It is hard to find a single Arab citizen watching the
satellite television who doesn’t know
Mustafa al-Zayyāt the main attorney defending those accused of Islamic
fundamentalism. He joined al-
Jam‘āt al-Islāmīya in Egypt in 1974, he was taught by
Shaykh ‘Abd
Allah al-Samawī. He was accused of being involved in al-Jihād
organization in 1981, he was put in
jail for three years and he was released on October 23, 1984. He established an
Islamic Attorney Group in
the Law Association in 1989 which was responsible for defending detainees of different
Islamic groups. His
information about fundamentalism concerns not only al-Jam‘āt al-
Islāmīya, but also
the roots of al-Qā‘ida. He is about to finish his latest book
under the title, ‘The roots and
formation of al-Qā‘ida.’ In this interview, al-Zayyāt
talks about Ayman al-
Zawāhirī whom he knew very well from the days they spent together in al-
Qal‘a
Prison.
Q: When you were young, did you know that you were going to be a famous attorney
and was that
your goal?
A: I believed that the Faculty of Law was the place from which many Egyptian leaders
and
politicians graduated, that’s why I wanted to become an attorney.
Q: What was the most difficult
situation you faced after your detention after the assassination of al-Sadāt?
A: Being a fugitive
was
the most difficult situation I faced after the assassination.
Q: Were you tortured in jail? How
was the
torture in the Egyptian jails at that time?
A: No detainee was not hit or tortured during the
investigations
into al-Sadāt’s assassination.
Q: How many days did you spend in jail after you
joined al-
Jam‘āt al-Islāmīya?
A: Two years and a half in detention after al-
Sadāt’s assassination. In 1984, I was detained for two months. In 1987, I was detained for three months.
In
1994, I was detained for eight months.
Q: Were you embarrassed after the personal attack on you by
Ayman al
-Zawāhirī in his book “Knights under the Prophet’s Flag”?
A: No, I joined this
movement when I
was so young, it was not only as their attorney and I do appreciate Dr. al-Zawāhirī
even if we have
two different opinions.
Q: Did you contact Dr. al-Zawāhirī after that battle
of books between
both of you?
A: No, or I would be in Guantanamo, Cuba, with the other victims of
injustice.
Q: There
were rumors that you had exchanged letters with al-Zawāhirī?
A: I
was terribly embarrassed by
those rumors. It was a misunderstanding by The Washington Post newspaper
which was making a report on al-
Zawāhirī and it mentioned the letters we exchanged four years
ago.
Q: Was the character
represented by actor Riyād al-Khulī, in ‘Adīl
Imām’s movie “Darkness Birds”
you?
A: Of course not. There is no evidence to prove those
accusations.
Q: What are the programs you
are watching other than the political ones away from al-
Jazeera and al-‘Arabīya satellite
channels?
A: I am a big fan of al-Jazeera because it
is one of the main media presenting our issues
obviously. I also watch ‘The Media Air’ program of Jamā
‘Ināyit, ‘Cairo Today’ with
‘Amr Audib and ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’ with
George Kardāhī.
Q: Who are
your closest friends? Do they all belong to the fundamentalist
trend?
A: I still keep in touch with school
and college friends and I meet with them whenever I go to
Aswan, my home town. My dearest friends are Majdī
Salīm who was imprisoned for long time and who is
my brother-in-law as well. ‘Adīl
‘Abd al-Majīd and Dr. Hānī al-
Sibā‘ī who have been gone
for long time as they live in London, England, and Tharwat
Salāh Shihāta who is on the American “Most
Wanted” list.
Q: Do you listen to music? Who is
your favorite singer? What is your favorite song?
A:
I have not listened to music in thirty years
now, but I listen to Islamic songs very often.
Q: What would
you do if you were interviewed by a
beautiful presenter?
A: I would hope that our female presenters would
bear in mind that they are
interviewing religious figures. I was embarrassed when I was interviewed by Hāla
Sarhān on Dream
channel.
Q: In your everyday life, are you liberal or strict Muslim?
A: I am
trying to be a
moderate Muslim.
