The British government has confirmed that the Muslim Brotherhood has not been blacklisted in the UK, in contrast to the Egyptian government’s recent decision to declare the group a terrorist organisation.
“The Muslim Brotherhood is an entirely legal organisation in the UK,” a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman told Ahram Online on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.
”We are assessing the implications of the interim [Egyptian] government’s recent decision to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group and are discussing with international partners,” she added.
Last week the Egyptian cabinet formally declared the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest political organisation, a terrorist group, effectively rendering membership illegal.
The UK spokeswoman said that Egypt has the right to make a presentation on the evidence it may have to prove the Brotherhood is involved in terrorism, although there is no guarantee that that the Brotherhood will be proscribed in the UK.
“The UK government believes stability and security is best served in Egypt by bringing all Egyptians into the mainstream political process”.
Fifty-two organisations are proscribed under the terms of the UK Terrorism Act 2000, including Egypt’s Islamic Jihad.
Source: Ahram Online
