Egypt: Top Muslim Brotherhood leader killed

Mohammad Kamal, 61 who was senior leader of Muslim Brotherhood and another prominent member of the group Yasser Shahata Ali Ragab was killed by Egyptian Interior Ministry Forces. The incident took place when the police were trying to arrest them in their apartment. Kamal is said to be the founder member of the armed wing of the organisation. He was a physician and had held many positions in the organisation of executive nature. He was also the member of the General Guide office and the incharge of the youth or supreme Administrative Committee. He has also been awarded imprisonment for life for his involvement in 2 cases of raising terrorist groups and also carrying out wave of bombings in Assiut. The Brotherhood is considered as the oldest Islamic organisation of Middle-east and also the primary opposition party in Egypt.

Mohammad Kamal had been accused by the government of running armed factions of the group, despite the pretext of Arab World’s oldest Islamic organisation that Muslim Brotherhood is only involved in peaceful activism. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had started a major hunt for Brotherhood terrorists after ousting President Mohammad Morsi-the first democratically elected President of Egypt.

Muslim Brotherhood

It is an Islamic organisation which was founded by Hassan al-Banna in March 1928 in Islamilia,  Egypt. The organisation has its made its way to other countries but its primary presence remains in Egypt where it has stood tall as the most disciplined, organised and the largest political party in opposition to the government. However, there were many attempts of assassination, government crackdowns starting 1948, 1954, 1965 etc. It was after the Revolution in 2011 that the group was legalised and in April 2011 it gave way to formation of a political party under the name of Freedom and Justice Party (Egypt). It was in 2012 when Mohammad Morsi from their party got elected as the President. It was however, only after a year Morsi was overthrown by military after huge demonstrations against his rule. He was also arrested in the same year. Finally in 2014, Muslim Brotherhood came to be recognised as a terrorist outfit by countries like Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia and also Russia. It is still facing stiff resistance from the government continually.