"Secular" Muslim Brotherhood?

Every so often you come across a quote that stops you in your tracks. I came across one made last week by James Clapper, Director of U.S. National Intelligence. Last Thursday at a Worldwide Threat Assessment Intelligence Committee Hearing he claimed the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is a "largely secular" organization which has "eschewed violence." You can view his comments on YouTube.

So who is James Clapper, and what role does the Director of National Intelligence play in our government? According to its official website, "The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) serves as the head of the Intelligence Community (IC), overseeing and directing the implementation of the National Intelligence Program and acting as the principal advisor to the President, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council for intelligence matters related to the national security."

Unfortunately, the assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood given by the Director of National Intelligence is just not true. In their own bylaws, listed on their official website, the Muslim Brotherhood states that their purpose is to "establish Allah's law in the land by achieving the spiritual goals of Islam and the true religion."

Sounds religious to me!

In fairness to Mr. Clapper, there are times when we all misspeak. I hope this is one of those times for him, because it's hard to to imagine how anyone could view the Muslim Brotherhood as secular based on their own statement of purpose.