The Brotherhood's man in Iran
Recent statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif about his country's rejection of a possible US designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a "terrorist" organization throw light on links between the Shiite Islamic Republic and the Sunni Islamist movement.
Iran had previously
allowed the Brotherhood-affiliated Iranian Call and Reform Organization to
operate freely. The current secretary-general of the organization, Abdel Rahman
Birani has even become a liaison officer between the Islamic Republic and the
Brotherhood.
Cosmetic
operation
Birani obtained his
bachelor's degree in Islamic law and studies from the University of Tehran. He
studies law at the University of Khartoum. He was selected to be the
secretary-general of the organization in 2001 and yet another time in 2006.
He played a role in
increasing Iran's allure within Sunnis in the Arab region and also glossing
over violations against Iran's Sunnis. He was paid back by giving him a seat in
the Iranian parliament. His organization was also allowed to operate freely in
Iran.
Following the 2013
revolution against Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi in Egypt, Iran allowed
the Brotherhood to stage protests against an Egyptian representation office in
Tehran.
Trio of
evil
Birani has had
increasing presence within Qatari-Iranian-Turkish conspiracies. He appeared
several times side by side with Youssef al-Qaradawi, a radical Brotherhood
preacher living in Qatar.
Birani was elected
as a member of the board of trustees of Qaradawi's International Union of
Muslim Scholars in January this year.
Soon after the
United Arab Emirates; Saudi Arabia; Egypt, and Bahrain boycotted Qatar over its
sponsorship of terrorism, Birani played a greater role in liaising between
Tehran and Doha.
Former Brotherhood
leader Abdel Rahman al-Suweidi threw light recently on the exact role played by
Birani.
Al-Suweidi revealed
that Birani had become the head of the Gulf liaison office of the Brotherhood
in Iran.
He added that
Birani's organization is financed by Qatar.
Birani, he said,
worked in the past months on strengthening relations between what he described
as the "evil trio", namely Iran, Turkey and Qatar.
He added that
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sent Birani in 2017 to Turkey to mediate an
end to a standoff between Iran and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
