The long banned Muslim Brotherhood said Tuesday it will form a political party once democracy is established in Egypt but promised not to field a candidate for president, trying to allay fears among Egyptians and abroad that it seeks power. Still, the fundamentalist movement is poised to be a significant player in the new order. Egypt’s new military rulers gave a strong sign they recognize that the Brotherhood, which calls for creation of an Islamic state in the Arab world’s most populous nation,can no longer be barred from politics after the mass popular uprising that forced out President Hosni Mubarak with 18 days of protests.
The Armed Forces Supreme Council included a former Brotherhood lawmaker to an eight-member panel tasked Tuesday with amending the constitution enough to allow democratic elections later this year.
The panel is comprised of legal experts of various ideologies, including secular liberal scholars and three judges from the current Supreme Constitutional Court, one of them a Christian, Maher Sami Youssef.
The changes aim to open the field for political parties to form, loosen restrictions on who can run for president and write in guarantees to prevent the rampant election rigging that ensured Mubarak’s ruling party a lock on power.
The panel’s head is Tareq el-Bishri, considered one of Egypt’s top legal minds. A former judge, he was once a secular leftist but became a prominent thinker in the ”moderate Islamic” political trend.
He is respected on both sides as a bridge between the movements. Sobhi Saleh, the Brotherhood representative, was jailed for three days during the protests.
The military is pushing ahead with a quick transition. Generals from the Armed Forces Supreme Council said Tuesday the military wants to hand power to a government and elected president within six months, the firmest timetable yet outlined. The constitutional panel has 10 days to propose its changes to be put to a referendum.
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”If the freedom to create political parties is seriously allowed, the Muslim Brotherhood will be part of the scene, but just not all the scene as they were in the past regime,” said Ammar Ali Hassan, an Egyptian expert on Islamic movements.
Last week, Obama played down the Brotherhood’s power, calling it only ”one faction in Egypt” that does not enjoy majority support.
The wave of protests that ousted Mubarak may have hurt the Brotherhood’s popularity, as well.
The group initially balked at joining the demonstrations when they erupted Jan. 25, until its younger cadres forced its leadership to join fearing they would be left behind. Hundreds of thousands from across the spectrum of Egyptian society joined the protests.
Brotherhood youth were a major source of manpower and organizational experience, but they never became the majority.
The Armed Forces Supreme Council included a former Brotherhood lawmaker to an eight-member panel tasked Tuesday with amending the constitution enough to allow democratic elections later this year.
The panel is comprised of legal experts of various ideologies, including secular liberal scholars and three judges from the current Supreme Constitutional Court, one of them a Christian, Maher Sami Youssef.
The changes aim to open the field for political parties to form, loosen restrictions on who can run for president and write in guarantees to prevent the rampant election rigging that ensured Mubarak’s ruling party a lock on power.
The panel’s head is Tareq el-Bishri, considered one of Egypt’s top legal minds. A former judge, he was once a secular leftist but became a prominent thinker in the ”moderate Islamic” political trend.
He is respected on both sides as a bridge between the movements. Sobhi Saleh, the Brotherhood representative, was jailed for three days during the protests.
The military is pushing ahead with a quick transition. Generals from the Armed Forces Supreme Council said Tuesday the military wants to hand power to a government and elected president within six months, the firmest timetable yet outlined. The constitutional panel has 10 days to propose its changes to be put to a referendum.
I
”If the freedom to create political parties is seriously allowed, the Muslim Brotherhood will be part of the scene, but just not all the scene as they were in the past regime,” said Ammar Ali Hassan, an Egyptian expert on Islamic movements.
Last week, Obama played down the Brotherhood’s power, calling it only ”one faction in Egypt” that does not enjoy majority support.
The wave of protests that ousted Mubarak may have hurt the Brotherhood’s popularity, as well.
The group initially balked at joining the demonstrations when they erupted Jan. 25, until its younger cadres forced its leadership to join fearing they would be left behind. Hundreds of thousands from across the spectrum of Egyptian society joined the protests.
Brotherhood youth were a major source of manpower and organizational experience, but they never became the majority.
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