Egypt Bars New MB Guide from Foreign Travel

Congratulations on being the Eighth General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, but you can't leave the country. Muhammad Badi‘, the new Guide, and other members of the Guidance Council (except those who are members of Parliament), has been forbidden to travel abroad.

It seems they've been accused of engaging in "organizational activities" abroad. Wow. An international organization whose leadership engages in . . . organizational activities . . . internationally?

Now I wouldn't want to be governed by the Muslim Brotherhood, I wouldn't want my daughter to live under them, and despite the fact they once fielded a Coptic candidate I don't think they're the future of Egypt. But I don't have a vote, and they aren't violent, and have a clear, well-organized support structure. Most of the Egyptian press, not so many days ago, was emphasizing how quietist and moderate Badi‘ was, a man who would move the Brotherhood from political activism to social issues.

So is this really necessary? Or just the traditional regime reaction to the Brotherhood? The fact that the organization, despite being technically illegal, is the largest opposition bloc in Parliament and runs a significant social services sector, is as reminder of the strange relationship between the regime and the Brotherhood. I don't really know, offhand, of another such strange symbiosis.

Meanwhile, Badi‘, praised as the non-political guide, can't travel.