Eurasia Press & News
Introduction
This report is part of MEMRI’s repository of contemporary and historical foundational documents of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement. It presents statements by the Khaled Mash’al, the leader of the Hamas movement abroad, in which he asserts that Hamas is rooted in the MB and is ideologically part of this movement. He also alludes to the MB’s support for Hamas over the years, and to its significant contribution to the organization’s establishment and subsequent development.
Document No. 2: Hamas Diaspora Office Head Khaled Mash’al In 2021 Interview And 2023 Eulogy: Ideologically, Hamas Was And Is Part Of The MB; The MB Founded Hamas, Helped Plan The Al-Aqsa Intifada, Funded The Palestinian Resistance Factions
In a July 2021 interview with the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel, Mash’al was asked: “Do you belong to the Muslim Brotherhood now or not? The Arab world wants to know the ideological basis for your message.” Mash’al replied: “Yes, our roots are in the Muslim Brotherhood. Ideologically, we were, and still are, part of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
For a transcript of an excerpt from the interview, see the Appendix 1.
In a February 2023 eulogy for prominent MB figure Ibrahim Munir, who died on November 4, 2022, Mash’al noted that, when Hamas was in its first stages of formation (in the late 1980s), it sought a leadership to sponsor it, nurture it and to remove obstacles from its path, and the MB provided what was needed. He added that, when the Al-Aqsa intifada broke out (in 2000), which included deadly attacks on Israelis, the MB leadership formed a support apparatus for the Palestinians, headed by Ibrahim Munir, which assisted Hamas and all the Palestinian resistance factions, helped with the planning of the intifada, and provided financial, political and media support to Hamas, support that continued after Munir became the MB’s acting general guide. Mash’al stresses that, in this capacity, Munir “devoted all his energy and authority to Palestine and to Hamas. He stood by our side as we repelled the occupation’s aggression and fought campaigns in Gaza to break the siege; [and he stood by us] in the matter of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, in supporting the resistance and whenever we needed support and assistance.”
For MEMRI’s translation of excerpts from the eulogy, see the Appendix 2.
Appendix 1: July 4, 2021 Interview With Hamas Diaspora Office Head Khaled Mash’al
Interviewer: “I am asking a clear question. Do you belong to the Muslim Brotherhood now or not? The Arab world wants to know the ideological basis for your message.”
Khaled Mash’al: “I will tell you. We are a Palestinian movement of resistance against the occupation. Yes, our roots are in the Muslim Brotherhood. Ideologically, we were, and still are, part of the Muslim Brotherhood, but we are an independent Palestinian movement. No one interferes in our matters. There are movements with a certain organizational structure and history. But today, Hamas is a Palestinian, Islamic, national movement that wages resistance against the occupation. Its leaders are the ones making the decisions. It is not under the control of any country or organization.
[…]“As you can see, Hamas does not put all its effort into one country. It strives to visit all the Arab and Islamic capitals, because we are a people with a cause.”
Interviewer: “Are you going back to Syria?”
Mash’al: “We thank the [countries] that offered us their hospitality and support. We call on those who do not do so to welcome us in their capitals. I would like to use this opportunity to say that I hope that some Arab capitals open their doors to us, especially the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and that we restore the historical ties that are still etched in our memory…”
To view a MEMRI TV clip of the interview, click here or below.
Appendix 2: Khaled Mash’al Eulogy For Muslim Brotherhood Senior Official Ibrahim Munir
“Dear brothers, the loved ones of the esteemed deceased, his brothers, partners, students and family members, peace unto you and the mercy of Allah and his blessing. May Allah increase your recompense, reward you for your labors, and have mercy on the departed one [who belongs to] you, to us, to the Islamic nation, Egypt, the MB, Palestine, and Hamas. May Allah grant him mercy and forgiveness [and seat him] at the highest levels [of Paradise] and reward him with the best reward in exchange for [his efforts]… He passed away after a long journey of study, accomplishments, da’wa [inviting to Islam], jihad and sacrifice, and Allah rewarded him with the best of things…
“I address all the current leaders of the MB, the deputy general guide [of the MB] and all the distinguished men to whom I offered my condolences today: [Muhammad] Al-Bukheiri [a senior MB member], [Muhyi Al-Din] Al-Zayat [who is currently serving as the acting general guide on a temporary basis] and all the beloved and the esteemed people on whom our hopes rest to complete the journey of Abu Ahmad [Ibrahim Munir] so that the da’wa will reach its apex and so that this journey will continue without pause on its way to its tremendous goals: the exalting of the Islamic nation, of Egypt, of Islam and the Muslims, and of the causes of the Islamic nation, first and foremost the Palestinian cause.
