POMED Notes: “Between Religion and Politics”
September 29th, 2010 by Jason
An event was held today at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace celebrating the release of the book “Between Religion and Politics”, coauthored by Amr Hamzawy and Nathan Brown. Marwan Muasher acted as the moderator for the event, where the authors explained the process they utilized in the researching of the book and explored, in depth, the case studies of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
(To read full notes, continue below the fold or click here for pdf.)
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Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Hamas, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine, Political Islam, Public Opinion, Reform | Comment »
Egypt: Brotherhood is “Waiting Until the Time is Right”
September 27th, 2010 by Anna
In a brief piece for Newsweek, R.M. Schneiderman and Nausheen Husain assert that the Muslim Brotherhood may be willing to “lose this vote” (in November) in order to build up influence over the long term. They cite Khaled Fahmy, a Middle East history professor at the American University in Cairo, who has pointed out that although “an election loss leaves the Brotherhood with less influence on who succeeds Mubarak in 2012,” the party is not necessarily focused on the near term. At the moment, the authors contend, the Brotherhood is prioritizing the “spread [of] its religious ministry and its network of social services” over winning many seats in parliament during the upcoming elections. Schneiderman and Husain conclude that the group is building its base and “waiting until the time is right to mount a significant challenge” to the Mubarak government.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties | Comment »
Egypt: Boycott Debate Continues
September 23rd, 2010 by Jason
The debate among the opposition groups in Egypt on whether or not to boycott the upcoming elections continues. Writing in Time, Abigail Hauslohner chronicles the on going situation. Hauslohner reports that “A boycott would…enable a rare show of unity for a largely divided, and still weak, opposition,” but that the Muslim Brotherhood “has wavered on the question of boycotting the poll, and is tending toward rejecting the idea.” Tarek Masoud, a professor at Harvard, questions the efficacy of a boycott: “It’s one thing if really strong opposition parties boycott. But it’s another thing if very weak opposition parties boycott[…]They should be trying to get some traction with the Egyptian public that is generally quite skeptical of them.”
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Egypt at the Tipping Point?”
September 17th, 2010 by Anna
On Friday, David Ottaway gave a talk at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars titled “Egypt at the Tipping Point?” Ottaway – who is a senior scholar at the Wilson Center and the former Bureau Chief for the Washington Post in Cairo – discussed the findings from his recent paper, published in the Wilson Center Middle East Program’s Summer 2010 Occasional Paper Series. The talk was introduced and moderated by Haleh Esfandiari, the director of the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program.
(To read the full event summary, continue below. Or, click here to read the pdf.)
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Events, Freedom, Human Rights, Islamist movements, Journalism, Middle Eastern Media, Military, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs, Political Parties, Protests, Public Opinion, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: The Argument for a Boycott
September 13th, 2010 by Evan
In a recent article published at RealClearWorld, Amr Hamzawy argues that the Egyptian opposition should unite and boycott the fall parliamentary elections: “Participation in Egypt’s false pluralism and unfair elections only secures the opposition an ineffective and essentially token presence in the government.” In 2005, Hamzawy opposed an election boycott because “…there was hope that the opposition could pressure the regime into introducing democratic reform and capitalize on the international and regional calls for democracy in the Arab world.” Today, however, he believes that the situation has changed significantly. International support for democracy promotion has faded and Egypt’s domestic political environment is bleak, thus a boycott is the only way for the opposition to move forward.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties | Comment »
Egypt: Saad Eddin Ibrahim Signs Petition for Gamal Mubarak
August 30th, 2010 by Jason
According to reports out of Egypt, pro-democracy activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim has signed a petition supporting the right of Gamal Mubarak to run for president. Ibrahim’s explained that “…every Egyptian has the right to run for elections that are free, fair and under international and local supervision.” The move surprised many in Egypt, prompting skeptical reactions: “It is either that (Ibrahim) is perturbed from years of exile abroad or there is a deal with the government he accepted in order to avoid further harassment” said Hassan Naffa, an activist opposed to “inherited” power. Ibrahim’s brother, Ahmed, defended the decision by saying, “…he has supported ElBaradei and Ayman Nour for their right to run for elections so long as they are free and fair. He now supports Gamal as long as he runs through the proper channels.”. The Muslim Brotherhood also commented, saying they had not read the petition but, “…backing a Gamal candidacy means accepting the faults in the constitution.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Reform | Comment »
Egypt: Mubarak Claims “New Climate of Political Reform”
August 19th, 2010 by Jennifer
A campaign in support of Gamal Mubarak as a presidential candidate in the upcoming national elections was officially launched in Cairo earlier this week, under the slogan “Egypt Looks Forward to a New Beginning.” The campaign is collecting signatures for a petition in support of the younger Mubarak. On that note, the Muslim Brotherhood announced yesterday that it has collected over half a million signatures for Mohamed ElBaradei’s campaign for reform, while the National Association for Change (NAC) put its own tally at 98,000. Meanwhile, President Hosni Mubarak issued remarks calling on all Egyptian voters to go to the polls, stating that the new electoral system would ensure democratic representation and claiming that the upcoming elections would take place in a “new climate of political reform.” These political developments occurred amidst protests organized by members of the April 6 movement, demanding that the government transfer their colleague Ahmad Abu Duma from Al-Qatta Prison to the Damanhur Prison; and amidst preparations by Egyptian intellectuals to hold a conference to discuss fears that President Mubarak will attempt to pass the premiership to his son in a non-democratic, hereditary fashion.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Protests, Reform | Comment »
Jordan: No Credible Elections?
