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Doha Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel Television in Arabic, independent television station financed by the Qatari Government, at 1416 gmt on 22 January broadcasts on its "Special Encounter" talk show a 40-minute Interview with Muhammad Badi, newly elected general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, by Husayn Abd-al-Ghani in Cairo. The date of the interview is not given.
Abd-al-Ghani begins by asking Badi about claims that the election of the general guide was rigged, that the Guidance Bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood usurped the powers of the Shura Council, and that prominent figures were excluded. Badi replies that the outgoing phase and developments provided a rich experiment, and adds: "True, some observations might be made and we might need a revision of certain stands and measures, but these measures were 100 per cent sound and were taken after the Muslim Brotherhood's legal experts were consulted. They were presented with what happened and they all affirmed that the measures were perfectly sound. "The accusations that are being directed at the Brotherhood are not new. Those who direct charges must produce evidence. We are not a political organization, as some imagine. We represent Islam in a comprehensive manner."
He says the Muslim Brotherhood mechanisms, such as election laws, are based on sound Islamic values and morals, and adds: "We are unified by our fear of Almighty God" and "the love of God," noting that this does not mean that we should not differ or that we should close our minds to observations and advice "but these should be presented in a respectable and legitimate manner to the leadership and the leadership will take care of them, examine all opinions about them, and then make the final decision after holding consultations inside the Muslim Brotherhood institutions."
Asked if he does not think that the Muslim Brotherhood needs a genuine internal reconciliation, given a statement he made on 5 November in which he said that "whoever differs with the Muslim Brotherhood, let him go," and a letter he wrote on 4 January accusing those who differed with the Muslim Brotherhood of "lies and prevarications," he says that bringing the hearts of the brothers together is a basic thing "but our duty is to bring the brothers together because the Muslim...