Mohamed Badie, the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, was among fourteen Islamists who have been sentenced to death by an Egyptian court.
Egypt’s state news service confirmed on Monday that the Giza Criminal Court has determined the fourteen Islamists deserve the death penalty. The ruling will not be permanent until the country’s grand mufti, who has the final say on all death penalty cases, determines whether the judgement is warranted. The grand mufti has until April 11 to make his decision.
Badie has been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood for decades. He had a close working relationship with Sayyid Qutb, a radical Islamist who was one of the thought leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Qutb has been cited as an inspirational figure for deceased Al Qaeda masterminds Osama Bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki. As an Islamic thought leader, Qutb advocated for the violent overthrow of Middle East governments and the imposition of an Islamic caliphate.
In April 2014, Badie was sentenced to death, but a judge overruled the sentencing in September, condemning the Brotherhood leader to life in prison.
In 2012, Badie called for the destruction of the State of Israel, saying that “jihad is obligatory” and that “the Zionists only understand force.”
“The Jews have dominated the land, spread corruption on earth, spilled the blood of believers,” Badie said in a 2012 display of anti-Semitic language.
However, since the overthrow of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-led government, new President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has taken great strides to improve his country’s relationship with Israel.
The Muslim Brotherhood leader has previously described the United States as an infidel that “does not champion moral and human values and cannot lead humanity.” He has called for Muslims to wage jihad against “the Muslim’s real enemies, not only Israel but also the United States.
He has asserted that waging jihad against both the U.S. and Israel “is a commandment of Allah that cannot be disregarded.”