Overview
Said Nasser al-Teniji is the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United Arab Emirates, or al-Islah.Rori Donaghy, “Muslim Brotherhood review: A tale of UK-UAE relations,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/muslim-brotherhood-review-tale-uk-uae-relations-378120043. The group was formed in 1974 as a non-governmental organization (NGO), and has reportedly sought to impose strict religious laws on Emirati society, particularly on students and women.Lori Plotkin Boghardt, “The Muslim Brotherhood on Trial in the UAE,” Washington Institute, April 12, 2013, http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-muslim-brotherhood-on-trial-in-the-uae;
Ali Rashid al-Noaimi, “Setting the Record Straight on Al-Islah in the UAE,” Al-Monitor, October 15, 2012, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2012/al-monitor/uae-setting-the-record-straight.html#;
Ola Salem, “Islah ‘does not represent UAE interests,’” National (Abu Dhabi), October 5, 2012, http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/islah-does-not-represent-uae-interests.
In October of 2012, London’s Guardian published an opinion piece written by Teniji titled The UAE's descent into oppression. In the article, the al-Islah leader sought to bill the group as a progressive organization, and derided the Emirati government for practicing what he referred to as “oppressive” tactics. Teniji further denied government reports saying that detained al-Islah members had admitted to having previously created an armed wing—instead claiming that those individuals had been tortured.“Brotherhood 'sought Islamist state in UAE',” National (Abu Dhabi), September 21, 2012, http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/brotherhood-sought-islamist-state-in-uae;
Said Nasser al-Teniji, “The UAE’s descent into oppression,” Guardian (London), October 2, 2012, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/02/uae-descent-oppression.
Associated Groups
- Extremist entity
- Muslim Brotherhood
- Read Threat Report
- Type(s) of Organization:
- Non-state actor, political, religious, social service provider, transnational
- Ideologies and Affiliations:
- Islamist, jihadist, pan-Islamist, Qutbist, Sunni, takfirist
- Position(s):
- Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United Arab Emirates
The Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Sunni Islamist movement that seeks to implement sharia (Islamic law) under a global caliphate. Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Brotherhood is the country’s oldest Islamist organization and has branches throughout the world.
Daily Dose
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
In Their Own Words:
We reiterate once again that the brigades will directly target US bases across the region in case the US enemy commits a folly and decides to strike our resistance fighters and their camps [in Iraq].
Mar. 2023