Mukhtar continued, “We will live on dates and water. We will not care if the people of the earth antagonize us. Those people who do not want to implement Islamic Sharia should leave the country.”
The statements came during a conference held by Gamaat Islamiyya in the courtyard of the Rahman Mosque in the Egyptian city of Minya on June 11.
A number of leaders from the group attended the meeting, including Dr. Essam Derbala, speaker of the group’s Shura Council, Sheikh Refaie Taha, Sheikh Abu-Emad el-Hussieni Erman, head of the Islamic Center of the Italian city of Milano, Sheikh Osama Hafez, deputy speaker of the group’s Shura Council, Dr. Gamal el-Helali, secretary of the Building and Development Party and preacher Ragab Hussien, leader of the group in Minya.
During the conference, Derbala discussed the political scene in Egypt and the situation of the group in light of the recent developments witnessed in the country. He claimed that it is not electoral conflict, as the National Salvation Front did not offer any programs or visions, and that the difference is about who should rule the country now.
Derbala added, “Despite our differences with the president, we believe that he represents a part of the Islamic project. He came to power with legitimacy that should be protected.”
“There is an international and regional conspiracy against the Islamic project not to succeed or to not be presented to humanity, as its thought its success could undermine the models that they present to their peoples. Thing are getting more serious now that the Islamic project is represented by the Muslim Brotherhood, because of their international influence. If their model succeeds, it will influence other countries that enjoy the existence of the Muslim Brotherhood,” Derbala continued.
It is important to mention that Mukhtar was sentenced to seven years in prison over an accusation of involvement in the assassination of Egypt’s former President Mohamed Anwar Sadat. He traveled to Britain in the 1990s and returned to Egypt this June.
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