Under the guise of religion, some members of a Muslim group with roots in Egypt have tried to seize power by force and harmed the governments of Muslim nations, Saudi Arabia's interior minister said in remarks published Wednesday.
It was not the first time Prince Nayef, whose own country has been accused of fostering a conservative brand of Islam that can lead to militancy, has expressed similar criticism of the Muslim Brotherhood. The group, formed in Egypt in 1928, has branches throughout the Muslim world, including in Saudi Arabia.
"A fair study of this organization will clearly reveal that many of its members have followed a method that used Islam to destabilize a nation ... by throwing doubts on its leadership," the prince said in the interview with Kuwait's Al-Siyassah. By doing that, those people were trying to "forcefully take over."
Nayef has previously blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for rising Islamic militancy worldwide. He told Al-Siyassah his kingdom will not tolerate "polluting" religion with politics.
Prince Nayef added Saudi Arabia provided a haven for many members of the Muslim Brotherhood when they were persecuted in their homelands.
"But some of them, unfortunately, did not appreciate that ... and used their teaching and public jobs to spread ideas that do not agree with the correct dogma of Islam," he said.
The government sent such people back to their countries, the prince said.
Prince Nayef said other members of the brotherhood were "middle-of-the-road" who understood the importance of uniting Muslim nations and avoiding dissension that would only benefit the "enemies of Islam and Muslims."
The Muslim Brotherhood once advocated violence to reach its goal of turning Egypt into an Islamic state, but since the 1970s it has pledged to use only peaceful democratic means.