In it Esam El-Erian mouths the need for a “free and independent democratic state”. He admits to an overwhelming hatred of the west, of its responsibility for dictatorships in the arab world. The hatred is such that at times it becomes illogical.
Esam El-Erian berates the west for supporting Qaddafi even whilst it is bombing him! Esam El-Erian would not distinguish between the acts of western governments and their peoples who as they elected governments are responsible for the support given to dictators.
The MB spokesman would not explain why it is not participating in the Tahrir demonstrations at the moment. Is it because the MB has an agreement with the army? Is it because it knows that its constituency is the street, the masses of the dispossessed and the poor, not minority of liberals and socialists, the facebook users. Is the reason that the MB is preparing for power and doesn't see itself as needing to ally itself with disparate and mostly unrepresentative demonstrators in Tahrir Square?
Esam El-Erian saw the US and its allies as fomenting terror, not being the victims of it. Although not spelling it out in so many words, the peace treaty with Israel will cease to exist and 'support' for palestinians means that war will follow. There was a refusal to condemn Hamas for its use of indiscriminate terror against Israel.
As regards palestinians being discriminated against in arab lands the MB showed just how committed to human rights they really are.
“
Can you imagine a democratic Syria or a democratic Jordan assimilating Palestinians in their lands? They cannot. It is a matter of time. Those people must go back [to Israel]. You prevent Mexicans by force from secret immigration.”
MJT: Only illegal immigrants, not legal immigrants.
Esam El-Erian: This is illegal. We cannot have non-citizens in our lands. They take our jobs.
MJT: Palestinian refugees have been living in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan for more than 60 years.
Esam El-Erian: No! Even if they’ve been there for 200 years, they must go back [to Israel].
The west has absorbed millions of refugees over the years, yet the MB would not accept this happening in Egypt. It shows that islamists will shout about racism and human rights, but don't really understand the concepts involved. These are for them just useful slogans for use when dealing with western journalists (with the odd exception such as Totten).
Esam El-Erian would not admit to his own beliefs as to who was behind 9/11.
It's not hard to guess though, as in the arab world the conspiracy theorists blame the jews.
The MB hates the west, so it must be jews who would attack the Twin Towers. Similarly it is Iran that daily threatens to wipe out Israel that is most vehement in denying the existence of the Holocaust.
The Muslim Brotherhood is as extremist and anti-western as ever. Hopefully the US government will wake up to this fact. Not before next year though, and not whilst Obama is still president.
Esam El-Erian: The media and think tanks play a very important role. You created a ghost, a monster, this terrorism. You magnify terrorism, and we face its vengeance. You in the media link every Arab, every Muslim, to terrorists. We were pushed to take off our shoes in your airports.
MJT: I have to take off my shoes, too.
Esam El-Erian: Why?
MJT: I don’t like it either.
Esam El-Erian: You make people live in terror.
MJT: Who does?
Esam El-Erian: You do. The media.
MJT: Who is living in terror?
Esam El-Erian: Your politicians. Your media. Your media.
MJT: We don’t live in terror. I don’t know a single person in the media who lives in terror.
Esam El-Erian: Can you answer one question? Why don’t we hear about trials for September 11?
MJT: Because the people who did it are dead. They killed themselves in the towers.
Armin Rosen: There was a civilian trial.
Esam El-Erian: Four thousand innocent people were killed, and there has been no trial.
MJT: That’s because the people who did it are dead.
Esam El-Erian: Nobody was put in a cage to face a trial.
MJT: They were on the planes. They blew themselves up in the towers.
Esam El-Erian: No. Who was behind it?
MJT: Osama bin Laden. And we just killed him, too.
Esam El-Erian: We know you have about 600 people in Guantanamo Bay. None of them have faced trials. Why? This is a very big mystery.
MJT: Well, what do you think happened? What’s your theory?
Esam El-Erian: And another 4,000 Americans were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. You have almost 10,000 innocent Americans killed. Never mind the millions killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. You never put anyone on trial. Who is behind all this? Who made the conspiracy? Is Osama bin Laden alone? Who is behind Osama bin Laden?
Armin Rosen: Who do you think is behind Osama bin Laden?
Esam El-Erian: I want to know!
MJT: What’s your theory?
Esam El-Erian: You have the documents now that Osama bin Laden is dead.
MJT: What’s your theory?
Esam El-Erian: I don’t know.
MJT: You have a theory.
Esam El-Erian: I want to know. That is the question.
MJT: Everybody has a theory. What’s yours?
Esam El-Erian: Why 10,000 Americans killed? Why? Without any investigation
Michael Totten's interview with Esam El-Erian of the Muslim Brotherhood