February 26, 2015

Walid Sharaby is one member of a delegation of senior exiled members of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood that arrived in Washington last week, seeking to meet with members of Congress. The delegation is dedicated to the restoration of Morsi and the Brotherhood to power in Egypt. It’s not clear which senators or members of congress the delegation was able to meet with, but the U.S. State Department opened its doors to them. emphasis TM

Sharaby later posted photos showing him at the State Department. He also later boasted on his Facebook page that the delegation met with “a representative of the White House.”

Sharaby was found guilty of attempting to bribe an Egyptian security officer as he was fleeing Egypt. He was fleeing because he was wanted for high treason after threatening national security in connection with his participation in the election which brought Mohamed Morsi to power.

While it might ordinarily be reasonable to wonder at the veracity of Sharaby’s claim that he met with White House personnel, the fact that he made that claim after gaining entry to this administration’s State Department (which could never happen without White House approval) tends to support his assertion.

Also allowed entry into the State Department was Mohammed Gamal Heshmat, who has previously posed with Hamas leader Khalad Meshaal. Heshmat has proudly published his opinion that Hews are “the descendants of pigs and monkeys,” and has praised Hamas’ terrorist attacks.

It seems that the Obama administration has not accepted Egypt’s repudiation of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, whose installation following the fall of Hosni Mubarak was favored by the White House. While initially accepted by the impoverished country, once in office, the Muslim Brotherhood wore out its welcome in short order, and has since been replaced by the Al Sisi administration.

To draw a contrast between the Brotherhood and Al Sisi, it is worth noting that earlier this winter Al Sisi gave a major speech, one that captivated the Arab and Muslim world, in which he asserted that the waves of violence being perpetrated by Islamic extremists both within the Middle East and across the world were indeed the product of an interpretation of Islam that was popular, but incorrect, and that introspection and reform were called for. This is the speech that President Obama has not been willing to give.


Meanwhile, Egyptian Coptic leader Michael Meunier issued a statement a noting that Coptic churches were burned by the Brotherhood’s supporters during its period of rule, and asserting that the State Department’s decision to meet with the delegation increased the perception that the U.S. was, in the first instance, behind the Brotherhood’s rise to power.

Whether or not they helped the Brotherhood into power, the White House certainly seems to miss them.

http://www.usherald.com/white-house-caug...ist-supporters/

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