Paraguay: Muslim Brotherhood is declared a terrorist organization
The Permanent Commission of the Paraguayan Congress has approved a resolution by Senator Lilian Samaniego, declaring the “Muslim Brotherhood” organization a terrorist association.
The group, founded in Egypt in 1928, “ideologically supports those who use violence and threaten stability and security in the East and West,” the congresswoman said.
The resolution presented by Samaniego adds that “the Paraguayan state firmly rejects all terrorist acts, methods, and practices that constitute a serious violation of the purposes and principles of the United Nations and may pose a threat to international peace and security.”
The letter, approved by the Permanent Commission of the Paraguayan Congress, highlighted that “the Government of the Republic of Paraguay, in its fight against terrorism, has designated Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Hamas as terrorist organizations, an important step that contributes to limiting the ability of these groups to plan terrorist attacks and destabilize countries.”
Samaniego pointed out, among other things, that “several governments of the international community, such as Russia in 2003, Egypt in 2013, Saudi Arabia in 2014, the United Arab Emirates in 2014, and Bahrain in 2014, have declared the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ organization a terrorist group.”
A statement from the Chamber said, “In essence, the document declares the group that goes by the name of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose main activity is to provide ideological support to those who use violence and threaten stability and security, with the sole aim of provoking a state of terror among the population, a terrorist organization.”
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt nearly a century ago and had offshoots throughout the region.
It played a major role in the 2011 uprisings that rocked the Middle East and came to power in Egypt’s first democratic elections after the fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Last September, Egyptian Islamist cleric Yusef al-Qaradawi, considered the Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader, died at 96 in Qatar, where he was living in exile.
He was born in northern Egypt in 1926.
He spent nearly half of his life in Qatar, where he founded and became dean of the Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies and established the Research Center for the Sunnah and the Prophet’s Biography at Qatar University, which he directed until his death.
He is considered one of the most famous religious scholars in the contemporary history of Islam.
He left Qatar in 1963 to work as a professor at a religious institution and returned to his homeland during the popular uprisings in Egypt in 2011.
Key Facts
— Deep Dive
— For the complete picture, read our in-depth guide: Paraguay: Washington's Most Valued Ally in Latin America
More: Egypt news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error