ElBaradei's 'Holocaust' comment draws fire from Islamists

Ekram Ibrahim, Tuesday 27 Nov 2012

Muslim Brotherhood website makes light of Mohamed ElBaradei's assertion to German magazine that Islamist members of Egypt's Constituent Assembly include those 'who deny Holocaust'

El-Baradie
Mohamed El-Baradei (Photo: Ahram)

"Another who denies the Holocaust." The phrase, spoken by Constitution Party head Mohamed ElBaradei in an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel magazine on Monday has been seized upon by the Muslim Brotherhood's official website (ikhwanonline) and other websites.

The phrase came in response to the interviewer's question: "Almost all of the liberal and Christian members of Egypt's Constituent Assembly [tasked with drafting a new constitution] have withdrawn. Why is that?"

ElBaradei replied that many feared that Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood might draft a heavily Islamist-leaning constitution, so most liberal and Christian assembly members had withdrawn. Those to remain, said ElBaradei, "include one who wants to ban music...another who denies the Holocaust and another who openly condemns democracy."

News quickly spread on social media that remaining assembly members deny the Holocaust. Many on social media mocked ElBaradei's statement, asking if one's take on the Holocaust was what differentiated 'liberals,' 'leftists' and 'secularists' from 'Islamists.'

One Facebook page appeared with the name "You are a holocaust guy," which feature interesting reactions to ElBaradei's statements, such as: "My heart feels pain for the Holocaust, yet the constitution has a cold heart towards me," "the Holocaust is against God's rule," and, "If you're asking who we are, we're the Holocaust guys."

ElBaradei's statements often come in for criticism by his detractors, which have included the ousted Mubarak regime, the Muslim Brotherhoods and Salafist groups. 

In the interview, ElBaradei warned that President Mohamed Morsi's controversial constitutional decree, issued Thursday night, would turn Egypt into a "new dictatorship." ElBaradei is expected to attend a planned Tuesday rally against Morsi's decree organised by Egyptian opposition groups.

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