August 10th, 2010 by Farid
The Islamic Action Front (IAF), an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, is boycotting upcoming parliamentary elections, saying that the government cannot ensure a fair process. According to Dale Gavlak, no other opposition group in the country has been able to compete with IAF; thus, its decision to boycott the elections represents “a blow to Jordan’s political reform efforts” as the opposition loses its voice in parliament. Additionally, the Brotherhood’s lack of participation will entail a lower voter turnout, which in turn raises questions about the credibility of the elections, Gavlak suggests. The Muslim Brotherhood, with its strong support from the Palestinian community in Jordan, was an ally of the country’s Hashemite monarchy, he explains. However, “its staunch opposition to Jordan’s 1994 peace treaty with Israel and to King Abdullah’s tacit support of the U.S.-led war in Iraq has firmly put it in the opposition camp.” According to many observers, the distrust towards the current system and government has “gone beyond the Islamist camp.”
Posted in Elections, Jordan, Muslim Brotherhood, Reform | Comment »
ElBaradei: Egypt is “Ready” for Reform
August 9th, 2010 by Jennifer
The Huffington Post released on Friday the first installment of two-part interview conducted by Mary Wald with potential Egyptian presidential candidate, Mohamed ElBaradei. Asked whether or not the Arab world is ready for reform, ElBaradei responded, “I don’t think that any country is not ready. People are ready to enjoy the basic freedoms, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, freedom from fear and so on. People know that without democracy they are at a dead end,” adding, “The question is how to transfer that search for change into action.” Arguing that Egypt suffers from a “culture of fear,” he proposed collective action to spur reform. ElBaradei also expressed his concern that his country– bending under the weight of high levels of poverty and illiteracy– has lost its role as a “beacon” of culture in the Arab world, and is instead “going backward.” Asked about potential policy initiatives were he to gain the presidency, ElBaradei said that his priority would be improving education in order to create a modern, moderate Egyptian society and to create opportunities for development. He argued that if reform were achieved in Egypt, “it could have tremendous impact” on reform movements in other Arab nations. In response to a request for clarification regarding his alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood and the MB’s conservative religious orientation, ElBaradei noted that the organization commands 20% of the seats in Parliament, arguing that “if you want to effect change in a country like ours, you cannot simply ignore a group that has that kind of support. They must be brought into the process. Reform has to be inclusive.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Muslim Brotherhood, Reform | Comment »
Egypt: Opposition, Reform, and Gamal
August 3rd, 2010 by Jennifer
Political activity occurred in Egypt on various fronts over the weekend, in advance of the upcoming national elections. Hassan Nafaa, coordinator of the National Association for Change (NAC), argued that Egyptians can achieve reform independently, without foreign aid. Nafaa accused the U.S. of “trying to blackmail Egypt behind the veil of reform. But the fact is that the establishment of democracy in Egypt stands against US interests,” adding, “We do not accept American intervention in Egypt’s affairs.” Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood and the NAC announced over the weekend that they had gathered 341,000 signatures and 88,000 signatures for Mohamed ElBaradei’s reformist demands, respectively, which the MB called “a positive response on the part of the public” to the campaign. The April 6 reform movement also reported that it had distributed 15,000 leaflets listing the demands. Father Moussa, the bishop of youth for the Coptic Orthodox Church, criticized ElBaradei, stating that he has failed to offer a new proposal for political reform, and arguing that he should join an existing political party. Some analysts suggested that Moussa’s statements may indicate a move by the Church to distance itself from ElBaradei out of concern over a potential alliance between the reformist