Tharwat al-Kharbawi reveals the secrets of the Muslim Brotherhood after the American designation
In a significant development that is reshaping the political and security landscape of the Middle East, Saudi Arabia's welcoming of Washington's decision to designate branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations represents a pivotal turning point in the international approach to political Islamist movements. This decision, described by observers as a "political earthquake," was not merely an administrative measure, but rather the culmination of a long series of warnings issued by countries in the region, most notably Saudi Arabia and Egypt, regarding the dangers of the Brotherhood's duplicitous ideology since its founding in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna.
This event gains its strategic importance from the fact that it dismantles the legal cover that the group has long used to protect itself in the West, where it presented itself as a “moderate” alternative to jihadist organizations, while historical facts and security investigations confirm that the Brotherhood’s mantle was the womb from which most contemporary violent movements emerged, from the Jihad Organization to Al-Qaeda and ISIS, based on Sayyid Qutb’s literature on “sovereignty” and “ignorance.”.
In this context, the testimony of the defected leader and lawyer Tharwat al-Kharbawi clarifies matters. Al-Kharbawi, who spent years within the organization before defecting and authoring his famous book "The Secret of the Temple," believes that the American designation strikes at the group's lifeblood: its funding and international cover.
Internal confusion and attempts at camouflage
Al-Kharbawi asserts that the decision has created a state of “structural confusion” within the ranks of the international organization. While the leadership attempts to project a narrative of “victimhood” to the rank and file to ensure internal cohesion, the reality indicates that the group is resorting to alternative strategies to evade financial oversight, such as relying on cryptocurrencies and the informal “hawala” system, and shifting from large organizational structures to small “cluster cells” to minimize security risks.
Duplicity of discourse: political dissimulation
Al-Kharbawi explains the group's modus operandi, which relies fundamentally on a dual discourse, or what might be termed "political dissimulation." There is a discourse directed at the West and the media, characterized by flexibility and talk of democracy and freedoms, and another internal, mobilizing discourse based on the implicit excommunication of society and its designation as "ignorant" (jahiliyyah) that must be changed by force once the group gains power. He points out that the group's secret structure (the Special Organization) is the true decision-maker, while the publicly declared leaders are often public relations figures.
organic link to extremism
Regarding the relationship with extremist organizations, Kharbawi emphasizes that it is not merely a convergence of interests, but rather a "structural and ideological" one. Most leaders of global terrorist organizations, such as Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, either passed through the Muslim Brotherhood or were influenced by its ideologues. The group represents a "breeding ground" where young people are brainwashed and psychologically prepared to accept the idea of holy violence before moving on to more radical organizations.
An uncertain future and advice for young people
Al-Kharbawi concludes his analysis by asserting that the Muslim Brotherhood project is facing political “clinical death,” having lost its popular support after its failed experiment in governance and now facing international isolation. He directs a warning message to Arab youth against being deceived by the group’s glittering slogans, emphasizing that religion is too sacred to be confined to a secret organization, and that the homeland is the natural home for individuals, not transnational groups that use religion as a tool to seize power.
