Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

Political circles explained that the rumor about sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, the spiritual leader of the Gama’at Al-Islamiya, withdrawing his support for the no-violence initiative is an attempt to blackmail the Egyptian officials.



The blackmail attempt came with the preparations for the bar Syndicate elections, the parliamentary elections, as well as the suspension of the Labor Party and its newspaper.



Montasser Al-Zayyat, lawyer of Al-Gama’at Al-Islamiya, explained in a press conference that Omar Abdel Rahman’s message to the leaders of the Gama’at Al-Islamiya, in detention in Cairo did not contain a phrase expressing withdrawing his support to the initiative. However, Abdel-Rahman wrote in his message urging reconsidering the initiative three years after its declaration.



Despite of what he said, Mustafa Al-Zayyat refused to show the reporters the message. He also said that he received a written reply from the leaders in detention supporting the continuation of the initiative after the terrorist activities failure.



On the other hand, Lynn Stewart, lawyer of Omar Abdel-Rahman, declared that the sheikh decided to withdraw his support for the no-violence initiative. She read his statement from his prison in Minnesota.



She also said that Abdel-Rahman reached a conclusion that the initiative did not have any positive points for his followers. "there was no progress", she explained. She also said that Omar told her that those who declared the initiative had good intentions, while the Egyptian government did not.



She concluded that Abdel-Rahman did not want the people to count on the initiative.



Editor: similar news was also published in Al-Ahram, June 23.