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Monday, March 28, 2011     GET REAL

Young activists see Muslim Brotherhood alliance with military regime

CAIRO — The Muslim Brotherhood has resumed street protests in what was regarded as an attempt to dominate the Egyptian opposition.

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The Brotherhood has organized gatherings against other members of the Egyptian opposition that helped oust President Hosni Mubarak in February. On March 19, Brotherhood supporters attacked a presidential hopeful, Mohammed El Baradei, as he sought to vote for constitutional reforms.

"We don't want you," Brotherhood supporters, some of whom hurled stones, shouted.


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Opposition sources said the Brotherhood has sought to dominate political life in Egypt in wake of Mubarak's ouster. They said El Baradei, a Noble Peace laureate, marked a key member of the secular opposition.

Brotherhood supporters have accused El Baradei of working for the United States, Middle East Newsline reported. They said he has sought to benefit from years of opposition to the Mubarak regime by the Brotherhood.

"El Baradei does not want elections in 2011 because he is not ready," an opposition source said. "The Brotherhood is probably the only opposition faction ready to organize for parliamentary elections."

On March 19, 77 percent of voters approved changes in the constitution said to bolster the Brotherhood. The sources said the Brotherhood brought many Muslims to vote for the changes, which confirmed Islamic domination over religious issues.

"It does not even contain the essence of the political entity, even the principles of rights and public freedoms, in accordance with the law," Egyptian constitutional scholar Ibrahim Darwish said. "Do we draft a constitution for the ruling class?"

Egyptian analyst Nabil Abdul Fatah, a researcher for the state-owned Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, agreed. He said the approval of the constitution confirmed fears by many young Egyptians of the growing partnership between the Brotherhood and the military regime. He said the youth believe that the Brotherhood, in cooperation with Al Qaida-influenced groups, were dominating the post-Mubarak era.

"They felt that their revolution is being aborted," Abdul Fatah said.

The Brotherhood has acknowledged a rift with others in the opposition movement. The Islamic group said it would not nominate a candidate for the presidency in December 2011 but did not rule this out in the future.

"We do not seek to be the majority and we do not seek the presidency," Brotherhood leader Mohammed Al Baltagui said. "If the Islamic movement seeks to dominate either in regard to positions or responsibility, there could be a big problem."

The Brotherhood has also been divided by calls for reform within the movement. On March 26, the movement's Student Youth Congress called for a revision of the Shura Council as well as restructuring of departments as part of a drive to promote transparency.



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