Egypt Calls on Europe to Block Muslim Brotherhood Channels

Looking to end the spreading of radicalised Islam, the Egyptian foreign ministry are calling on European countries to “monitor extremist websites that incite violence and terrorism, and to halt broadcasting channels linked to the Muslim Brotherhood."

In a press release emailed to Ahram Online, minister aide for European affairs Hatem Seif El-Nasr asked European ambassadors at a meeting on Tuesday, to relay the message to their governments “not to deal with illegitimate groups affiliated to the terrorist organisation."

The meeting was scheduled less than a week after the horrific North Sinai attacks that killed at least 30 people, in an attempt to inform the international community of the on the ground conditions in Egypt. El-Nasr stressed that the attacks is part of the country’s ongoing war against terrorism, which reached new heights after the ousting Mohamed Morsi and officially outlawing  the Muslim Brotherhood organisation, declaring them a terrorist organisation.

In statement released to the press El-Nasr states that "Terrorist groups are governed by a single radical ideology that stems from Muslim Brotherhood ideology since its inception in 1928." In light of the recent extremists attacks in Europe that have left at least 17 killed, Europe has a vested interest in curbing the rise of radical Islam.

In the meeting, the foreign ministry distributed video footage and text documents summarising the evidence that "terrorist groups and their affiliated media channels" incite violence and killing. In order to stop the message from spreading, El-Nasr believes the response should increase security, military confrontation, opening the exchange of information, and countering the ideology by cutting militants groups access to funding as well as their ability to broadcast. That is why on Sunday the foreign ministry issued two statement urging the shutdown of two Muslim Brotherhood linked channels it did not name in the statement but believed to are being aired on France’s Eutelsat. Authorities claim that channels backing the Brotherhood on Eutelsat include Mekamileen and Masr Al-Aan, which are also accessible through Egypt's Nilesat.