The Armed Radical Muslims: Two Options and One Solution

Serwan Zangana | Exclusive to iKurd.net

The Israeli-Hamas conflict has put Egypt in a critical position due to the geographical proximity that leaves no option but to involve directly and play an important role in the area. Evidently, President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi has been making difficult decisions and taking significant actions in keeping the balance of Egypt without dragging the country into a no end conflict of Israel and Hamas.

Keeping peace in Egypt has become the priority of el-Sisi as he understands his role and the responsibility toward the Egyptian people, and at the same time providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.

Understanding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the disastrous consequences of the involvement in the war is the key to taking a position to avoid the destruction of the country, which is basically what el-Sisi embraced.

The reality is contradicting Hamas and other Islamic groups’ propaganda that Israel is being destroyed. Hamas has harvested a catastrophe for the Palestinians and opened the path for Israel to engineer the destruction of Gaza.

Apparently, el-Sisi’s opposition of removing the Gazans to Egypt has prevented the conflict of Israel-Hamas to be expanded to Egypt, and indeed, such a bold decision has reflected on the U.S President Donald Trump’s suggestion to take the ownership of Gaza by the U.S. However, Egypt is taking a historical position in assisting the innocent people of Gaza with efforts to stop the war and end the devastation.

Although Egypt has been sending humanitarian aids to Gaza, Hamas is demanding for full Rafah crossing to be opened. However, because of the delicate situation and the position of Egypt in the region, el-Sisi is considering every move and action that the country is taking to prevent the people of Gaza from crossing the border.

Apparently, el-Sisi realizes that Egypt should not become a part of Israeli-Hamas conflict which definitely leads to chaos that Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood will benefit from.

Obviously, Egypt has been distancing itself from the regional conflict and maintaining the stability and peace while keeping an iron hammer on the Muslim brotherhood which has always been posing a threat to the country.

In July 2025, Egyptian security forces raided a hideout of Harakat Sawaid Misr (HASM), (Arms of Egypt Movement) militant, established in 2016, and linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. In fact, this reveals the threat of radical Muslims to Egypt.

Also, Egypt was not immune from attacks by the Islamic State (ISIS), which became a challenge for the Egyptian military to encounter such a group that is widely embraced by foreign fighters. Encountering extreme groups, such as ISIS and the Muslim brotherhood has been major challenges for Egypt.

However, under president el-Sisi, Egypt has been able to crack down on the extremists and keep the iron fist on the armed radical Muslims to maintain the order of the country. But the question is: Will the next Egypt’s president be able to maintain such a peace?

Turkey, the haven for the Muslim Brotherhood

Obviously, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a long time supporter for the radical Muslims and provided many forms of assistance to the radical groups in the region. Turkey’s interference in the countries’ region is a major concern, especially, as it is one of the powerful members of NATO with the second largest military, and covers a significant geographical area.

According to Counter Extremism Project, Erdogan has a historical relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood dating back to the 1970s. After the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood leader and Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi in 2013, Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) facilitated the entrance for the Muslim Brotherhood members into Turkey and granted them a sanctuary.

Erdogan’s vocal support for the Muslim Brotherhood can clearly be seen as he stated in 2017, “It is not an armed group, but…an ideological organization,” referring to the Muslim Brotherhood.

However, the Erdogan’s (AKP) has an ideological alignment with the radical Islamic groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and ISIS, and thus, in various forms, Turkey provided support for these groups.

For example, according to Lt. Col. Dr .Mordechai Kedar in Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, after (ISIS)’s control of some oil fields in Iraq and Syria in 2014, a crude oil was transported to Turkey to be sold as Iraqi and Syrian’s, and Turkey was sharing some of the revenue with (ISIS).

It is noteworthy that a large number of the Muslim Brotherhood members, including senior leaders, are residing in Turkey and apparently recruiting exiles in Turkey to return to Egypt and conduct armed operations. Reda Fahmy, a Turkey-based Muslim Brotherhood leader, is calling for operations against the Egyptian government, “ Armed and revolutionary activism.”

The threat of radical Islam in Muslim society

Usually, the radical Islamic groups arise within Muslim societies in high Muslim dominant nations to target the governments in hopes for their removal and establish a system in the form of a political Islam that rules the country with combination of Islamic law and the group’s rules. Such groups are not limited to one country but indeed they are organized in every Muslim country.

Islamic State ISIS militants, Syria, 2014. Photo: IS media/video

It is often believed that the armed radical Muslim groups present a threat to the Western societies and cause chaos in the modern democratic nations. Conversely, major harm and destruction were distributed to the Muslims in the so-called Islamic world. Regardless of the ethnicities of people in those countries, Muslims have suffered under radical Islamic groups enforcing Islamic law.

Except for terrorist attacks on some Western or American facilities, the radical Islamic groups are incapable of conducting major operations and reach and hit the core system of the West or the U.S. Obviously, the Western nations and the U.S are completely aware of the ability of those groups.

Also, Ideologically, such radical groups are rejected by people in general in the democratic societies. In fact, some of the younger generation, including youth and teenagers, in the West and the U.S have tried the life of radical and jihadi and joined the (ISIS) but such a lifestyle did not offer much for them as they realized that radicalism, unlike what the group’s leaders claimed as a path to heaven, it is a path to hell!!

Toleration or destruction, two options and one solution

The radical Islamic groups in the Middle East and Africa have produced catastrophes and caused devastation and turmoil in the entire region. Obviously, the groups’ goal is to overturn the governments, regardless of their political system, and establish an Islamic regime.

Since radical Islam is not able to satisfy the society and equally and fairly serve people, it forcefully attempts to control the political system and govern the country, which results in one party rule that dictates all.

Egypt’s president of Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Morsi, 2013. Photo: Creative Commons/wikimedia

Even though in 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood leader, Mohammad Morsi was elected as a President of Egypt, but as a radical, he failed to bring all Egyptian people under his umbrella equally. Indeed, the Egyptians voted for him based on his campaigning promises, and even after he came to power, Morsi told people that he will be a President “for all Egyptians”.

His radical ideological belief did not allow him to fulfill his promises and began to open the doors for radicalism to take over the power. However, he was removed and arrested.

Radical Islamic groups have no limit in forcing heinous rules and establishing a system that prohibits all forms of social, political, and economical freedom. It is basically the philosophy of “ My way or highway”.

Another example of the radicalized regime is the Islamic republic of Iran, which has been the Iranian nightmares, especially the minorities. According to the annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General in 2025, at least 975 people were executed in 2024, for various political reasons.

After all, there are two options to deal with radical Islamic groups, one, to tolerate and submit to the rules of a group of men who allow and forbid based on their desire, or, two, resist and fiercely, in el-Sisi’s style to the Muslim Brotherhood or Netanyahu’s style to Hamas, destroy them. And the latter option is the solution.

Serwan Zangana, a contributing writer for iKurd.net, lives in Virginia, U.S. He serves as a correction officer.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of iKurd.net or its editorial team.