The Muslim Brotherhood and gloating over death: an ugly face and a corrupt ideology
Since its foundation on “unstable ground,” the Muslim Brotherhood has revealed itself as a fragile entity cloaking itself in religion while harboring the ugliness of gloating and duplicity.
This movement, which proclaimed itself the guardian of faith—monopolizing religious concepts and claiming authority over paradise and hell—was in essence nothing more than a political group “thirsty for power.” It turned excommunication into a weapon and gloating over death into a tool for eliminating its rivals.
Such conduct was not a mere “occasional deviation,” but rather the reflection of a corrupt doctrine that goes beyond ideology and tends towards self-deification. Through their platforms and rhetoric, the Brotherhood’s duplicity manifests in its ugliest forms.
When death strikes their adversaries, they interpret it as “divine punishment” worthy of celebration. Yet, when it touches their own members, it suddenly becomes a mere “trial” or “predestined fate.”
A recent case
Following the death of former Egyptian Prison Authority chief, General Hassan al-Souhaji, Brotherhood media outlets rushed to gloat over his passing, hurling various accusations against him.
They did not stop at unleashing their digital networks to mock the deceased; they also issued a statement through the “Change Current” faction, spreading rumors and claims against him.
Yet, as Egyptian journalist Ahmed Moussa recalled on X, al-Souhaji had actually provided numerous forms of assistance to Brotherhood detainees, arranging family visits, accommodating demands related to recreation and library access, and even authorizing transfers of certain prisoners to private hospitals for treatment.
A perverted ideology
Political Islam researcher Mounir Adib stated that the Brotherhood’s behavior mirrors that of other extremist groups: “They regard the death of their opponents as divine retribution, but when one of their own dies, they see it as merely God’s will and decree.”
He emphasized that this is not just “ideological corruption,” but also a “distortion of the very creed they claim to believe in.” Gloating over death, he said, exposes the ugliness of their thought and proves their detachment from the true spirit of religion.
Islam’s stance
Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta had previously responded to similar Brotherhood campaigns, stressing that “death is not an occasion for gloating or settling scores, but a moment for reflection and moral admonition.” It underlined that no one has the authority to appoint themselves as gatekeepers of heaven or hell.
Dar al-Ifta added that mocking the fate of those who have passed away is unworthy of a believer and incompatible with noble values. “If morality does not move you to pray for the deceased or seek forgiveness on their behalf, then remain silent, reflect on your own sins, and remember that we are all postponed funerals—today’s dead will be tomorrow’s mourners,” it concluded.
