and the Arab

fanatic nationalists who are against America and Israel. There are some Arabic sites that are

owned by ex- communists who become Muslim brothers. Their discourse is not pure religious

but it is strong and very active in fabricating lies and rumors to tarnish the American image.

Finally, there are neutral Arabic sites and other sites which have not decided its goals.

This first group makes this survey and continues its work dealing with any new Arabic site

appears on line, and updates the new sites and the new changes inside the famous sites. This

group has to educate other group the criterion that defines the fanatic terrorist Arabic website, the

different categories of the fanatic Arabic websites according to this definition, the possibility of

getting information about the terrorists from these websites and the professional high tech used

in these websites.

2_: Investigation Group:

The mission of this group is to investigate the entire fanatic and the so – called moderate Muslim

sites.  There are websites seems to be moderates, have nothing to do with the political discourse,

concentrating on the religious issues only. For the ordinary Muslim, they seem just religious

websites, so they have a millions of partisans. Actually, they are the most dangerous sites. They

use the religious tradition to prepare the ordinary Muslim to be fanatic, and then he may become

suicide bomber after that.

The most famous moderate web site is Islam online, owned and controlled by Sheikh Al

Qaradawy, the spiritual leader of Muslim Brothers. This so – called Moderate Sheikh has a

famous bloody fatwa calling to kill all American civilians in Iraq. It is a must to face it and to

analyze it.

The Saudis have the biggest number of the fanatic web sites in different discourses. There are the

official sheikhs who attack Ben Laden and defending the Saudi Kingdom while they are

upholding the same faith and same belief of Ben Laden. There are the sites of some Sheikhs like

Salman Al Ouda and Safar Al Hawaly who were against the Saudi regime and put in prison, then

were released in one condition: not to attack the Saudi State. Accordingly, they ignore the Saudi

policy but focus on attacking the West and the U.S and encouraging the terrorists everywhere.

Other Saudi oppositions in London have their own websites attacking the Saudi family and the

U.S together and encouraging the war against the West. Al Mas’ary and Al Fakeeh are good

example for this category. London has many other fanatic Muslims who have famous web sites 10

attacking the Arabic regimes and the U.S and the West. Many of these fanatic websites talk in

behalf of Ben Laden, while some of them attack Ben Laden but preaching the same bloody

religious culture of Ben Laden but in different tunes and different accents.

All of this jungle of sites has to be investigated thoroughly in order to analyze all the details,

especially how they brainwash the young Muslims and prepare them to be suicide bombers, how

they recruit them, and how they raise fund, and how to face them.

3- Fatwas Groups

This group is going to be specialized in the new kind of the war of ideas (war of Fatwa).  Fatwa

is the religious verdict said by the high leveled Muslim scholars in the past, or in our time. The

fatwa controls the daily life of the religious Sunni or Shiites Muslims. The fanatic Wahhabists

and Shiites are using the fatwa calling for violence in the name of the Islamic Jihad, so, by their

fatwa many of Muslims become suicide bombers. The fatwa issued by Al Qaradawy to kill the

civilian Americans in Iraq has encouraged many of the so- called moderate Sunni Muslims to

fight all the Americans and it has also endangered the American lives in any Muslim country.

This group (Squad of Fatwa attack) has to face this war of fatwa in many ways, includes, but not

limited on:

• Discuss the fanatic fatwas proving the contradiction between them and the Islamic laws.

• Prove the contradiction between Islam and the sacred Sunni and Shiites scriptures of the

Middle Ages, which are the resources of the fatwas for the fanatic sheikhs in our time.

• Writing articles to ridicule these old and recent fatwas.

• Prove and highlight the contradictions among  the fanatic fatwas, using the continuous

debate among the old Imams, and also the same dispute among the sheikhs of our time.

This will undermine their credit.

• Issuing a real Islamic fatwas that excommunicate Ben Laden, his people and the so–

called moderate as well.

• Prove the other side of the fanatic Shiekhs who seem saints while they are corrupted and

very mean. This will undermine their fatwas.

• Restore the old Fatwas of the respectable open minded Muslim scholars in the middle

ages which contradict the fanatic Imams and their fatwas.

Some official sheikhs give fatwas to justify the political interests of the regime. This is usually

done specially in all Muslim World, especially in the Saudi Kingdom and Egypt. This reflects

the enmity between these regimes and Muslim Brothers. So, so – called moderate sheikhs have

to issue fatwas to condemn some terrorist crime done by Ben Laden and others. These temporary

fatwas contradict other fatwas they issued and contradict the old fatwas of their old sacred imams

of the middle ages. The group can use this in fighting them back.

4 -Daily Guards Groups:

This group will search all the Arabic sites to defend America. Some of this team will comment

on everything said about America to clear the American image. Other will write article to

support the American policy. They will prove that the real enemy to the Arabs and Muslims are

not the U.S and Israel. It is the local dictators and the fanatic Wahhabists and Muslim Brothers.

They will also make a comparison between the American values and the Arabic Muslim

dictators, and how the American Muslim Community enjoys the freedom of belief and speech in 11

America while there is no freedom in the Muslim World. They also will prove to the Muslim

World that the American values are the same original Islamic values of justice, freedom and

tolerance and loving humanity. This does not mean the American foreign policy has not big

mistakes. It has but they are brave enough to admit it and correct it while every Muslim dictator

punishes anyone who dares to oppose him.

.

Ahmed Subhy Mansour