Must read article by former BBC journalist

A July 8th article by the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus entitled “Egypt’s political unrest causes regional concern” opens thus:

“The removal from office of a president drawn from the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood by the Egyptian military clearly has implications for political Islam around the region.

Similar movements in Tunisia and Syria have been watching events closely and will be drawing their own lessons.” [emphasis added] 

“Similar movements”? With a deep sigh I made a note to myself to write an article about the Muslim Brotherhood network and specifically its Syrian branch and former London resident Rachid Ghannouchi.  

But it turns out that I don’t have to – because former BBC correspondent John Ware has written a long and excellent piece on the subject which anyone (including current BBC staff and quite a few politicians) who hopes to begin to understand the basics of the Middle East and beyond – and why Islamists and democracy cannot get along – should read.

In our recent article entitled “Who has the ear of ‘senior BBC executives’?” we pointed out the cosy connections between the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and known Hamas operatives in the UK such as Mohammed Sawalha.  John Ware writes: 

“One senior Muslim Brother in Britain today is Mohammed Sawalha, a fugitive Hamas commander described by a Brotherhood website as being “responsible for the political unit of the international Muslim Brotherhood in the UK”. Membership of the Brotherhood is not a badge Sawalha wears publicly for members; followers have been generally careful to obscure their radicalism, forever cleaving towards the Muslim and non-Muslim mainstream as “noble” (a word they often use) campaigners for justice and civil rights.”

John Ware’s article is here – do read it all. 

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