The UK government plans to release the long-awaited conclusions of its review of the Muslim Brotherhood “as soon as possible,” the UK Home Office has told Ahram Online.
The review’s conclusions are to be made public “alongside the government’s new counter-extremism strategy,” a Home Office spokeswoman has confirmed.
In April last year, UK prime minister David Cameron ordered an internal government review into the Muslim Brotherhood.
The objective was to review the “philosophy, activities, impact and influence on UK national interests, at home and abroad, of the Muslim Brotherhood and of government policy towards the organisation.”
It took the review team, led by Sir John Jenkins, former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, until July 2014 to finish its work.
But, about eight months later, the government still has not released the review’s final report.
The government has informed the House of Commons [the UK parliament] that concerned departments are considering “broader policy questions emerging from the review.”
“I would like to update the House [the UK parliament] that a report into the main findings of the Muslim Brotherhood Review will be published alongside the Government’s new counter-extremism strategy,” Cameron told the MPs in a written statement.
The spokeswoman refused to confirm if the UK government intends to release the results of the review or its “new counter-extremism strategy” before the coming general elections [parliamentary elections], planned for May 7.
“We have not been given a date,” she said. “All I can say is that they will be published as soon as possible.”
“As we consider broader policy questions emerging from the review and the wider strategy, it is clear that further, more comprehensive measures will be required in the next Parliament to tackle the threat from extremism in the UK,” the government told the parliament in its statement.
Many media reports have predicted that Sir John Jenkins’ review finds that the Muslim Brotherhood is not a terrorist organisation.
It is widely believed that the report’s release has been delayed due to differences in opinion between security services and concerned ministers regarding these results.
The Egyptian, Saudi and Emirati governments have banned the Muslim Brotherhood, labeling it a terrorist organisation.
The UK government previously turned down a formal request from Egypt for it to prohibit the Muslim Brotherhood, citing a lack of evidence linking it to terrorist activities in the UK and abroad.
According to the UK’s 2000 Terrorism Act, an organisation may be listed as terrorist if it commits or participates in acts of terrorism, prepares for terrorism, promotes or encourages terrorism, or is otherwise concerned in terrorism.