AMMAN - Prominent Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood figure Zaki Bani Rushaid went on trial on Monday on charges of 'souring ties with a foreign country' after he criticized the United Arab Emirates for designating his organization as a terrorist group. Asked whether he was guilty, a defiant Bani Rushaid told a military judge presiding at a state security court he had not 'committed any crime that warranted being held accountable for'. The mainstream Islamist politician, who is deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood, was arrested a month ago after writing on social media that the rulers of the United Arab Emirates lacked popular legitimacy and served Israel's interests by playing a leading role in a crackdown on political Islam. Bani Rushaid's remarks followed the UAE's move to designate as terrorist around 80 Islamist groups and charities that the Gulf state views as a security threat.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)