A decision by Turkish authorities to deport to Egypt 12 people affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood on a number of charges has infuriated the group’s members, triggering differences with their leaders abroad.
The new list appeared a few months after Turkey deported Brotherhood member Mohammed Abdel-Hafiz, who has been sentenced to death in Egypt on charges of targeting former Egyptian Attorney General Hisham Barakat.
Hafiz was forced onto a plane to Cairo on January 18 after he landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport.
Brotherhood activists launched Sunday campaigns to exert pressure on Turkish authorities to stop the deportation process, using anti-repatriation hashtags on social media.
The activists also called on the group’s leaders outside Egypt to intervene and prevent the deportation.
Expert on Islamists in Egypt Amr Abdel Moneim told Asahrq Al-Awsat that some Brotherhood leaders contacted the Turkish authorities to discuss the issue while others decided to abandon the request not to repatriate the 12 men, triggering disagreements between them.
“The Muslim Brotherhood is suffering from a generational conflict …. the youth are revolting and rejecting the orders of the leadership,” Abdel Monein said.
In December 2013, Cairo designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group. Its decision came few months after the ouster Brotherhood-linked former president Mohamed Morsi.
Source: Al Awsat
