Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has strongly criticized remarks made by U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on legal complaints accusing Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef of contempt of religions.

The U.S. spokeswoman’s injudicious statements show extreme and imprudent boldness and urgency. Her comments constitute a hasty, blatant interference in Egypt’s internal affairs regarding a legal complaint that is still under investigation, being dealt with in the necessary legal process and by official legal means. These remarks raise major question-marks about the U.S. administration’s position and discourse.

The US State Department spokeswoman's comments suggest that this is simply a matter of insulting a president, while the main issue in the legal complaints is contempt of the religion of Islam and denigrating religious rites. This contempt, if true, represents a serious breach of the law and a violation of customs and social and cultural constants in Egyptian society, which can have serious repercussions in this sensitive phase of Egypt’s democratic transformation, fueling feelings of rage in Egyptians, who reject the cynicism and sarcasm insulting their religious rites.

The FJP strongly and totally condemns these statements as made by the US State Department’s spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, because they will have only one interpretation in the Egyptian street: the US welcomes and defends contempt of religion by the media.

At the same time, the FJP reiterates and reaffirms its deep respect for freedom of opinion and freedom to criticize executive leaders, including the head of state, within the bounds of the law and the Constitution, with respect for religious and cultural constants of this free revolutionary and independent people.

Freedom and Justice Party