Watch … Ali defends Gen. Suleiman against Zayat's claims

Published Thursday, June 23, 2022

Montaser al-Zayat, a former candidate for the position of chairman of the Bar Association, expected Islamists to fall out of the favour of the public in Egypt, if they do not prove their worth, succeed in reducing poverty, and achieve development.

In this, he said, Egypt's Islamists would follow in the footsteps of Islamists in Sudan and Pakistan. 

He added that the Islamists could also follow in the path of Islamists in Turkey and Malaysia, if they solve people's problems.

Renowned journalist and Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editor-in-Chief of al-Bawaba News, Abdelrahim Ali, countered by saying Gen. Omar Suleiman was an Egyptian intelligence officer who gave his country a lot.

"I have never seen this man in my life," Ali said of Gen. Suleiman during a televised debate with al-Zayat.

Nevertheless, al-Zayat interrupted by saying that he supports what Ali said.

Ali then noted that Gen. Ahmed Raafat, the official in charge of religious extremism, died, al-Zayat cried and wrote an article about the merits and kindness of this man. 

Ali added that al-Zayat said about Gen. Suleiman that he woke up and wept for those who were responsible for extremism and Islamist movements.

Al-Zayat interrupted again by saying that he had changed his political views.

He added that his national role could not be disputed by anybody. 

"We will say to Raafat that he was tortured and killed," he said.

Nonetheless, Ali riposted by saying that he did not say he looked like this when he died, but had mercy on him.

"I have a question, where was Gen. Suleiman when these young men killed Anwar Sadat, and when they issued a fatwa to kill him?" Ali asked. "They issued a fatwa permitting theft from Christians and storming gold shops in 1981 and making their money permissible and killing them on the grounds that their money is permissible."

Ali asked again about where Gen. Suleiman was when Islamists killed Sheikh al-Dhahabi. 

He noted that Gen, Suleiman did not say that the state would stage armed jihad.

"And if so-and-so did not succeed in the first round, will the elections remain rigged?" Ali asked.

He added that one of the Islamist movements said it would wage armed jihad. Another movement, he added, said the same thing later. 

The debate's host, Hala Sarhan, then interrupted.

Al-Zayat then said that there were reviews of armed jihad. 

"I am not talking about what they reviewed," Ali said. "I am talking about 3,000 fighters in Sinai who attack our national army."

He revealed that seven police stations had already become out of service. 

"Our national army is being attacked with hundreds of missiles," Ali said. "We have not heard about this before."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nxp7x-SnJA&feature=emb_logo