Cairo Al-Sha’b (in Arabic), pg. 7

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has issued a statement condemning the dispatch of U.S. forces to Somalia under the pretext of protecting the distribution of aid. The statement clarified that the cause of the Somali and Islamic peoples’ woes is the absence of the application of the Islamic shari’ah, which confirms and safeguards freedoms, supports consultation, and highlights the need for unity.

The statement asks where the Arab and Islamic governments are, especially since there are no excuses or pretexts preventing these governments from intervening to rescue the starving, wounded, and suffering.

Where is the Arab League if it cannot intervene to rescue a fraternal Arab people and to guarantee the security of a region vital for the Arab nation, namely the Horn of Africa and Bab el Mandeb in the Red Sea?

Where is the Islamic Conference Organization, and why did it not discuss the Somalia problem?

The statement said that events have escalated to a point where Arab Islamic territory has been occupied by huge foreign forces who have been welcomed by official Arab circles, or by silence bearing the signs of acceptance and acquiescence from the political and popular forces.

This confirms the failure of the course our Arab nation has taken after it succeeded in expelling the former colonialists. The MB warns against the dimensions of this suspect U.S. intervention in Somalia. It warns of the dangers to pan-Arab and Islamic security.

This intervention constitutes a dangerous omen portending the return of the age of military occupation once again under the pretext of resolving regional disputes. We call on the poor people fighting each other in fraternal Somalia to sit down quickly at the national reconciliation table under the umbrella of the Arab League, the ICO, or the OAU to end the tragedy of the Somali people and stop the U.S. designs.

We ask the Arab and Islamic governments to form the needed forces to restore true hope to the Somali people and take the place of the U.S. forces as soon as possible before occupation is completed.

We ask the United Nations to cast another look at the formation of the forces under its umbrella to make sure they come only from Islamic and Arab countries.

The statement called on the Islamic peoples to be cautious regarding the dangers looming around them, on the rich Muslims to help their brothers, and the Somali people to renounce tribal conflicts, unite under the banner of Islam, and reject foreign occupation.