Brotherhood's facts laid bare in interview Ali gives to French magazine

Director of the Center for Middle East Studies in Paris Abdul Rahim Ali has said that the lack of enough communication between democracy forces in both Eastern and Western states opened the door wide for the Muslim Brotherhood to use resultant loopholes in spoiling relations between the two sides.

He added in an interview with the French magazine Essentiel that this lack of communication was behind his decision to establish the Center for Middle East Studies in Paris.

"People in Eastern states talk to each other only," Ali said in the interview which will be published by the magazine on October 3. "There is no communication between democracy forces on both sides."

He added that the Muslim Brotherhood, on the other hand, made successes in opening channels of dialogue with Western states.

Ali said the Center for Middle East Studies in Paris aims to open a new channel of communication between the East and the West.

"It was important for us to come here, to the French capital, to make our voice heard to others and also hear their voices," Ali said. "We also wanted to participate in discussions and dialogue and cooperate with noted experts, such as Roland Jacquard, Richard Labeviere, Ian Hamel, Etman Tazaghart, and others."

Ali, a member of the Egyptian House of Deputies (parliament) and Chairman of the Board of al-Bawaba News Institution, said the aforementioned interaction aims to explain the Easterners' viewpoints to people in the West, in general, and in France, in particular.

He said the Islamic religion is never about the Muslim Brotherhood.

These people, he added, do not represent Islam either.

"They misrepresent this great religion in fact," Ali said of the Brotherhood. "They show dark aspects of Islam that have nothing to do with it in actuality."

Ali noted that the Brotherhood does not even express the views of the majority of Muslims.

Muslims, he said, have deep respect for women and believe in democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. He added that Muslims also respect the arts.

"We also pay great attention to exchange with other cultures and civilizations," Ali said.

He said Arab philosophers and intellectuals established bridges of communication with Western peoples a long time ago.

In this, he added, they stood in stark contrast with the Muslim Brotherhood which views the Western civilization as a "great evil" that must be crushed and controlled by Muslims.

500 Brotherhood organizations

Ali revealed that the Brotherhood experiences great weaknesses in Eastern countries, especially in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

On the contrary, he said, the Brotherhood continues to be strong in Western states.

"It [the Brotherhood] managed to infiltrate Western societies through more than 500 organizations affiliated to it," Ali said.

He said these affiliated organizations function under the umbrella of what is called the Federation of Islamic Organizations.

Ali noted that 250 of the 500 organizations controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood operate in France.

He revealed that the Brotherhood has $10 billion in assets in Europe.

"It also controls hundreds of mosques in France and recruit hundreds of young men and women," Ali said.

He added that the Brotherhood fills these recruits with hatred of the Western civilization.

"This makes us worried in the Middle East," Ali said.

Brotherhood dangers

Answering a question about a book he wrote about the dangers posed by the International Organization of the Muslim Brotherhood to Europe, Ali said his book dwells on these dangers in detail.

Western peoples, he said, need to know the reality of the Muslim Brotherhood and the true facts about Islam.

He added that the Brotherhood and Islam are totally different from each other.

He warned against the change of Brotherhood tactics in the light of political developments.

"This is a group that is in continual change in the light of political changes happening on the ground," Ali said of the Brotherhood. "It also changes in the light of the pressures put on it."

He said a large number of the organizations functioning within the Federation of Islamic Organizations pulled out of the federation soon after US President Donald Trump called for banning the Muslim Brotherhood.

He noted that representatives of these organizations met in Istanbul, Turkey, on January 29, 2017, to declare their withdrawal from the federation.

"Until this date, nobody was aware that these organizations were affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood," Ali said. "As an example, this shows that the Brotherhood is always ready to wear masks to conceal its reality."

He said most of the financing of the Brotherhood comes from Qatar and Turkey.

A large number of institutions, he said, were also established in Europe with the aim of offering funding to the organization, including offshore companies that do not pay taxes.

Ali added that these companies invest millions of dollars in Brotherhood money every day.

He referred to information leaked previously by the French intelligence about the wealth of Daesh.

The French intelligence, he said, revealed that Daesh owns $3 billion in funds.

He said the Brotherhood could be in possession of even more funds.

"The Brotherhood can own this amount of money multiplied by 30," Ali said. "This is a real danger to security in the European continent."

Answering a question about accusations to him of being "anti-Semitic", after participating in a conference with French politician Marine Le Pen, Ali said only one man leveled this charge against him.

"This person is in a list of people who pose danger to French security," Ali said.

He said this man had turned into an expert on Islam and Islamic studies all of a sudden.

"I cannot be categorized as an anti-Semitic," Ali said. "I am a member of the Egyptian parliament which approved the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel."

Nonetheless, Ali noted, I condemn all Israeli aggressions against the Palestinians.

"I also condemn the construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land," Ali said. "I also condemn Israel's failure to abide by United Nations resolutions."

Dr. Abdel Rehim Ali

Dr. Abdel Rehim Ali, is an expert on Islamist movements and political Islam. Ali is a member of Egypt’s press syndicate, head of the Arab center for journalism in Egypt and chairman & editor-in-chief of Al-Bawaba newspaper and the portal-center website. He is also an Egyptian MP and head of the Arab center for research and studies in Cairo and Paris.

Ali is regularly hosted as guest speaker for several conferences and seminars in Egypt and abroad. Moreover, Ali has featured in several documentaries and TV programs to share his expertise on political Islamist movements.

Ali has also lectured and published widely, and is the author of several studies and articles on a variety of topics related to politics, international relations and Islamist movements.

Media tools either local or foreign, in addition to civil community organizations and parliament committees highlighted his efforts.

His ferocious defense on Copts was also appreciated in decision making circles. Ali  also wages press and intellectuals battles defending the true essence of Islam in the face off lousy terrorist attempts to kidnap Islam and change its deeply rooted principals.

His writings and stands were highlighted by the grand sheik of Alazhar. He also gave lectures on free expression, Islam, Copts, democracy as well as cultures and art.            

The Center of the Middle East studies is a bridge between East and West

The Center of the middle East studies Became a specialised center for misinterpreted Islam and terrorism. It was established in 2007... Accordingly we established a specialized website on the internet under the title of “The reference” in four languages Arabic, English, French and German Concidently the center issues a monthly booklet in the same languages together with a monthly magazine.

The opinion writers for the magazine and booklet are specicelized in the studies of the misinterpreted Islam worldwide including The French Roland Jackard, together with Richard Lapiefier and Ian Hame, both are Swiss intellectuals, and the founder and publisher of the series Dr. Abdel Rahim Ali the renowned researcher and journalist..

These experts also participated in the editing of the first editions published by the Center in its beginnings last May. The Center published its first Booklet on the dangers of the Muslim Brotherhood thoughts on Western values.