The weekly Rose al-Yousef, which admittedly is not above making shit up, says it has a taped interview with Mohammed Mahdi Aakef, the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, in which he says some pretty impolitic things. Among them: “Screw Egypt, screw the father of Egypt [no one’s sure whom he means], and screw all Egyptians.” Also some politically incorrect and undemocratic talk about the Caliphate, the Copts, and how they should never be allowed to nominate themselves for president or high public office… All of which contradicts previous statements from the Brothers.

Rose al-Yousef says it had the tape before the elections, but waited to release the tape until polls were closed because they thought it would be unethical to release it while the election was in progress. This seems a little thin. How it would have been unethical? If the tape’s legit, it’s a public statement from the leader of a (banned) party running in the elections. If anything, withholding information that might help voters make an informed decision at the polls would seem to be unethical. And when did Rose al-Yousef discover ethics anyway?

Perhaps recognizing that people would think they were making this one up, the newspaper released the tape to Bayt Baytak (Egyptian terrestrial TV’s answer to edgy Al-Jazeera talkshows, except that the guests and the agenda have the government’s approval). Bayt Baytak ran scary pictures of Aakef while what sounded like his taped voice said scary things.

Is the tape genuine? I don’t know. Granted, Aakef hasn’t shown Al-Arian’s skill for making the Brothers seem cuddly or setting secularists’ minds at ease. It’s plausible that he might have said nasty things about Copts or even “screw Egypt” in a moment of weakness (I can’t tell you how many cab drivers I’ve heard say basically the same thing). But that it’s plausible doesn’t mean it’s genuine.

Is it part of the new crackdown on the Brothers? I don’t know. Should be an interesting story over the coming week.

Technorati Tags: Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood