TAREK MASOUD

There were many who disagreed about the commitment to non violence. For example, they advocate Sharia (Islamic) fundamentalist law where a Muslim who converts to another religion is executed and adulterers are stoned to death. So their ends are very violent and intolerant. In the past they have espoused and committed violence as a means. Many believe that recent claims of non violent means are just tactical deceptions which are authorized as a methodology in the Koran.

See {621776} for the official Muslim Brotherhood Slogan. The major issue is whether or not an organization that holds to those slogans can be trusted in a democratic society after they have officially espoused non-democratic means and ends. No one took the Nazi Party writings seriously until the party was elected and then ended the German Democracy. Similarly, the Iranian Ayatollahs were not taken seriously until they had turned Iran into a tyrannical theocracy. So one view is not to relate to or have the Muslim Brotherhood participate until they renounce the violent, non-democratic parts of their charter and/or slogans. The other, urged by Tarek Masoud is to not take the “blood curdling” slogans seriously, and assume that it is just verbal hyperbole to which Arabs are culturally prone.

See {621776} for the official Muslim Brotherhood Slogan. The major issue is whether or not an organization that holds to those slogans can be trusted in a democratic society after they have officially espoused non-democratic means and ends. No one took the Nazi Party writings seriously until the party was elected and then ended the German Democracy. Similarly, the Iranian Ayatollahs were not taken seriously until they had turned Iran into a tyrannical theocracy. So one view is not to relate to or have the Muslim Brotherhood participate until they renounce the violent, non-democratic parts of their charter and/or slogans. The other, urged by Tarek Masoud is to not take the “blood curdling” slogans seriously, and assume that it is just verbal hyperbole to which Arabs are culturally prone.

There were many who disagreed about the commitment to non violence. For example, they advocate Sharia (Islamic) fundamentalist law where a Muslim who converts to another religion is executed and adulterers are stoned to death. So their ends are very violent and intolerant. In the past they have espoused and committed violence as a means. Many believe that recent claims of non violent means are just tactical deceptions which are authorized as a methodology in the Koran.