EIJ AFFILIATES IN LONDON CONDEMN EGYPTIAN EXECUTIONS AND CEASEFIRE
Date Reported: Wednesday, March 08, 2000
Incident Type: SECURITY
Country: EGYPT Incident: The U.S. Embassy in Egypt submits the following news report: The Embassy has obtained faxed copies of two statements in Arabic issued by the Islamic Media Observation Center in London. This center is affiliated with the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ). The statements condemn on human rights grounds the Egyptian government's execution of two convicted jihad terrorists in February. The statements also note that "the CIA, NATO forces and Albanian Intelligence" detained the two and rendered them to Egypt. The statements conclude that such executions "could lead to further confrontation" between Islamic militants and the Egyptian government. In a related development, an EIJ leader in London, Hani al Siba'i, gave an interview to al-Hayat newspaper, which was published March 5. Siba'i criticized the announcement of an EIJ cease-fire by Osama Ayoub who, he said, is not an EIJ member. The cease-fire is "a gift from someone who doesn't own it to someone who doesn't deserve it." Islamic law allows someone who is temporarily incapacitated to desist from jihad, Siba'i said, and he said the EIJ currently lacks capacity inside Egypt. But he criticized the "Islamic Group in Egypt" (IG) for announcing a cease-fire and for its general focus on spreading the faith and public morals. (The IG used to target liquor, video and hotel establishments.) Meanwhile, the EIJ has focused on the more serious work of establishing an Islamic state, which requires recruiting Egyptian military officers to overthrow the regime. The EIJ must continue its operations in order to prove its continued viability to those within the Egyptian military who otherwise might lose interest and join other organizations.
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