Could Egypt Emerge As An Islamic State In The Future?

Executive summary about Islamic state by Linda S. Heard

The Muslim Brotherhood movement had been losing its grassroots support for years. Whenever I discussed the topic with educated Egyptians leaning tentatively towards the Brotherhood's ideals, they would argue that the banned organisation had long renounced violence and extremism — and now consisted of moderates striving to improve the plight of the poor. That argument is shared by US Director of Intelligence James Clapper who was roundly criticised for referring to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood as a ‘secular' group.

These days, Brotherhood leaders are selling themselves as quasi-liberals keen for Egypt to evolve into an open, pluralistic democracy encompassing the aspirations of all Egyptians. The Brotherhood is not a monolith, as evidenced by the resignations last week of several of its leaders angered by a statement from the Brotherhood's Supreme Guide Mohammad Badie ordering members to join the movement's planned Freedom and Justice Party. In response to criticism that the Brotherhood would rail against a Coptic Christian presidential candidate, former Muslim Brotherhood Chairman Mohammad Mahdi Akef says his movement has no problem with a Copt heading the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, which rings of he who doth protest too much.

There are serious differences among the Brotherhood's old guard and reformers over the relaxation of Islamic principles towards acceptance into mainstream politics. An article published on the Brotherhood's website Ikhwanweb titled ‘Freedom and Democracy are more important than Leila Al Baradei's bikini' and ending with the line "nothing is worse than dictatorship and autocracy even if it is social liberalism" was slammed by Brotherhood hard core for downplaying the group's adherence to Islamic ethics and morals.

Judging by other articles on Ikhwanweb, the core fundamentals of the Brotherhood are unchanged. The picture gets even murkier when it comes to the Brotherhood's current following. Until recently, adherents, fearful of being whipped away by Mubarak's security services, were loath to show their true political colours. The fact that a national referendum on amendments to the constitution that would bring about parliamentary and presidential elections by the end of the year was accepted by 77 percent of voters is a coup for the Brotherhood. This advantage is because, aside from Mubarak's discredited National Democratic Party, the Brotherhood is the only organised and known political movement in the country. It's, therefore, up to Egypt's next government to listen to the electorate and fulfil people's expectations before the Brotherhood can get a hefty foot in the door which is not what Egypt's youth revolution was all about.

Muslim Brotherhood leaders say they want to establish an Islamic state in Egypt

Executive summary about Islamic state by Robert

Mahmoud Ezzat, the Muslim Brotherhood's deputy Supreme Guide, said in a forum held in the Cairo district of Imbaba on Thursday that the group wants to establish an Islamic state after it achieves widespread popularity through its Freedom and Justice Party. Meanwhile, Brotherhood leader Saad al-Husseiny, said at the forum that the group aims to apply Islamic legislation and establish Islamic rule.

The Coptic Orthodox Church decided to suspend its dialogue with the group after additional Brotherhood leaders said it was seeking to implement Islamic Sharia and declare Egypt an Islamic state, church sources said. Al-Masry Al-Youm has learned that as a result of the controversy, the church abandoned its intention to invite the group's leaders to attend Easter celebrations.