The Egyptian Popular Diplomacy delegation met with the US Congress judicial committee on Saturday to assess a new bill that would label the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, under the Trump administration.
In the meeting, Ahmed al-Fadaly, head of the delegation, presented videos that feature crimes, terrorist operations and assassinations carried out by the group, indicating its involvement in forming the terrorist groups Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
Along with the popular diplomacy delegation, the Egyptian community based in the United States will take part in a protest against the Brotherhod, using banners and photos to show the crimes carried out by the group against the Egyptian people.
In related news, the General Union of Copts for the Homeland issued a statement on Saturday urging Egyptians based in the US to gather outside the White House to express their support for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during his meeting with US counterpart Donald Trump.
The Union, headed by Karim Kamal, called on Egyptians to support the policies adopted following the June 30 Uprising, adding that all Egyptians should declare their rejection of terrorism.
“Egyptian-US ties are strategic on both political and military levels. They were affected under the rule of the former president Barack Obama whose administration clearly supported the Muslim Brotherhood. However, this image totally changed once Trump was elected as he realizes the risks imposed by the group as well as Egypt’s leading role in the Arab and Middle East regions,” Kamal said.
“Egyptians based in the US should declare their support for their country during Sisi’s visit with their presence outside the White House. This will deliver a direct message to the US leadership that the Egyptian people support the government against terrorism, as well as any schemes and foreign intervention in local affairs,” he added.
In a phone call with Al-Masry Al-Youm, Nabil Maglaa, the Union’s coordinator in the US, said several buses will be provided free-of-charge by the NGO Egypt for All Egyptians to take expats to the White House. However, he added, due to the growing number of requests from Egyptians from across the US, even the large number of buses provided will not be enough.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will arrive in Washington on Monday for a visit over several days, during which he will meet with Trump.
During the visit, the president will hold a number of meetings with senior officials, members of the US Congress, the Central Chamber of Commerce, the Secretary of State and the US Vice President.
Sisi and Trump are expected to discuss a number of issues, notably: combating terrorism and illegal immigration; the situation in the Middle East; and the crises in Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Libya.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
