Al-Khaleej, a local Emiriti newspaper, is reporting that UAE forces "busted" an Ikhwan "cell" of senior Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood officials. Not for terrorism, as it claimed when it arrested a cell of Gulfie nationals on December 26. But for politically organizing.
Their crime? Holding "secret meetings" and "recruiting Egyptian expats in the UAE to join their ranks" and "continuous coordination" with the Egyptian-based branch.
"Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood had offered [the cell's members] courses...on elections and the means of changing leadership in Arab countries," said a UAE source.
The horror! Elections!
The arrests here have been treated in the expected political manner. Supporters of the Ikhwan rallied in support of those detained and opponents of the Ikhwan saw their political activities as just another step in a wider scheme of Islamicizing the region. Lost in all this is these guys were not arrested for terrorism but for promoting goals similar to those the liberals *should* be supporting. Instead, many are aligning themselves with the autocratic government.
The UAE and Ikhwan have a long history of tense relations. The Islamists movement's rise has been met in the Gulf state with trepidation and worry similar political forces could result in regime change. Tension erupted in 2012 when an Egyptian Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi spoke out against the UAE for reportedly revoking visas of Syrians who protested against the regime of al-Assad and UAE officials threatened him with arrest.
Their crime? Holding "secret meetings" and "recruiting Egyptian expats in the UAE to join their ranks" and "continuous coordination" with the Egyptian-based branch.
"Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood had offered [the cell's members] courses...on elections and the means of changing leadership in Arab countries," said a UAE source.
The horror! Elections!
The arrests here have been treated in the expected political manner. Supporters of the Ikhwan rallied in support of those detained and opponents of the Ikhwan saw their political activities as just another step in a wider scheme of Islamicizing the region. Lost in all this is these guys were not arrested for terrorism but for promoting goals similar to those the liberals *should* be supporting. Instead, many are aligning themselves with the autocratic government.
The UAE and Ikhwan have a long history of tense relations. The Islamists movement's rise has been met in the Gulf state with trepidation and worry similar political forces could result in regime change. Tension erupted in 2012 when an Egyptian Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi spoke out against the UAE for reportedly revoking visas of Syrians who protested against the regime of al-Assad and UAE officials threatened him with arrest.
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