ABU DHABI // An Emirati who worked for the Muslim Brotherhood for two decades said the banned organisation tried to take advantage of the Arab Spring to extract concessions from governments in Arab countries, including the UAE.
Jamal Al Hossani believes the UAE Government had been aware of Brotherhood activity in the country since the 1970s but no action was taken until it surfaced during the tide of unrest.
“I believe the decision to come to the surface in the UAE wasn’t taken locally,” he said during the second part of an interview broadcast by Abu Dhabi Al Emarat TV, which is owned by The National’s publisher, Abu Dhabi Media. “No Emirati who knows the Emirati community could have thought that such a move would be beneficial.
“I believe the directives to take advantage of the moment and ignite the Arab Spring in all Arab countries came from the global command of the Brotherhood.”
Mr Al Hossani said the emergence of the UAE arm, Al Islah, was the beginning of the end of his time in the Brotherhood.
“When I realised that the Government was seeking to dissolve it, it dawned on me that I was a member of a banned organisation,” he said. “My decision to leave the organisation was based on conviction, but I parted ways with it on amicable terms.
“The only reason I joined was that I wanted to hang out with respectable and religiously observant young people like myself.”
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