“I lived with Abu Ahmad in Kuwait from the ’80s. I knew him closely for four decades and I can summarize his personality in three statements:
“First, this man was a paragon of kindness, loyalty, warmth, decency, humility, amiability and friendship… Second, he adhered to his principles. [For] 85 years he did not alter or replace [his principles]… How difficult it is for a person to remain steadfast when he is uprooted from his home and must wander, suffering and tormented, all over the world, far from his homeland … However, Abu Ahmad always maintained a level head because, like the rest of the [MB] leaders, he absorbed da’wa from the great [general] guides [Hassan] Al-Banna[1] and his successors, and from the giant of [Islamic] thought, Sayyid Qutb,[2] who lived during his time, and how often he told us about him and about the days he spent with him in prison and in the hospital… Third, Abu Ahmad, Ibrahim Munir, was moderate in his thinking and temperament… He never held a grudge against anyone and never took revenge on anyone, not even on his opponents in the region… He created a compassionate, fatherly leadership which treats others with compassion. He expressed this moderate temperament at every stage of his life, [in his attitude] toward Egypt, his magnificent country and homeland, and toward the da’wa and the Islamic nation and the region. He had courage… to say no and to say yes when necessary, and to sacrifice for his opinions, out of a commitment to his country, his nation and their security…
“This extraordinary figure – who poured his goodness into his da’wa and [showered his goodness on] his brothers, his homeland, and his nation – had tremendous capability when it came to Palestine, the resistance, the [Palestinian] cause and Hamas. I recall four stages of his life:
“The first stage was in Kuwait, when he was the deputy of the former MB general guide, the late Mustafa Mashhur,[3] and Hamas was in its preliminary stages of consolidation and sought leadership to grant it sponsorship, to nurture it and to remove the difficulties that stood in its path. Mustafa Mashhur and people around him, including his right hand man Ibrahim Munir, provided what was needed. Oh the MB in Egypt and our brothers in Egypt, you can be proud that you have… [played] a part in the establishment of Hamas in its preliminary stages, and may Allah reward you for that…
“The second stage was when he moved to London and was the MB secretary abroad. He was concerned about the issue of Palestine and always placed it at the top of his agenda…
“The third station was 20 years ago. When the Al-Aqsa intifada broke out the brothers in the office of the MB leadership initiated the establishment of a support apparatus [for the Palestinians] and placed Ibrahim Munir at its head, because they believed in his abilities, his decency, his loyalty, and the important place that Palestine had in his heart and in his conscience. The era of this support mechanism was one of the most glorious periods [in the history] of the MB, and Ibrahim Munir did not only support Hamas but [all] the factions of the [Palestinian] resistance and the cause of the entire Palestinian people. He always met with the people and assembled all the distinguished members of the Islamic nation, its clerics, leaders, and the representatives of the various institutions, for regular meetings in order to plan how to support the intifada and the resistance, the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, and provide financial, political, and media assistance to Hamas.
The fourth stage was when Ibrahim Munir became the deputy general guide [of the MB] and later the acting general guide, and had the first [and last] word [in the organization]. He devoted all his energy and authority to Palestine and to Hamas. He stood by our side as we repelled the aggression of the occupation and fought campaigns in Gaza to break the siege; [and he stood by us] in the matter of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, in supporting the resistance and whenever we needed support and assistance…
“His life was eight and a half decades of obedience to Allah, entrenching da’wa, and serving his Islamic nation, the jewel in whose crown is Palestine. Oh our brothers, the men of da’wa in Egypt and everywhere, may Allah bestow upon you a great reward and compensate you and us at this painful juncture when great men are dying and we must fill the void they leave behind and grant them pleasure in their graves, by [making sure that] their successors, their loved ones and their followers continue to raise the banner and uphold the unity of the ranks and the word.”[4] [1] Hassan Al-Banna (1906-1949) was the founder and first leader of MB in Egypt.
[2] Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966) was a senior activist and ideologue of the MB in Egypt. [3] Mustafa Mashhur (1921-2002) was the general guide of the MB between 1996 and 2002. [4] Hamas.ps, November 7, 2022.
