One of many opposition factions at the forefront of the Egyptian revolution over the past three weeks, the Muslim Brotherhood has found itself a source of major controversy in the West, mostly owing to US refusals to recognize them and comments from US officials suggesting the group was a grave threat to national security.
But after years as a secret society persecuted by Mubarak, the outlawed organization is looking for formally apply for status as a political party in Egypt, seeing its future as part of the political process that (presumably) will emerge in Egypt in the next few months.
At the moment that is impossible, of course. The Egyptian Constitution explicitly bans the group from being legally recognized as a political party, as indeed it bans most of the groups that weren’t Mubarak’s ruling party. With the constitution now suspended entirely, it isn’t even clear how a group could be recognized as a political party.
And though the military is promising constitutional reforms that would enable “free elections,” it might not be guaranteed that it will be universally free, particularly with the US loudly objecting to the organization. Though the public is expected to have a referendum on the constitution it remains to be seen who will be doing the actual revising, and what choices the public will have in such a referendum other than “yes” or “continue martial law.”
For Muslim br.hood is too early to take power but as an opposition force to correct the ruling elite.
The world is not ready to embrace them as they have a mind set which is against them best example are Taleban who were trained, armed and financed by americans are killing them for their friendship with americans and CIA.
West has won the war against Russia with one million Muslims died for their war in Afghanistan and they are killing their friends on false allegations.
How Egypt's politics will play out is hard to predict, but one thing is for certain…The new government must not accept American aid, military or economic. If the aid is there, US's meddling in the internal affairs of Egypt, and therefore continuing unreast in the middle east is a certainty.
Aid is the easiest but certainly not the only thing US uses to meddle in affairs of others. There is trade embargoes, UN sanctions, declaring countries as terrorist states, and finally invasion. The Egyptians have placed high hopes on the 'change' but it will probably simply be more of the same. Perhaps, with little less repression and little less corruption. But if they think anyone will be willing to stand up to the Israelis or change anything with the policy on Gaza they must be dreaming.
The threat from the MB is so overblown it's almost funny to watch politicians and pundits hyperventilate over them- or, it would be funny if it weren't so sad that these people are so paranoid that in the absence of an actual arch-enemy they have to create one to justify their existence.
Even sadder is the prospect that after all their efforts the Egyptian public may not get the New Egypt they were hoping for; if the MB- or any other party- is excluded from the political process there can be no true democracy. Is that what America professes- a democracy-by-exclusion?
Right now, the Brotherhood may be the best shot Egypt has at regaining her self-respect and stature in the Middle East with regards to how it engages- or gives the cold shoulder to- Israel.