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"The court bans the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood organization and its non-governmental organization and all the activities that it participates in and any organization derived from it," said presiding Judge Mohammed al-Sayed.
The Guardian reports:
In practice, the group had almost been forced underground already by the arrest this summer of thousands of its members - including most of its leaders - and the killing of about 1,000 more.
It is a familiar predicament for the Brotherhood, which has been banned for most of its 85-year history and has successfully fought off every threat to its existence. [...]
Brotherhood members who remain at liberty say that the arbitrary arrests and state-led killings of their colleagues remain a far more serious threat to the organization's operational capacity.
Following the revolutionary movement that forced former president Hosni Mubarak out of power in 2011, the Muslim Brotherhood was the first political organization to gain power when a presidential election went to Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi. However, under the rule of Morsi the group quickly came under fire for what protesters said was a consolidation of power within the government and heavy-handed anti-democratic policies. A military coup eventually lead to Morsi's ouster in June and a violent crackdown on the organization and its leadership followed.
The latest development is likely to cause further anger among Brotherhood supporters and many worry that their further disenfranchisement could lead to increased factionalization and more violence as the country struggles to regain its political footing.
"People think the Brotherhood can be dissolved through governmental decisions. But it has existed for 85 years and survived far worse," Abdel-Rahman Daour, a pro-Morsi activist told the Guardian.
"No one is going to leave. But it's going to get more revolutionary," Daour said.
Meanwhile, even those not aligned with the Brotherhood issued caution over the consequences of the court ruling. As the Associated Press reports:
Interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi has warning against driving the Brotherhood completely underground, saying monitoring of political parties is a more reasonable alternative.
Ahmed Darrag, leader of liberal al-Dustour party, said the group's network was already largely underground. He argued that court rulings are not the way to confront the group.
"You can only confront ideas by ideas," he said.
_______________________
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

"The court bans the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood organization and its non-governmental organization and all the activities that it participates in and any organization derived from it," said presiding Judge Mohammed al-Sayed.
The Guardian reports:
In practice, the group had almost been forced underground already by the arrest this summer of thousands of its members - including most of its leaders - and the killing of about 1,000 more.
It is a familiar predicament for the Brotherhood, which has been banned for most of its 85-year history and has successfully fought off every threat to its existence. [...]
Brotherhood members who remain at liberty say that the arbitrary arrests and state-led killings of their colleagues remain a far more serious threat to the organization's operational capacity.
Following the revolutionary movement that forced former president Hosni Mubarak out of power in 2011, the Muslim Brotherhood was the first political organization to gain power when a presidential election went to Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi. However, under the rule of Morsi the group quickly came under fire for what protesters said was a consolidation of power within the government and heavy-handed anti-democratic policies. A military coup eventually lead to Morsi's ouster in June and a violent crackdown on the organization and its leadership followed.
The latest development is likely to cause further anger among Brotherhood supporters and many worry that their further disenfranchisement could lead to increased factionalization and more violence as the country struggles to regain its political footing.
"People think the Brotherhood can be dissolved through governmental decisions. But it has existed for 85 years and survived far worse," Abdel-Rahman Daour, a pro-Morsi activist told the Guardian.
"No one is going to leave. But it's going to get more revolutionary," Daour said.
Meanwhile, even those not aligned with the Brotherhood issued caution over the consequences of the court ruling. As the Associated Press reports:
Interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi has warning against driving the Brotherhood completely underground, saying monitoring of political parties is a more reasonable alternative.
Ahmed Darrag, leader of liberal al-Dustour party, said the group's network was already largely underground. He argued that court rulings are not the way to confront the group.
"You can only confront ideas by ideas," he said.
_______________________
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

"The court bans the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood organization and its non-governmental organization and all the activities that it participates in and any organization derived from it," said presiding Judge Mohammed al-Sayed.
The Guardian reports:
In practice, the group had almost been forced underground already by the arrest this summer of thousands of its members - including most of its leaders - and the killing of about 1,000 more.
It is a familiar predicament for the Brotherhood, which has been banned for most of its 85-year history and has successfully fought off every threat to its existence. [...]
Brotherhood members who remain at liberty say that the arbitrary arrests and state-led killings of their colleagues remain a far more serious threat to the organization's operational capacity.
Following the revolutionary movement that forced former president Hosni Mubarak out of power in 2011, the Muslim Brotherhood was the first political organization to gain power when a presidential election went to Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi. However, under the rule of Morsi the group quickly came under fire for what protesters said was a consolidation of power within the government and heavy-handed anti-democratic policies. A military coup eventually lead to Morsi's ouster in June and a violent crackdown on the organization and its leadership followed.
The latest development is likely to cause further anger among Brotherhood supporters and many worry that their further disenfranchisement could lead to increased factionalization and more violence as the country struggles to regain its political footing.
"People think the Brotherhood can be dissolved through governmental decisions. But it has existed for 85 years and survived far worse," Abdel-Rahman Daour, a pro-Morsi activist told the Guardian.
"No one is going to leave. But it's going to get more revolutionary," Daour said.
Meanwhile, even those not aligned with the Brotherhood issued caution over the consequences of the court ruling. As the Associated Press reports:
Interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi has warning against driving the Brotherhood completely underground, saying monitoring of political parties is a more reasonable alternative.
Ahmed Darrag, leader of liberal al-Dustour party, said the group's network was already largely underground. He argued that court rulings are not the way to confront the group.
"You can only confront ideas by ideas," he said.
_______________________