Watani Sunday Published by Watani Printing and Publishing Corporation 26 April 2015 27, Abdel-Khaleq Tharwat St. 18 Baramouda (Parmoute) 1731 - 7 Ragab 1436 202-23936051 Tel Issue 741 Fax 202-23935946 Editor-in-chief Managing Editor Website: www.wataninet.com Year 15 Email: [email protected] Youssef Sidhom Samia Sidhom

Editorial Problems on hold Muslim Brothers: the origin of terrorism

Youssef Sidhom

The London based International Criminal Law Bureau’s 9 Bedford Row (9BR) has recently released a report on the History of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). The 150-page report, commissioned by the Sate Litigation Authority of Egypt, provides an overview on the inception of the MB movement, its structure, organisation and activities. Given what the document reveals, it is inevitable to question the sympathy the international superpowers display towards the MB; why they embrace MB leaders, hold dialogue with them, and allow the MB to operate on their lands. These superpowers insist on defining the MB not as a terrorist organisation but as just another faction among the Egyptian political groups. As such, they claim the MB should be included and allowed to operate in Egyptian politics, and that this would achieve political stability and national harmony. As I see it, the 9BR report knocks out any possibility of Egyptian conciliation with the MB, and gives the lie to claims of ‘ideological revision’ by a number of Brotherhood members or leaders who allege they have gone back on MB ideology. The MB rose to power in the post-2011 Arab Spring years and were consequently overthrown by the 33-million strong popular revolution of 30 June 2013. Since then they have inflicted brutal Last Thursday, 23 April 2015, Armenian churches around the world rang their bells 24 April marked the official event in the Armenian capital Yerevan, over which terrorism upon the Egyptian people in revenge. 100 times at 19:15 to honour the centenary of the at the hands ’s President Serzh Sarkisian presided, and in which world leaders and The bitter experience during these years and till of the Turks in 1915. The 100 rings mark the 100 years that have passed since the Church heads participated. today has turned Egyptian public opinion against genocide, and the time 19:15 was selected to commemorate the year 1915 when Pope Tawadros II took part in the ceremony, upon an official invitation from the MB. today disbelieve and reject any the Ottoman government embarked upon the systematic decimation of its civilian Armenia. Accompanying him were the bishops Anba Raphaiel who heads the Holy alleged ‘ideological revision’. The fear, however, Armenian population. The persecutions continued with varying intensity until 1923 Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church and Bishop-General Anba Yu’annis. He also is that as time passes and Egypt has the MB when the ceased to exist and was replaced by the Republic of participated in the prayers on 23 April to canonise the genocide victims, and visited crisis behind her back, the national wound would Turkey. By then the entire Armenian population of Anatolian Turkey, estimated at the genocide museum and memorial. The Pope stressed that his visit was one to a heal and calls of conciliation might play on the two million in 1915, had virtually disappeared. Some 1.5 million had perished, and sister Church and carried no political overtones. sentiments of those who were not directly burned hundreds of thousands had become homeless and stateless. by MB evil. Hence the importance of the 9BR The Armenian Patriarchate, in the meantime, did not participate in report which proves in no uncertain terms that the Watani goes to press as the world over commemorate the centenary of commemoration activities nor the bell-ringing, but held Mass on April 24 in memory MB is the origin of Islamist terrorism. Here is a the genocide of their ancestors in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. Friday of ‘those who lost their lives in 1915’. reading of the report. • The history of the MB since its inception in the 1920s has been closely linked to its ‘secret apparatus’, the group’s military arm. This remained the inspiration for all terrorist organisations and groups around the world, from al-Qaeda and IS, to Ansar Beit al-Maqdis in Sinai, The Armenians…who we are Boko Haram in Nigeria, al-Shabaab in Somalia, and others. • The outlook and purpose of the founder Hassan al-Banna has remained firmly in place over more than eight decades. These include, besides an unmistakable endorsement of violence, MB monopoly of Islam and belief in the organisation’s singular capacity for reform through a totalitarian doctrine that renders the MB, as al-Banna himself described it, “a Salafiyya message, a Sunni way, a Sufi truth, a political organisation, an athletic group, a cultural-educational union, an economic company, and a social concept.” The MB thus becomes all that is within a community, not just a faction among others. • The strategy of superiority and MB monopoly over Islam led to the spread of violence and the training of youth on armed violence in organisations and militias that became the inspiring and supportive nuclei of all armed terrorist organisations that later emerged: al- Qaeda, al-Qassam Brigades, Ansar Beit al- Maqdis, al-Shabaab, Boko Haram and all through to IS. Early on, in the 1940s Egypt had its fair share Dear reader, Bishop Krikor Augustine Kusa some 1,000 to 1,200m, to the cold type above the 2,200m of MB violence, terrorism and assassinations; al- You may have had the chance to deal with Armenians Bishop of for Catholic Armenians in Egypt mark. Banna tried to disclaim the violence by saying the through work, school, university, or maybe as a neighbour On the mountain slopes, yearly rainfall approaches 800 perpetrators were “neither Muslim nor Brothers”. or friend. You may have heard him or her speaking a millimetres, while the sheltered inland hollows and plains Yet he did nothing to control the armed apparatus language unfamiliar to you, and you may have asked River. The northern part lies in Armenia, and the southern receive very