Muslim Brotherhood, Cont’d
January 29, 2011 9:23 P.M.
By Nina Shea
Andy’s right that Hamas has its roots in the Muslim Brotherhood. So does Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Egypt’s neighbor to the south, who came to power in a coup and ruled as the head of the National Islamic Front until the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement when an interim constitution was adopted. In December, Bashir announced to supporters, “If south Sudan secedes, we will change the constitution and at that time there will be no time to speak of diversity of culture and ethnicity… Sharia and Islam will be the main source for the constitution, Islam the official religion and Arabic the official language.” This, of course, follows Muslim Brotherhood principles. This month, the south did apparently vote for secession (official results due in a week or so). This means Egypt could eventually be part of a vast new Ikwan Islamic state from Gaza to the northern border of the new Republic of South Sudan.