The Muslim Brotherhood on 'Sheikh' Bin Laden's Killing: A Re-Affirmation of Shared Goals

By Andrew G. Bostom

An English translation of the official Arabic pronouncement by the Muslim Brotherhood on Osama Bin Laden's assassination was posted at Pajamas Media by Sami al-Abasi. The statement is a striking re-affirmation of the Brotherhood's deep seated sympathy with the transcendant Islamic goals of Bin Laden, despite minor tactical disagreements:

Bin Laden is referred to by the honorific title "Sheikh"; Bin Laden's assassination is mentioned, followed immediately by the mention of the killing of "a woman and one of his children," and shortly afterward by a statement opposing "the methods of assassination"; there is a non-specific condemnation of "violence," but so-called "resistance" to-i.e., jihad violence against-the Brotherhood's infinitely elastic definition of "occupation" is strongly endorsed, and the West, in particular the "Zionist enemy," are condemned for associating Islam with terrorism, while being the agents of "occupation" against whom acts of jihad "resistance" are fully justified; and the US is exhorted to stop all "interference" with Arab or Muslim countries.

Statement from the Muslim Brotherhood on the assassination of Sheikh Osama bin Laden.

The whole world has lived and the especially the Muslims have suffered from a fierce media campaign to label Islam as terrorism and to describe the Muslims as violent, by attaching the September 11^th attacks to al-Qaeda.

Today, the U.S. president has announced that a special task force of U.S. marines has succeeded in assassinating Sheikh Osama bin Laden, a woman, and one of his children, along with a number of his companions. [With this development], We find that we are facing a new situation.

The Muslim Brotherhood declares that they are against the use of violence generally, and against the methods of assassination, and they are with the fair trial of anyone accused of any crime, whatsoever.

The Muslim Brotherhood demands for the world (in general) and the Western world, as peoples and governments (particularly) to stop linking Islam with terrorism, and to deliberately correct the erroneous image which it has already promoted for a number of years.

The Muslim Brotherhood confirms that the legitimate resistance against foreign occupation for any country is a legitimate right guaranteed by divine law and international convention. Confusion [shuffling papers] between legitimate resistance and violence against innocent people was intended by the Zionist enemy in particular.

And so long as the occupation remains, the legitimate resistance will remain. It is on America, the NATO pact, and the European Union to speedily end the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and to recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

The Muslim Brotherhood demands that the United States cease its intelligence operations against the violators and to desist from interfering in the internal affairs of any Arab or Muslim country.

The Muslim Brotherhood

Cairo, on the 29 of Jumada 1 1432 A.H., corresponding to May 2, 2011