Al-Kharbawi reveals the secrets of the Muslim Brotherhood after the American designation and the Saudi welcome
In a significant development reflecting the convergence of strategic visions between Riyadh and Washington on counterterrorism, Saudi Arabia welcomed the decisive US move to designate branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations. This decision, which aligns with Saudi Arabia's ongoing efforts to combat extremism, raises fundamental questions about the organization's future and its operational mechanisms under this international pressure.
Context of the decision and its geopolitical impact
The Saudi welcome cannot be understood in isolation from the region's historical and political context. The Kingdom has been at the forefront of warning against the dangers of politicizing religion and using it as a cover for transnational partisan agendas. The American designation reinforces the regional stance calling for decisive action against organizations that provide ideological cover for extremist groups. Observers believe this decision will lead to a near-total paralysis of financial flows through the global banking system, given international banks' compliance with US sanctions, thus posing an unprecedented existential crisis for the organization.
Testimony from the heart of the organization: Al-Kharbawi speaks
In this context, former leader and defector from the group, Tharwat al-Kharbawi, provided a detailed analysis of the organization's internal situation in an interview with Al-Youm. Al-Kharbawi asserted that the group reacted to the shock with a state of "structural confusion," attempting to project a narrative of victimhood to its members to ensure internal cohesion, while externally resorting to legal denials and threats of legal action.
Al-Kharbawi revealed dangerous tactical shifts adopted by the organization to circumvent sanctions, most notably:
- Shifting to clusters: breaking up large structures into very small cells (3 individuals) to reduce security losses.
- Digital finance: Reliance on cryptocurrencies and the informal “hawala” system to escape banking oversight.
- Electronic armies: Replacing traditional media with encrypted platforms and electronic flies to manage psychological battles.
The Muslim Brotherhood as a "breeding ground" for extremism
At a crucial point, al-Kharbawi emphasized the organic link between the Muslim Brotherhood and jihadist organizations, describing the group as the “true founder” of the takfiri ideology later adopted by groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS. He pointed out that figures like Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abdullah Azzam emerged from the Brotherhood, confirming that the group represents the intellectual bridge across which young people cross toward violent extremism, drawing on Sayyid Qutb’s writings on “sovereignty” and “ignorance.”.
An uncertain future and a message for young people
Al-Kharbawi concluded his remarks with a bleak vision for the group's future, asserting that it suffers from "intellectual stagnation" and structural decay, having transformed into a closed entity that rejects self-reflection. He addressed a warning to sympathetic youth, urging them not to reduce religion to a clandestine organization, and cautioning that membership in the group often leads to the suppression of reason and conscience in favor of blind obedience.
