ISIS rise likely to worsen situation of Egypt's Brotherhood

CAIRO  (Xinhua) - The rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) and the ongoing world coalition against the al-Qaida-inspired extremist group in the Middle East is likely to worsen the situation of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood group, said Egyptian political and security experts.

Following the military removal of the Egyptian Brotherhood- oriented President Mohamed Morsi in early July 2013, after mass protests against his one-year reign, the new leadership has launched a massive crackdown on his supporters, killing hundreds and arresting thousands, and eventually blacklisting the Brotherhood as "a terrorist organization."

At that time, influential politician and former interim vice president Mohamed ElBaradei rejected the bloody crackdown and resigned on the same day. Some regional states like Qatar and Turkey, and Western powers topped by the United States also sympathized with the group and denounced Morsi's ouster.

But now the situation is different. With the rise of ISIS, a lot of Egyptians who support the current leadership under ex- military chief and now President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi see the Brotherhood as an evil terrorist group that would turn Egypt into another Syria or Iraq if allowed to take a breath.