The Muslim Brotherhood is an organization religious, political and social created in 1928 in Egypt by Hassan al-Banna with the aim of getting rid of the British yoke and taking power in a country once again imbued with the values ​​of Islam.

To attract the Egyptians, they opted to organize charitable and social activities that gave a great place to religion. In 1948 its founder was assassinated, which generated a change and more and more sectors of the group opted for political violence and created a secret and clandestine armed branch whose enemies were the British colonists and then the army, which harshly repressed the movement.

Recognized as a religious organization in 1984, candidates ran in every election in Egypt until winning the elections after the Arab Spring in 2011. Then, a year later, the army regained power, dissolved the movement and sentenced several of its leaders to death. and is then classified as a terrorist organization in the country where it was born. Other countries also classify the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization: Russia, the United Arab Emirates and even Saudi Arabia since 2014, a country in which Karim Benzema has been playing since June.

History of the Muslim Brotherhood

The Muslim Brotherhood experienced very rapid development in Egypt, reaching between 500,000 and 1,000,000 members after World War II. Starting in the 1940s, numerous branches of the brotherhood were also created in other Middle Eastern countries (in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, etc.) and then gradually in the rest of the Muslim world, as well as in countries that host strong communities. Muslims (as in Europe since the 1980s). The Muslim Brotherhood created branches in many countries in the Arab world, such as Palestine, a local emanation that later became Hamas in 1987. The organization long received financial support from Saudi Arabia, until the Gulf War, and carried out numerous violent actions, especially in Israel.

Certain groups do not use the name “Muslim Brotherhood”, such as Hamas in Palestine, and their organization varies according to times and contexts: they can take the form of a political party that participates in elections, an educational, charitable or religious association. , or even an armed group seeking to overthrow the regime.

In France, the Muslim Brotherhood is not considered a terrorist organization, however, it is seen as such, as reflected in the statements of the French Minister of the Interior. The cabinet of Minister Gérald Darmaninha wanted to explain the words of the headline in CNews: “For several years, We have observed a slow drift of Karim Benzema’s positions towards a harsh and rigorous Islam, characteristic of the ideology of the Brotherhood, consisting of disseminating Islamic norms in different areas of society. society, especially in sports.

What is this accusation due to?

Among other arguments, the French government has put forward the former Blues forward’s refusal to “singing the Marseillaise” with the French team, “proselytizing on social networks around the Muslim cult”, a “photo with the imam of Meaux who had been the subject of a search in the context of the murder of Samuel Paty”, or even the “support” for the publication of the Russian MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, “a real call to hate after the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in the French press”.

In a promotional video released by his club after his signing, the former French international explained the non-sporting reasons that pushed him to sign for Saudi Arabia. “Why Saudi Arabia? I am a Muslim, it is a Muslim country and I want to live there. It’s different from Europe, but I’ve been to Saudi Arabia before and it’s a Muslim country, which is beautiful“. The striker stressed that it is important to be in a Muslim country and showed his desire to speak the Arabic language fluently. In addition, he stressed that “Mecca is close. I’m a believer, so it’s important to me. I’m in my place.” Of course, in Saudi Arabia the Muslim Brotherhood is considered a terrorist organization.

They ask for the withdrawal of nationality if it is confirmed

French conservative senator Valérie Boyer has asked that soccer player Karim Benzema’s nationality be withdrawn if it is confirmed that he has links to the Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood, as suggested by Interior Minister Gérarld Darmanin.

“If the Minister of the Interior’s statements are confirmed, we have to consider sanctions against Karim Benzema. A symbolic sanction would first be to withdraw the Ballon d’Or. Then, we have to ask that his nationality be withdrawn,” the legislator said in a statement.