Brotherhood internal differences seeping into digital platforms
Ikhwanonline site is an important tool of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The group used the site in spreading
multiple lies and rumors about the Egyptian state.
The site was also an important tool
for drawing in recruits for the Muslim Brotherhood. It was instrumental in
spreading the Brotherhood's extremist ideology.
The site was recently taken control
of by Mahmud Hussein, the sacked secretary-general of the Brotherhood,
following a feud with acting supreme guide Ibrahim Muneer.
Muneer and his supporters countered
this by launching new websites.
Some of the new websites carry the
same name to convince Brotherhood followers that the new platforms would be the
official ones speaking for the Islamist organization.
Muneer and company also instructed
some Brotherhood businessmen loyal to them to finance alternative media
platforms which will try to compete with the platforms managed by Hussein and
his backers.
Brotherhood senior figure, Mohamed al-Aqeed,
appeared in a video recently to speak about the 'malpractices' of Hussein and
company and their investments in countries, such as Somalia.
Adham Hassanein, another Brotherhood
senior figure who is loyal to Hussein, countered by making threats against
Muneer and his supporters. He accused them of tarnishing the reputation of
Hussein and Brotherhood leaders living in Turkey.
The Muslim Brotherhood is apparently
trying to use digital media to promote its faltering ideological, political and
pragmatic influence.
This media includes a series of channels
and websites.
Political Islam specialist, Basil
Bashir, mentions in his study 'The Brotherhood's Internal Struggles in the
Digital Media' reasons for the outbreak of ideological and political conflicts
between the Muslim Brotherhood's leaders on digital media.
He shows that these conflicts find
their roots in the group's failure in power.
The conflict between Brotherhood
elements on digital media took many forms in the past period, Bashir says in
his study.
He adds that this conflict is
focused on the group's leaders being responsible for the failures of group on
many fronts.