little rainfall a year. till he was assassinated in 1949. yourself; “Why? Who is Hagop, Vartan, Sarkis, Nanor,… in Turkey. Tradition has it that the Ararat plain was named Fruit is a very important part of life in Armenia. Any • The extremist, terrorist groups which or others who have equally unfamiliar [Armenian] names after King Ara the Handsome, the great-grandson of halfway decent host will put out a plate of cut fruit for originated from the womb of the MB share the and converse in a little known [Armenian] language?” Amasya. a guest. The pomegranate and apricot are considered MB classification of the world into a ‘community Who are the Armenians? And how did they manage to superior breeds of the fruit worldwide. The first, and most of Jahiliyya (ignorance)’ versus a ‘community retain their culture, customs and traditions? How did they The climate important fruit of Spring is the apricot whose flowering in of Islam’. This classification is based on the come to be living among the Arab people; in fact, among Because of Armenia’s position in the deep interior of the April marks the beginning of warm weather. core thought of prominent MB Sayyid Qutb peoples the world over? northern part of the subtropical zone, enclosed by lofty that “the world had a choice: Islam or Jahiliyya. ranges, its climate is dry and continental. Regional climatic The history An Islamic society follows Islam in faith and The land variation is nevertheless considerable. The climate changes The Iron Age kingdom of (Assyrian for Ararat) worship, in law and organisation, in morals and The Armenia of today is totally different from one that with elevation, ranging from the dry subtropical and dry was replaced by the Orontid dynasty. Following Persian manners,” whereas a Jahiliyya society does not existed way back in history; many parts of historic Armenia continental in the plain and in foothills up to a height of and Macedonian rule, the Artaxiad dynasty from 190 endorse Islam. have been carved out and incorporated in neighbouring BC gave rise to the Kingdom of Armenia which rose to • When the MB Muhammad Mursi was countries on the west, east and south. Whereas Armenia’s the peak of its influence under before president of Egypt in 2012 – 2013, a close relation borders during the height of its glory under the reign of falling under Roman rule. emerged between the authority in Egypt and al- Qaeda. Mursi was in contact with Muhammad Tigranes the Great in 95 – 55BC extended to the Tigris and In 301, Arsacid Armenia was the first sovereign nation al-Zawahiri, brother of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Euphrates rivers, its area today totals 32,000sq.km. to accept as a State religion. The Armenians current al-Qaeda leader who was a MB member Armenia is a land of mountains, rivers, and lakes, and later fell under Byzantine, Persian, and Islamic hegemony, in his youth. has been called by the Assyrians meaning the “Land but reinstated their independence with the Bagratuni • Both Qatar and Turkey support the MB. They of the lakes and rivers”. Most of the rivers and mountains Dynasty kingdom of Armenia. After the fall of the provide shelter to MB leaders and fugitives from have a special rank in the heart of the Armenians, inspiring kingdom in 1045, and the subsequent Seljuk conquest of justice in Egypt. Qatar strives to exploit the MB paintings, songs and poems. Mount Ararat, for instance, Armenia in 1064, the Armenians established a kingdom to achieve its strategic greed of extending its has become an Armenian motto, symbolising eternity, in , where they prolonged their sovereignty to 1375. hegemony over the region. Turkey attempts to glory, and strength. That year Armenia fell to the of Egypt, only to revive its dream of the Caliphate and Ottoman Lake Sevan is the largest in Armenia and the Caucasus. be devastated by Tamerlane in 1400. State. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in The 15th century saw the land become a battleground • The report notes that the Egyptian government the world. Situated in the central part of the Republic of between rival regional forces till it was finally divided declared the MB a terrorist group in the wake of Armenia, in the Gegharkunik Province, it lies at an altitude into East and West Armenia between the Ottomans and the mass revolution of 30 June 2013. It also notes of 1,900m above sea level. Along with Lake Van and Lake Persians during the 16th and 17th centuries. The eastern that the Egyptian government arrested leaders of Urmia, Sevan was considered one of the three great lakes part passed into Russian hands in the 19th century and was the MB and presented them to justice after they of the historical Armenian Kingdom, collectively referred sovietised in the 20th century. exposed their true, ugly face of violence and to as the 'Seas of Armenia'; it is the only one within the In the early 20th century Armenians living under terrorism. boundaries of today's Republic of Armenia. the Ottomans suffered the genocide at the hands of the Many MB leaders or members who defected Armenia geography also features woodland, steppe, dry Ottoman government, in which 1.5 million Armenians from the organisation have written exposing the steppe, desert, basalt columns and waterfalls, mineral were killed and many more dispersed throughout secret apparatus and the paramilitary branch springs and volcanoes. the world. Armenia, in 1922 corresponding to much of the organisation, the objectives of which The Ararat plain is one of the largest of the Armenian of Eastern Armenia, became a Soviet State. In 1991 are opposed to all national concepts. The 9BR Plateau. It stretches west of the Sevan basin, at the foothills Armenia gained independence and the Republic of report, however, is especially important since it of the Geghama mountains, divided into two by the Aras Armenia was established. was issued by the London based International Criminal Law Bureau, and may possibly alert the international powers who still embrace this group. Anticlockwise from above: Pope Tawadros received in Yerevan; the genocide memorial; Pope Tawadros plants a tree in Armenia; Yerevan

