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January 30, 2011
Muslim Brotherhood Backs ElBaradei Role
CAIRO - The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's venerable and controversial Islamic organization, says it has backed Mohamed ElBaradei as the lead spokesman for the country's opposition groups to negotiate further political reforms with the shaky Egyptian government.The development marks the latest step by the Brotherhood to subordinate its religious goals to what opposition groups are describing as a battle for democracy, in a country run under a state of emergency by President Hosni Mubarak for more than 30 years. It also suggests that the group's once sidelined moderate wing is regaining strength at a time when the movement could emerge as a significant political actor in Egyptian politics.
The Brotherhood, founded in 1928, is thought to be Egypt's most popular unofficial political organization. It has a long fought to establish Sharia law in Egypt, an anathema to the military leaders that have run the country and a key reason given by Mr. Mubarak and his predecessors for soft-pedaling on political reform. The group's strict views on morality and religion also have traditionally alienated them from Egypt's other political movements, which are largely led by Western-leaning intellectuals.
One of the hallmarks of the massive national protests against Mr. Mubarak has been its secular tone. Supporters of the Brotherhood have joined the street demonstrations, but their footprint has been intentionally light, according to opposition leaders. Brotherhood members agreed with the umbrella of opposition groups organizing the protests to keep religious slogans out of the demonstration to minimize the risk that Mr. Mubarak's security agencies could discredit the movement, organizers said.
Posted by Mike at January 30, 2011 02:41 PM
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