Egypt dissolves Muslim Brotherhood as NGO

CAIRO - Egypt's Ministry of Social Solidarity decided on Wednesday to dissolve the Muslim Brotherhood as a non- governmental organization (NGO), official news agency MENA reported.

On Tuesday, a cabinet committee ordered to remove the Brotherhood group from a government list of accredited NGOs.

Earlier, a Cairo court also ordered to ban the group's activities, seize its funds and form a panel to administer its assets. ?

Minister of Social Solidarity, Ahmed Hassan el-Borai was quoted by MENA as saying that the court's order, which confused some people, means dissolving the Brotherhood group, the NGO and all of its affiliated institutions, and all the funds will be frozen until an irrevocable ruling to dissolve the group is issued.

He stressed the court decision is "not to remove but to dissolve" the group, which has no legal base.

In response to the fresh move by the government, the Brotherhood group on its official website said it will appeal against the court order on the Administrative Court.

Aly Mansour, a political expert at Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Xinhua that Brotherhood has no legitimacy, and its dissolution is legal, but warning that the political isolation of the group may lead to its underground work and violent operation.