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Bishop Krikor with Victor at the genocide memorial on the grounds of the Armenian Catholic Cathedral in Cairo

Remembering the genocide

Armenia is a small nation that has managed to survive despite crippling attacks Michael Victor the world, including Egypt, , , Iraq, Jordan, the Holy Land, and Iran. against its people. Armenians throughout history have been described as sturdy and “After the genocide, the king of present-day Saudi Arabia called on Arab resilient, competent, brave and long-suffering. Despite being persecuted and forced into the circulation of Armenian books, newspapers and magazines. Bishop Krikor countries to open their doors to the oppressed Armenian people. In Egypt, the a Diaspora, they have retained their identity and heritage, and have formed communities went on: same invitation was extended in 1924 by nationalist leader Saad Zaghloul to invariably distinguished by the contribution they offered their host countries. “On the eve of 24 April 1915 more than 200 Armenian writers, poets, newspaper receive Armenian orphans and afford them a safe life with Armenian families The amazing history of the Armenians in general, and specifically the Armenian Church, editors, teachers, lawyers, members of parliament and other outstanding Armenians already resident in Egypt. Some 800 Armenian girls and 300 boys came to Egypt.” which suffered persecution but never forsook the faith, is the focus of this article. in Istanbul were forcibly taken from their homes, imprisoned, tortured, then brutally put to death. The persecution extended to the Armenian public in its entirety; the The world failed them The faithful sect scale of the savagery and hideousness of the crimes against the Armenians is By the time WWI was over, the population of which had been April 2015 marks the centennial of the genocide of more than one million unfathomable. Children and young people were doused with gasoline and burnt under Turkish control, and which amounted to some 2 million Armenians, had , and is being commemorated by the Armenian Church alive; the elderly were beaten and disfigured; the women were raped; and pregnant disappeared—killed or forced into exile. Armenians who survived say the world around the world. Watani talked to Bishop Krikor Augustine Kusa, the Bishop of women were killed and their unborn babies drowned. Children who were not killed failed them when the post-WWI Lausanne Treaty mentioned nothing about their Alexandria for Catholic Armenians in Egypt. These are his words. were sold into slavery, and others, young and old, were forced into the desert in Iraq homeland, allowing thus its annexation to the Turkish republic in 1923 as Turkey’s “Throughout its history Armenia, owing to its natural geography that makes it a and Syria with no water or food. All Armenian property was confiscated by the Eastern Anatolia region. In 1922, The Red Army sovietised what remained of mountainous citadel on the road between and Asia, was targeted by many Turks. The Turks crucified men and women who, when they called for the help of . Today, modern Armenia is a country that gained independence regional powers and was thus the scene of many wars. In the 16th century it was the Divine, were told: ‘Let your Saviour [Jesus] save you.’ And as Jesus did when from Soviet Russia and is a State in its own right. split into an eastern part under Persian then later Russian control, and a western on the Cross, the crucified Armenians said: ‘Lord, forgive them for they know not “The Turkish government totally rejects the use of the word ‘massacres’,” Bishop part occupied by the Ottoman Turks. There the Armenians lived under successive what they do’.” Krikor says, “let alone ‘genocide’, and stipulates that, for reconciliation, Armenians Ottoman governments that recognised the Armenians, along with various other should not talk about the 1915 massacres. Moreover, Turkey has made 24 April sects living under the empire, as a sect with full rights. The Turks found the Convert or die ‘Childhood Day’ and has even removed the massacres from history books.” Armenians to be competent, dedicated workmen and skilled craftsmen, and they “Some 1.5 million Armenians died. Among them was Bishop Ignatius Maloyan In October 2009, Turkey and Armenia signed a historic agreement to establish made use of them by moving some 10,000 skilled workers and traders to Istanbul who was invited by the Turkish officials to be decorated with the highest Ottoman normal diplomatic relations and reopen their borders, but