leader and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Regarding the opposition, the MB decided not to join a 4-party opposition coalition including the Wafd, Tagammu, Nasserite, and Gabha parties. Nevertheless, MB spokesman Essam el-Erian affirmed that “we hope to see all political forces unite against the corruption of the ruling National Democratic Party,” adding, “We aim to achieve democracy and political reform and end corruption.” Reports also emerged indicating that opposition parties will not boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections, as Nasserite Party Secretary-General Ahmed Hassan announced that his party will field 55 male and female candidates in the elections but will “request certain guarantees, such as judicial supervision of elections and a ban on interference by security services.” Hassan said that the Wafd, Tagammu, and Gabha parties have also decided to participate in the elections, while other reports noted that Tagammu is grappling with internal divisions over its list of candidates– a suggestion heatedly denied by Party President Refaat el-Saeed.
On the other side of the political spectrum, the Popular Coalition to Support Gamal Mubarak asserted its independence from the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), as its general coordinator, Magdi el-Kurdi, called for President Hosni Mubarak’s son “to stand for election over any other candidate, even President Hosni Mubarak himself.” Meanwhile, local analysts warned that recently launched propaganda poster campaigns for potential presidential candidates– including Gamal Mubarak, Mohamed ElBaradei, and Ayman Nour –”’should not distract political leaders from working towards guaranteeing the integrity of upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections’.” Amr el-Shobaki, a political analyst at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, argued that the flurry of pro-Gamal efforts indicated that “’ElBaradei’s signature campaign is manifested by a genuine desire for change and reform’,” adding, “This has terrified Gamal Mubarak supporters’.” Speaking at a meeting with 500 university students at the Leaders Preparation Institute, Gamal himself faced questions from students regarding the political situation in Egypt, with one student stating, “‘I’m scared that power will be inherited’,” adding, “You are accountable to God.” Gamal responded that he has always been “careful not to offend God,” and said that “it’s not yet time to determine who the NDP presidential candidate will be.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: Presidential Movements in the Making
July 26th, 2010 by Jennifer
Ali Eddin Helal, media secretary for the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), said in a speech to university students over the weekend that the absence of political pluralism in Egypt generates “fascism and tyranny.” Nevertheless, Helal went on to criticize the “obsolete discourse” and “feebleness” of the political opposition, and refused demands to amend the Constitution to allow independent candidates such as Mohamed ElBaradei to run in presidential elections. At the same time, Egyptian Minister of Information Anas el-Feki invited ElBaradei to appear on state-run television for the first time, but criticized the potential presidential candidate, whom el-Feki called a “romantic dreamer who has not presented a manifesto which would help solve Egypt’s problems.” In contrast to such remarks, the opposition persisted in its reform campaign, with the Muslim Brotherhood reporting last week that it had collected over 100,000 online signatures for ElBaradei’s list of seven demands for change, while the Brotherhood and the National Assembly for Change (NAC) also added a nation-wide door-knocking campaign to their efforts. At a signature-gathering event in Port Said, George Ishaq, NAC coordinator, reportedly stated, “We can surely save our country if we gather a million signatures” for the petition by October. Further political movement occurred within the opposition, as a Wafd delegation headed by elected leader El Sayed Badawy met with Muslim Brotherhood chairman Mohamed Badie over the weekend. The two groups affirmed their mutual call for political and constitutional reform, but announced no decision regarding how opposition parties should handle upcoming parliamentary elections.
