In his most public support of militant Islamists, the leader of Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood on Wednesday called on Iraqis and Palestinians to step up their resistance against the United States and Israel.
In a speech to hundreds of the movement's members and supporters, Mohammed Mahdi Akef urged the Muslim world to "provide all the necessary material and moral support" to the Iraqi insurgents.
"We are with the Iraqi resistance as a righteous duty imposed by Sharia (Islamic law) and sanctioned by international laws," Akef said during an annual banquet his group hosts for supporters and the news media during the holy month of Ramadan.
"The Iraqi resistance is the protective wall which defends us all," he said.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 and has spawned branches throughout the Muslim world. It was banned in 1954 for advocating violence to turn Egypt into an Islamist state.
Today, still banned, the group says it supports peaceful means toward change and is generally tolerated by the state, with occasional crackdowns. Brotherhood members hold seats in Parliament, though they run as independents, not under the group's name.
The comments Wednesday night were Akef's sharpest criticism of the United States since taking over the group's leadership in March. He accused the United States of "trying to bring us to our knees ... corrupt our civilization and obliterate our identity."
Akef described Iraq's interim government as "lacking legitimacy," and said occupation fuels resistance. The Iraqi interim government features at least one senior member of the Iraqi branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, Industry Minister Hachem al-Hassani.
"The American troops should withdraw immediately, and the Iraqi people are capable of running their own affairs," Akef said.
Akef also urged all Palestinian groups to unite and continue their fight against the Israelis.
"Don't lay down your arms. You have only one option: resistance and jihad (holy war)," he said.
Akef also called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to abolish the state of emergency that has been in effect since 1981 and urged the government to treat his group as a legitimate political movement.
Akef accused the United States of trying to change regimes in Sudan, Iran and Syria, saying Egypt will be affected by those efforts.