Still working to recover. Please don't edit quite yet.
Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy theories
| This article contains content from Wikipedia An article on this subject has been nominated for deletion on Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/ Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy theories Current versions of the GNU FDL article on WP may contain information useful to the improvement of this article |
WP+ NO DEL |
In the United States, conspiracy theories surrounding the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood organization are sometimes put forward by political activists, especially those affiliated with the Wikipedia:neoconservative and Wikipedia:counterjihad movements. These conspiracy theories include: that the Wikipedia:Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is a Wikipedia:Muslim Brotherhood front; that the Obama administration is advancing the Brotherhood's goals; and that Wikipedia:Huma Abedin, a member of Secretary of State Wikipedia:Hillary Clinton's staff, is advancing the Brotherhood's agenda.
Contents
Claims about CPAC[edit]
A number of conspiracy theorists including Wikipedia:Frank Gaffney, Wikipedia:David Horowitz, Wikipedia:Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer have claimed that the Wikipedia:Conservative Political Action Conference, a leading conservative organization, has been infiltrated or taken over by the Muslim Brotherhood. Gaffney has accused CPAC board members Wikipedia:Suhail Khan and Wikipedia:Grover Norquist of being Islamists. In response, CPAC excluded Gaffney from its meetings, labeling him a "crazy bigot". Norquist was targeted based on the ethnicity of his wife, who is of Palestinian descent.[1]
Claims about US funding[edit]
In a September 2011 interview on Fox News Texas Rep. Wikipedia:Louie Gohmert (R-TX) suggested the US government could offset disaster relief and raise $100 million by defunding "the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt for a while".[2] The US government gives Egypt over $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt annually and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided over $28 billion in economic and development aid to Egypt since 1975,[3] but it is not likelyTemplate:who that any US aid goes to the Muslim Brotherhood or affiliate organizations which opposes US policies.
Claims about Egyptian election[edit]
Following Egypt's 2012 presidential election, an Wikipedia:Egyptian Wikipedia:television presenter and TV station owner, Wikipedia:Tawfik Okasha,[4] claimed that the Wikipedia:United States government and Egypt's ruling military council had rigged the election in favor of the Wikipedia:Muslim Brotherhood candidate Wikipedia:Mohammed Morsi as part of a plot to seize Egyptian oil fields and turn them over to Israel.[5] The claim was called "wildly counterintuitive"[6] (both the United States and ruling military are enemies of the Brotherhood, and candidate who Okasha maintains was denied his rightful victory by the military—Wikipedia:Ahmed Shafik—was a former general and part of the military establishment) and members of the council appeared on television to deny the report.[5] The claim was seen as fueling a 15 July 2012 attack of tomatoes and shoes by Egyptian Copt protestors on the motorcade of the visiting US Secretary of State[6][7][8]
Claims about Huma Abedin[edit]
In July 2012, Representative Wikipedia:Michele Bachmann delivered a letter to the State Department's inspector general's office in which she tied Wikipedia:Huma Abedin, an aide to Secretary of State Wikipedia:Hillary Clinton, to the Muslim Brotherhood and claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood was directing the Obama Administration's approach to the Middle East. Bachmann's letter also questioned how Abedin was able to receive security clearance.[9]
In response to Bachmann, United States Senator Wikipedia:John McCain defended Abedin and said:
Huma represents what is best about America...[she is] the daughter of immigrants, who has risen to the highest levels of our government on the basis of her substantial personal merit and her abiding commitment to the American ideals that she embodies so fully.
McCain also criticized Bachmann's letter, which was cosigned by Republican congressmen Wikipedia:Trent Franks, Wikipedia:Louie Gohmert and Wikipedia:Lynn Westmoreland, as "nothing less than an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable woman, a dedicated American and a loyal public servant." In addition to McCain, Republican leader Wikipedia:John Boehner, and Wikipedia:Ed Rollins, who had managed Bachmann's 2012 presidential campaign, criticized Bachmann. Boehner called Bachmann's accusations "dangerous" and Rollins called them "vicious" smears that "reached the late Senator Joe McCarthy level". [9][10][11] Senator Wikipedia:Lindsey Graham said the charges were "ridiculous" and that Abedin "is about as far away from the Muslim Brotherhood view of women and ideology as you possibly could get".[12] Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) called the comments on Huma Abedinin in "that letter ... the wrong thing to do".[13]
The Wikipedia:Anti-Defamation League condemned the letter as well, referring to it as "conspiratorial" and saying that the Representatives involved should "stop trafficking in anti-Muslim conspiracy theories".[14] Middle East scholar Wikipedia:Juan Cole sarcastically claimed that Bachmann herself might be a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood based on her having previously expressed support for the Wikipedia:Mujahideen-e Khalq. [15]
Abedin was subsequently placed under police protection after she received threats of violence, possibly connected to the allegations. [16]
Claims about Keith Ellison[edit]
In an interview with right-wing radio host Wikipedia:Glenn Beck, Bachmann accused fellow Minnesota representative Wikipedia:Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, of having longstanding ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, which he denied.[17] Ellison questioned why Bachmann aired her allegations publicly rather than filing them discreetly with the relevant intelligence agencies. He speculated that she is seeking personal publicity and that "It’s also about marginalizing and alienating a certain group of Americans who she does not view are American enough." Ellison said that he was largely unfamiliar with the Muslim Brotherhood and had no ties to them.[18]
References[edit]
- ↑ Religious War Comes to CPAC.
- ↑ Rep. Gohmert: Offset Disaster Relief By Defunding Muslim Brotherhood| 26 September 2011| Walid Zafar
- ↑ Background Note: Egypt| state.gov
- ↑ Tawfik Okasha and the amazingly appalling atrociousness of the fellahin
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Robert Mackey. 'Egypt's Glenn Beck' Says.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Egypt's New President Is Being Undercut by State-Run Media. The New York Times.
- ↑ US: We did not support particular Egyptian presidential candidate. Egypt Independent.
- ↑ Amy Sullivan. The Global Reach of Conservative Conspiracy Theories.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Michele Bachmann's baseless attack on Huma Abedin. Washington Post.
- ↑ Boehner stands by Huma Abedin, calls Bachmann's accusations 'dangerous'.
- ↑ Bachmann's former campaign manager joins chorus condemning her anti-Muslim remarks.
- ↑ Republicans attack Bachmann Muslim conspiracy letter. Wikipedia:BBC News. URL accessed on 22 July 2012.
- ↑ Scott Keyes. Conservative Congressman Blasts Bachmann’s Anti-Muslim Allegations, Stands Up For Religious Liberty.
- ↑ ADL Responds To Conspiratorial Letter From 5 Members Of Congress; Urges Bachmann, Others To Stop 'Trafficking In Anti-Muslim Conspiracy Theories'.
- ↑ Bachmann: Muslim Brotherhood Secret Agent?. mideastposts.com.
- ↑ Report: Huma Abedin gets police protection.
- ↑ Ellison to Bachmann: 'Just admit you're wrong'.
- ↑ Rep. Keith Ellison: Michele Bachmann ‘wanted attention’. Politico.
External Links[edit]
- The Muslim Brotherhood in America, a website run by Frank Gaffney promoting his views