Meanwhile, an organization calling itself the “Popular Support Coalition for Gamal Mubarak,” led by ex-opposition member Magdi el-Kordi, began coordinating a campaign calling for Gamal’s nomination in next year’s presidential elections, hanging posters throughout the streets in Cairo. NDP member Nabih el-Alkamani responded with a cautionary statement that “only President Mubarak can choose the party’s candidate for next year’s elections,” while NAC coordinator Hassan Nafea announced that “the plot to bequeath power to the president’s son has been launched.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Reform | Comment »
Egypt: Stagnation and Succession
July 26th, 2010 by Jennifer
Fouad Ajami writing in The Wall Street Journal describes the last 30-plus years of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s term as one of stagnation and empty autocracy. Ajami suggests that Mubarak has played the roll of “the cop on the beat,” maintaining stability and accepting Sadat’s peace with Israel while failing to make any dramatic moves forward on regional or domestic issues, and accepting American aid while attempting to keep the U.S. at arms length to preserve his independence. According to Ajami, a once-dynamic Egypt has given way to anti-modernism, anti-Americanism, and anti-Semitism and has become “an unhappy, bitter place” under the repressive Mubarak regime, which “rules by emergency decrees and has suffocated the country’s political life, reducing the political landscape to something barren… the authoritarian state on one side, the Muslim Brotherhood on the other… No democratic, secular opposition [has been] allowed to sprout.” In this environment of unmoving repression, Ajami notes that “no great upheaval has taken place,” proposing instead that Egypt has “stagnated” and fallen behind in the march toward modernity. Ajami states, “There are ideas of a big country at the crossroads of three continents, but the reality of an unimaginative autocracy,” arguing that “Egypt needed and deserved something better, more ennobling, than a tyrant’s sterile peace.”
In another opinion piece in The Washington Times, Chuck Freilich offers a viewpoint of the Mubarak regime based on U.S. strategic interests. According to Freilich, ”Egypt has been the linchpin of American strategy in the region, as well Israel’s - the pillar of their efforts to forge a more stable and peaceful Middle East,” arguing that the Egyptian government has played a critical stabilizing role and fulfilled a crucial support function for U.S. initiatives in the region. Freilich expresses concern that the upcoming succession issue could destabilize the country and endanger the U.S.-Egyptian alliance through an opposition takeover by the Muslim Brotherhood, a scenario he terms a “nightmare” for both Egyptian and American interests. However, Freilich proposes that the U.S. can do little to impact coming events, suggesting that increasing aid and renewing democratization efforts “would only have an impact long after the succession.” If Mubarak’s son Gamal gains the premiership, Freilich advises the U.S. and Israel to “help solidify his rule by affording him some early successes,” while noting that their ability to do so may be limited.
Posted in Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood, Reform | Comment »
Egypt: Brotherhood Behind ElBaradei?
July 14th, 2010 by Jennifer
Al-Masry Al-Youm reported today that the Muslim brotherhood has decided to promote the NAC’s reform platform on its website and is calling for Egyptian political actors to sign presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei’s petition for seven reforms, including repealing the emergency law, amending the Constitution to allow multi-party presidential elections, ensuring judicial supervision of elections, and ending election fraud. According to Hossam Tamam, an expert on political Islam and former editor at IslamOnline, the Brotherhood’s decision indicates not a sincere backing of ElBaradei’s campaign, but an attempt to use the NAC to gain greater negotiating power against the Mubarak government in the upcoming elections. “By supporting ElBaradei, the Muslim Brotherhood can put pressure on the regime and force it to reach a compromise with them, eventually granting them a certain quota of parliamentary seats,” he says. Meanwhile, Hassan Nafae, the NAC coordinator, rejected this analysis and called such interpretations “destructive.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political Parties, Reform | Comment »
Egypt: Will Opposition Run in Upcoming Elections?
July 9th, 2010 by Jennifer
The Muslim Brotherhood took several important stances over the past several days in relation to upcoming Egyptian elections. Signaling its support for opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei’s call for reform and democracy and for his campaign to be allowed to run as a presidential candidate, the Brotherhood launched a signature-collection initiative on its website to register support for the “Seven Demands for Reform” outlined in the charter of the National Front for Change (NFC). Reports indicate that the drive has gained 3,000 signatures since Wednesday. The Brotherhood’s General Guide Mohamed Badie also met with the National Association for Change’s (NAC) General Coordinator Hassan Nafaa. The leaders indicated after the meeting that the Brotherhood would accept a boycott if adopted as the collective position of the opposition, but on the other hand would participate in the elections “using all the resources at its disposal” should any one of the other parties choose to run.
