Brotherhood dismisses court order, says it cannot be removed

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood today dismissed a court ruling upholding a ban on its activities, saying the Islamist group is part of the country and cannot be removed.
"Some imagine the Muslim Brotherhood to be a statement in a book that can be removed or a shop that can have its license withdrawn by administrative decision or a politicised ruling," the Muslim Brotherhood said in a statement.
"The Muslim Brotherhood is part of the country and cannot be removed," said the group.
The statement came in response to court ruling yesterday that that banned the group's activities and froze its financial assets.

"They do not know that this group is a doctrine, principles, and ideas linking members by the heart and uniting them with enlightened minds," the statement said.
The Brotherhood said it had been responsible for the launching of a number of projects from which Egyptians benefit and for teaching "true moderate Islam".

The group also said that it had remained true to its commitment as a "peaceful advocacy movement" rejecting the use of violence and terrorism and had conducted its work through the establishment of mosques, schools, hospitals, newspapers and other publications.
The group also said it had fought the British occupation of Egypt and "responded to the call of the nation" by sending thousands to Palestine to fight Israeli troops as part of the Egyptian army.

The 85-year-old Islamist movement was banned by Egypt's military rulers in 1954, but registered itself as an NGO in March 2013 in response to a court case brought by opponents who contested its legal status.
The Brotherhood also has a legally registered political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), which was set up in 2011 as a "non-theocratic" group after the uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak from power.
Egyptian authorities launched a crackdown against the group following the ouster of the first democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi by the military on July 3 after mass protests against his year-long regime.