The symposium entitled “Reflections on the Statement of the Senior Scholars Council and the Warning of the Terrorist Brotherhood Group” warned of the danger of this subversive group on intellectual and national security. This group seeks the destruction of citizens and homeland altogether, through a malicious agenda aimed at splitting the ranks of national unity and distorting the tolerant image of the Islamic religion by spreading misleading and bloody ideologies.

This warning was given during the virtual symposium held last Wednesday at Umm Al-Qura University under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Da`wah and Guidance, and the Presidency of State Security, with the participation of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs for Da`wah and Guidance Affairs, Sheikh Awwad Al-Anzi, the researcher at the General Administration for Combating Extremism at the Presidency of State Security, Dr. Abdul-Aziz Al-Hileel, and the Advisor to the President of Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University for Intellectual Affairs, Dr. Abdul-Majeed Al-Asaker. The symposium was moderated by the General Supervisor of the Voluntary Work Department at Umm Al-Qura University, Prof. Salih Al-Furaih.

The President of Umm Al-Qura University, Prof. Moaddi Aal Madh-hab, stated in his opening speech: “Through the founder of this state, the late King Abdulaziz bin Abdul-Rahman Al Saud, Allah united this nation, eliminated the causes of division and disagreement, and gathered the ranks together with unity, affiliation, and bonding. His dutiful children followed his path after him. So knowledge spread and ignorance vanished, and all calls for division, partisanship, and racism have ended.”

The university president noted the importance of the role of the universities in fortifying thought, raising awareness, protecting minds, and implanting a culture of belonging, patriotism, and loyalty. He stressed that it is imperative for us all not to accept complacency, to stand in unity to repel and defeat all causes of division, partisanship, and breaking with the community, and to be guardians of the country with our weapons, our ideas, our pens, and in all our fields, against every extremist approach, misleading call, straying group, or exaggerated, perverted thought.

The UQU president praised the statement of the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which stipulated that everything that affects the unity of the ranks around the rulers of Muslims, such as spreading misconceptions and delusive ideas, or the establishment of groups with allegiance [to outlaws] and [illegal] networks, is forbidden according to the Qur’an and Sunnah. At the forefront of the groups that the statement warned against was the Brotherhood, pointing out that this symposium is the first of more planned future seminars and programs that will contribute with the rest of the efforts of the various state sectors to fortify ideas, protect minds, and expose the falsehood of all calls for extremism and terrorist groups.

Sheikh Awwad Al-Anzi revealed the group’s methods of misleading youth and diverting them from the correct concept of the group, attempting to defy the rulers and scholars, denouncing them, and mobilizing youths' feelings against their homelands in the name of zealousness, enthusiasm, and sympathy for the causes of Muslims. He added that no entity whatsoever should cause split among Muslims, but this group calls for schism, and they are bent on provoking hostility against anyone who disagrees with them. He indicated that the mainstream political and legal bodies were unanimous designating this group as terrorist, one that seeks to sow discord among the ranks and reject obedience to the rulers, which is forbidden.

Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Hileel warned against the ideology and danger of the terrorist Brotherhood group, highlighting the importance of this issue and the far-reaching intellectual dimensions it has, and that Saudi Arabia, like other countries, has suffered because of it. Moreover, he previewed the development phases of this group, which began in 1328 A.H., and the several stages it went through, including transformation, intellectual hybridization, legitimizing violence, switching to Qutbism, underground organized work, down to the Takfiri ideology and armed groups.

Dr. Abdul-Majeed Al-Asaker addressed the topic on the position of well-established scholars, and the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in demeriting and reducing this position. He pointing out that whoever looks at the Muslim Brotherhood’s methods of dawah will realize that they are a fake group, which has been planted by the enemies of Islam to destroy it. They seek to discredit those who disagree with them or warn against them by insulting their critics and underestimating them so that people will not pay attention to their views.

Dr. Al-Asaker added that the group’s approach is based on slander and lying, to the extent that they would take false testimony and lie about their opponents, especially the rulers and scholars. He added that the terrorist Brotherhood group used to return evil for good, and that Saudi Arabia did them many favors for which they were ungrateful.