Responding to the NAC’s announcement that it would seek a meeting with the Wafd Party on Monday to discuss a proposed boycott of the elections, the Wafd’s Honorary President Mustafa el-Tawil rejected the NAC as “weak” and criticized it for being “neither a political party nor an NGO.” He reiterated his party’s intention to field candidates in the election, which he originally declared last month under the argument that “we wouldn’t have known about the vote rigging that took place in the last elections had we not contested them.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Reform | Comment »
Jordan: Islamic Action Front May Boycott Parliamentary Elections
July 1st, 2010 by Farid
The Muslim Brotherhood’s offshoot in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front (IAF) is currently discussing a possible boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections in November of this year. According to the Muslim Brotherhood’s official English website – Ikhwanweb.com – the IAF is dissapointed with the lack of integrity in past Shura elections. President Ali Abul Sakr calls for an international body and civil society groups to be “summoned to monitor the elections and expose any fraud or rigging that may happen during the elections.” The Brotherhood’s website also reports that “several opposition parties appealed to the government to reassess the new registration law, arguing that the new procedure has allowed voters to register in larger cities in order to “serve the intererst of certain candidates.”
The new election laws recently introduced by King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein have sparked significant criticism from reformist parties, who argue that they only serve the status quo.
Posted in Elections, Jordan, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Reform | Comment »
Jordan: IAF Moving Toward More Moderate Leadership
June 28th, 2010 by Jennifer
The Jordan Times reported that initial unofficial results from the recent shura elections for the Islamic Action Front (IAF) in Jordan, indicated that moderate forces who oppose the party’s ties to Palestinian Hamas appear to have won nearly 65% of the council seats. IAF officials are reportedly waiting on the results from two branches, where elections have been postponed until next week. Most of the IAF’s prominent leaders appear to have won seats in the council, including Salem Falahat, former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamzeh Mansour, current president of the shura council.
The new council, once convened, will make the key decision of electing a new secretary general for the party, which has been sharply divided between its pro-Hamas camp and those in favor of moving away from the Palestinian organization to focus more on local issues. The early internal elections were called in hopes of resolving the issue and mark the first time in the group’s recent history that the IAF secretary general will be elected entirely by the shura council, without the Muslim Brotherhood using its authority to nominate candidates for the position.
Posted in Elections, Jordan, Muslim Brotherhood | Comment »
UNDP Report Criticizes Repression in Egypt
June 28th, 2010 by Jennifer
Controversy continued to escalate over Egypt’s emergency law and human rights abuses, following the alleged beating and killing of Khalid Said approximately 3 weeks ago. Al-Masry al-Youm reported that at least 3,000 demonstrators took to the streets in Alexandria on Friday. Observers noted that the Friday protests were significant, given their large size, the unusual level of anger on display, and the participation of normally apolitical non-activist citizens, alongside prominent political activists and reformers such as Mohamed ElBaradei and Ayman Nour. Meanwhile, the Alexandria district prosecutor accused the family of the victim of paying off eyewitnesses to testify that Said was beaten, while on Monday, the EU diplomatic mission in Cairo joined the U.S. State Department and human rights organizations in expressing concern over the circumstances of Said’s death and calling for a transparent investigation.
Coinciding with the heightened protests, the United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP) 2010 Egypt Human Development Report came out on Sunday. The report highlighted the disenfranchisement of young people in Egypt, and pointed to political repression as creating a “culture of fear” that prevents the youth from engaging in politics and society. Specifically, it criticized government corruption, electoral fraud, restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, and the long-running emergency law. On that note, Mohamed Badie, the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, issued statements challenging the legitimacy of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), and criticizing rampant and consistent electoral fraud.
Martin Peretz writing in The New Republic harshly criticizes the Obama administration’s policy on Egypt and human rights. Recalling Obama’s 2009 Cairo address, Peretz comments, “Curiously, there was not a word of solidarity for even the most civilized dissidents. Not a hint of criticism of Hosni Mubarak,” adding that Americans “should be stunned by the arrogant complacency of our president to the indifference to human rights of one of our closest allies.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Muslim Brotherhood, Protests, US foreign policy | 3 Comments »
Egypt: Opposition Groups Protest Shura Elections; New Moderator for Lawyers-Judges Talks
June 25th, 2010 by Jennifer
Representatives from some 50 political opposition parties and movements demonstrated before the Egyptian parliament in Cairo on Thursday, after security forces prevented them from marching to the Shura Council building. Claiming that the Shura elections held earlier this month were rigged, the protesters demanded the withdrawal of all council seats won by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). The Muslim Brotherhood called on all opposition parties in Egypt to reject the results of the election.
