The supreme leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood – and of its president elect Mohammed Morsi – has called for jihad on Israel.
The website Jihad Watch cited a report in last Thursday’s Egypt-based Al Wafd newspaper. The report said that, during his weekly sermon, “Muhammad Badi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide, confirmed the necessity for every Muslim to strive to save al-Quds [Jerusalem] from the hands of the rapists [Israelis] and to cleanse Palestine from the clutches of the occupation, deeming this an individual duty for all Muslims.”
More specifically, the report said, Badi “called on all Muslims to wage jihad with their money and their selves to free al-Quds”—the same exact language one finds in al-Qaeda’s tracts.
Jihad Watch noted that some have portrayed Badi as the true power behind Egypt’s presidency, with Morsi acting as his puppet.
Reports on Sunday said that U.S. President Barack Obama has invited Morsi to conduct an official visit to the U.S. in September. Deputy Secretary of State William Perez said he delivered the invitation to Cairo during his meetings with the president on Sunday.
This would be the first visit ever to the U.S. by a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in an official capacity.
Morsi has also received an invitation from his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to attend a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement which will be held in Tehran on August 29. Ahmadinejad has publicly called to wipe Israel off the map.
Egypt and Iran had no relations since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, but signs towards close ties and even an alliance have emerged since the departure of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.