Ali: Brotherhood has leverage over human rights groups

PARIS – Director of the Middle East Center for Studies in Paris (CEMO) Abdelrahim Ali said Tuesday that the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group has strong leverage over human rights organizations around the world.

This group, he said, nurtures close links with human rights organizations everywhere.

Ali added at a seminar organized by CEMO on France's new bill to prevent radicalism that there is a strong alliance between extremists and leftists, on one hand, and the Muslim Brotherhood, on the other.

These terrorist groups have to be fought with awareness, Ali said.

He noted that in their battle against an organized enemy like the Brotherhood, French citizens also have the right to know the background behind the human rights organizations allied to this group.

These organizations, he said, criticize Egypt at the orders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

He said some of these organizations are affiliated to some of the families of journalists in Egypt.

The seminar, which took place at CEMO's headquarters in Paris, was titled "Is France's new bill on separatism enough?"

It was held on the eve of discussions on the bill by the French cabinet.

Apart from Ali, a host of other dignitaries spoke in the seminar, including Jacqueline Eustache Brinio, a member of the French Senate and the Rapporteur of the Committee on Political Islam in the Senate, renowned French writer Yves Thréard, who is the editor-in-chief of the French daily morning newspaper, Le Figaro, and political Islam specialists Emmanuel Razavi and Alexander Del Valle.

Also speaking in the seminar was noted writer Gil Mihaely.

Ahmed Youssef, CEMO's executive director, moderated the seminar.