Meanwhile, reports indicated that Moqbil Shaker, Vice-President of the National Human Rights Council (NHRC), has been named to mediate the ongoing crisis between Egyptian lawyers and judges, which broke out following the sentencing of two attorneys to five years in prison for exchanging slaps with a local member of the judiciary in Tanta. A previous round of negotiations failed after a Tanta appeals court decided to prolong the attorneys’ detention, sparking a fresh round of strikes and provoking harsh criticism from lawyers of their leadership in the General Lawyers Syndicate.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Judiciary, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Protests | Comment »
Jordan: IAF to Elect New Secretary General; Sit-In Protest Against New Taxes
June 21st, 2010 by Jennifer
The Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political party of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, has scheduled a Shura council meeting for June 26 to elect a new secretary general and executive office, in hopes of bridging the party’s internal divisions. The IAF has suffered from rifts between those in favor of engaging with Hamas in the Palestinian territories, and those who prefer to focus on local issues. IAF President Ali Abul Sukkar invited all members who wished to participate to submit their names, and claimed that the elections would be fair and open.
Potential candidates include Murad Adayleh, Saad Saadat and Abdul Hameed Qudah, while some sources suggest that Ben Rashid may run despite his recent decision to pull out of the elections.
Meanwhile, dozens of leftist activists carried out a sit-in Sunday evening in Amman in protest of recent government decisions imposing new taxes on gasoline and cellular phone calls and raising the price of water. Under the slogan of “No to raising prices… Jordan isn’t just for the rich,” the campaign’s coordinator called on the government to bear to burden of the “failure” of its economic policies, instead of placing it on the shoulders of the Jordanian citizen.
The Syndicates Council, which encompasses 14 Jordanian professional unions, also issued a formal statement criticizing the decisions, arguing that “political and economic reform are necessary, but unfortunately the government has failed to achieve the targeted reform in these two areas. Therefore, the professional unions announce our rejection of these decisions.”
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Muslim Brotherhood Member Interview With Carnegie
June 18th, 2010 by Farid
Earlier this week, in an interview with Michele Dunne of Carnegie Endowment, Essam el-Arian, member of the Muslim Brotherhood, replied to a question regarding the Brotherhood’s plans for political participation in the future by explaining that the Brotherhood must commit to reforms in all dimensions: social, political, economical, cultural, intellectual, and others. “This comprehensive reform begins with constitutional and political reform, which requires participation in the general elections and an active presence in formal political institutions, and this is what the Brotherhood applies,” he said.
Despite major obstacles in previous Shura Council elections, al-Arian remains optimistic about the upcoming People’s Assembly elections. “We hope that this will be reflected in a larger voter turnout in the next elections–meaning that the average citizen realizes that if his voice is to reach the government officials, then he will have to go to the ballot box,” he said. Combining the emergence of a stronger protest movement and the emergence of a strong candidate in Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, al-Arian is hopeful for the future. While al-Arian explained that the number of candidates from the Muslim Brotherhood will increase to about 200, he argued that opposition to the current situation will only be successful if other opposition forces put out the same number of candidates.
Discussing the political platform that was made public in 2007, el-Arian explained that the previous platform was introduced to the political elites of society for the purpose of gaining feedback. However, he said that the platform is currently being revised but has not been released yet. “The party platform that we published in 2007 is under review and will not be released unless political life is altered to allow a chance for parties to survive and to allow for the rotation of power,” he said.
But the Brotherhood has learned valuable lessons from the 2005 elections. “The rules of politics in Egypt must be changed by ending the state of emergency and allowing the freedom to form parties without limitations or conditions; allowing parliament to hold the government accountable; selecting the government from the parliamentary majority; and preventing electoral fraud.” With all the past disappointments and let-downs, el-Arian still encouraged political participation, saying that “voting is a duty.” Finally, he proclaimed that “if all of the political forces, parties, popular and political movements, and human rights organizations could make common cause and set aside their small differences, we would open a window of hope, showing that Egypt can embark upon genuine democracy or get on a path towards genuine democracy.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Reform | Comment »
