CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood dissociated itself from an ongoing debate between two of its members regarding Sunnis and Shias in Islam. In a press statement sent to Daily News Egypt, Mohamed Mahdy Akef, the Brotherhood's supreme guide, said the group is not responsible for a debate between Youssef Nada and Mohamed Ghazlan over both sects. In an editorial published in Al-Masry Al-Youm independent daily two weeks ago, Nada claimed there is evidence in the Quran and Prophet Mohamed's (PBUH) sayings proving the legitimacy of the sect. In another editorial in the same newspaper, Ghazlan responded by saying that Nada's claims do not reflect the views of neither the Brotherhood nor Islam overall. "Nada's article will only fuel more controversy over the Sunni-Shia conflict, Ghazlan wrote. Mahmoud Ezzat, the Brotherhood's secretary general, told Daily News Egypt that while Akef's statement is "a clarification indicating that both members' opinions do not represent the group, it does not violate freedom of expression. He explained that the Brotherhood's supreme guide is the only one authorized to speak on behalf of the group. Ezzat further explained that even though Nada and Ghazlan identified themselves as Brotherhood members in their editorials, their opinions do not reflect the group's views. Earlier this week, the Brotherhood released another statement distancing itself from the case of the Hezbollah terror cell after former members of the group were implicated in the activities of the alleged cell. The group said in a statement that Egypt's national security was a "red line that cannot be tampered with. Moreover, in a recent People's Assembly session, Brotherhood MPs joined National Democratic Party members in attacking Hezbollah, the Shia Lebanese resistance movement.