only after a last-minute where they became so famous for serving the empire faithfully that they were medal. The Bishop told those close to him that he knew very well what would follow dispute over wording sent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other diplomats to termed ‘the faithful sect’. the decoration: he would be asked to convert to Islam. When he refused, he was exert frantic efforts to salvage the deal. The agreement failed when Turkey refused “With the onset of the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire became weak and arrested and put in prison. He was made to witness the killing of 417 Armenians, to recognise the Armenian genocide. drifted backwards to the point that it was branded ‘the sick man of Europe’. This and was asked from time to time whether it was not better to convert to Islam and “I received three men from the Turkish Embassy in my office in Cairo. They was an era of better education and wider awareness across the world; nationalist live. Finally, as he was put to death, he said: ‘God forbid that I renounce Jesus my asked me to join in the path of peace and talk to the Turkish Ambassador without sentiments gained ground and many countries spun off the Ottoman Empire and Saviour. To spill my blood for my faith is the dearest desire of my heart!’ mentioning the Armenian genocide. became independent. Among them were Greece, Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria.” “Bishop Ignatius was 46 years old. He served as a priest at the Armenian Church “I said that I didn’t mind, but just asked them to place a rose on the shrine of the of Alexandria for several years until he was chosen to be the bishop of Mardin, a Armenian martyrs at the entrance of the Bishopric in Cairo. They left and never The Hamidian massacres province [and Armenian centre] southeast Turkey. He was an excellent speaker of showed up again.” “The Armenians for their part,” Bishop Krikor continued, “tried to gain Arabic, Armenian, French, Italian, Turkish and Spanish. autonomy and equality with the empire’s Muslim subjects, which led to a violent “Twenty-four countries have officially recognised the massacre of the Armenians as Marking the genocide reaction against them by Sultan Abdul-Hamid II, the 34th Sultan of the Ottoman genocide. Because of these massacres, Armenians migrated to many countries around “We have the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation according to the teachings Empire. It did not help that at the time Turkey was at war with Russia and the of the Bible, but we demand our rights, and concerning our Armenian issues, we eastern Armenians joined the Russian army and fought against the Ottomans. want justice to be declared—confessing the massacres. We dream of returning to “Abdel-Hamid was the last Sultan to exert effective autocratic control over our land, regaining our churches, opening our monasteries in Turkey, and getting the fracturing State. He ascended the throne in August 1876 and ruled until he back our schools and universities.” was deposed on 27 April 1909 shortly after the 1908 . Armenians worldwide mark the genocide on 24 April. This year the centenary of Sultan Abdel-Hamid oversaw widespread government-sanctioned massacres the Armenian genocide is commemorated globally with a programme of seminars of the Christian people in his empire. These massacres—known as Hamidian and photographic exhibitions, candlelight marches and vigils, and flowers to be massacres—were executed between 1894 and 1896 against hundreds of thousands placed on memorials for the genocide victims. of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians who were killed for economic and religious To show solidarity with Armenians scattered around the world, a ceremony in reasons. In Armenia, some 30,000 Armenians lost their lives to the massacres.” Egypt has been organised by the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia, Armen Melkonian, and Orthodox Armenian Archbishop Ashod Karakashian. 1915: unfathomable savagery “The Holy Synod of our Church is considering canonising the victims of the The Armenian genocide of 1915, Bishop Krikor said, did not begin or end in Armenian genocide, placing their names in the Synaxarium—the register of saints 1915. The Turkish harassment of the Armenians began in 1891 with a ban on the and martyrs in the Church—because they sacrificed their lives for the love of Jesus teaching of the in Armenian schools. The Turks also banned Christ,” Bishop Krikor concluded.

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