Although, two different sources claimed that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer met with Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Saad el-Katatni this past weekend, the House Majority Leader is now denying they had met!
But, look at this from the Muslim Brotherhood website…
“A Step In The Right Direction”
The Muslim Brotherhood was pretty excited about their meeting with Hoyer!
** Charles Johnson and The Jawa Report ** posted the news earlier that Steny Hoyer met with a leader from the Muslim Brotherhood while he was in Egypt this weekend.
The AP reported:
U.S. Embassy spokesman John Berry would only confirm that Hoyer, who represents Maryland, met with el-Katatni at U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone’s home at a reception with other politicians and parliament members.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has refused in the past to meet with the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s largest opposition group.
Bush Administration officials have refused to meet with this fundamentalist Islamic Group in the past.
Here is part of the reason why the Bush Administration is avoiding the Muslim Brotherhood:
The Muslim Brotherhood is dedicated to the credo: “God is our objective, the Quran is our Constitution, the Prophet is our leader, struggle is our way …”[1][2] The MB is the largest opposition force in many Arab nations, especially Egypt, is the worlds largest most influential Islamic group[3] and seeks to install in stages an Islamic Caliphate across the Muslim world.
Among the Brotherhood’s more influential members was Sayyid Qutb. Sayyid is author of one of the Brotherhood’s most important books, Milestones, which called for the restoration of Islam by re-establishing Sharia law and by using “physical power and Jihad for abolishing the organizations and authorities of the Jahili system,”[13] which he believed to include the entire Muslim world.
** But, that didn’t stop the democrats!!
Hoyer must have gotten some flack from the ranks because now he is backpedaling on his meetings with the Muslim Brotherhood leader.
The Examiner reported:
CAIRO, Egypt (Map, News) – A top U.S. Democratic congressman said he did not have “personal meetings” with a member of Egypt’s largest opposition group, the banned Muslim Brotherhood, during a recent official trip, a spokeswoman for the American lawmaker said Sunday.
Hoyer also “spoke briefly” with el-Katatni later Thursday at a reception at the U.S. ambassador to Egypt’s home, Bernards said.
“However, the bipartisan delegation, including Mr. Hoyer, did not have personal meetings with Mohammad Saad al-Katatni,” Bernards said.
A Brotherhood spokesman said Saturday that Hoyer and Katatni had met privately at the ambassador’s home. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has refused to meet with the Brotherhood, which is Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s biggest rival.
This is what the Muslim Brotherhood had to say about the meeting in Cairo on their website:
Despite reservations from both sides, finally officials from the MB and the US had an opportunity to talk to each other directly when House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer met with the head of the MB parliamentary bloc Dr. Saad El Katatny in what was described as a routine dialogue between parliamentarians from both countries.
HERE’S MORE from the Muslim Brotherhood website:
El Katatny pointed out that he took part in the meeting that included other leaders in the People’s Assembly with the US representatives in the morning of the same day, and he spoke about the US policies in the region, specially in Palestine and Iraq. During this meeting, el Katatny received an invitation from the US ambassador to attend a dinner party in the evening which he accepted.
El Katatny added:” The congressmen had more inquiries around the Palestinian file; they asked me why the Muslim Brotherhood supports Hamas although it is a terrorist organization; I responded by saying Hamas is a resistance movement and that Israel is using violence against civilians”
El Katatny explained to the Congress delegation that Hamas has been very flexible, specially after Mecca agreement during which Hamas agreed to Palestinian state on the 1967 borders and the return of the refugees. When the American delegation stated that the return of the refugees means the disappearance of Israel and asked where will they return, el Katatny answered “To the places from which they were deported”
Not a bad week for democrats:
-The Speaker does lunch with the dictator of Syria against the wishes of the President Bush and muffs her message.
– The Majority Leader parties with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
– The governor of Pennsylvania and Representative Sestak dine with CAIR.
Update: A message from an Egyptian friend:
I read the story yesterday and Hoyer met a top leading Muslim brotherhood figure. His claim is that the tradition to meet with all parliametarians from the world without discrimination. The US embassy according to news confirmed two meetings; one at the Parliament and the other at he residency of the American ambassador to Egypt.
If this meeting had happened, then the democrats are showing a high level of ignorance and not very aware of the true intentions of the Muslim brotherhood in Egypt- that they are after power.
