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01 Dec 2011 23:13

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World: Egyptian elections: Muslim Brotherhood lead, Salafis surprise

  • The Salafis have been underestimated from day one, because it is hard to imagine how this guy with a long beard and some aggressive ideas can actually gain much support.
  • Shadi Hamid, a researcher at the Brookings Institution in Doha, Qatar • Discussing the elections in Egypt. So far, the Muslim Brotherhood’s party has received 40 percent of the Egyptian Parliament’s votes. Meanwhile, the Al Nour party, formed by ultra-conservative Salafis, has secured 25 percent. The Islamist party began re-entering politics after Mubarak was ousted, and rallied around millions of Egyptians who were already organized politically. That’s at least double the members of the Muslim Brotherhood. While they may not have pulled ahead in this election, the Salafi sect has become a prominent political force nonetheless. (EDIT: Modified wording based on reader suggestion.) source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Nov 2011 00:29

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World: Egypt: Cabinet offers resignations ahead of parliamentary elections

  • Protests in Egypt ahead of parliamentary elections: Last week, Egypt’s military-backed cabinet introduced plans for a new constitution — one that gave the military a lot more power, and the parliament a lot less. Reacting to the sudden changes, the Muslim Brotherhood started protests in Tahrir Square on Friday; over the weekend, hundreds camped out and continued protests. That growing group of people was met with riot police. As a result of all this, the interim cabinet offered their resignation Monday; this hasn’t stopped the protests, however. The elections start a week from now. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Feb 2011 21:42

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Politics: Muslim Brotherhood: Keep working to take down Gaddafi, protesters

  • We ask that the Libyan people (should) continue in their revolution to expel this dictator and that (they) should sacrifice and they will have the victory and win. And also, we appeal to all free men in all places in the world to be on the side of, and support, the Libyan people.
  • Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Esam Alarian • Offering support to Libyan protesters in taking down Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. The spokesperson for the  Egypt-based organization also emphasized that their country needs to assist in ensuring Libyans get the help they need from their country. “We ask the Arab league and the Egyptian government and the army to give support and also give aid to the Libyan people,” Alarian continued. We like the idea of Egypt helping other countries deal with their protests. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Feb 2011 00:33

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World: Not so much: Saif Gaddafi’s speech goes over like a lead balloon

  • He is worse than his father. His claims about the establishment of Islamic emirates in the country is not true at all.
  • A local Muslim Brotherhood leader in Libya • Disputing the comments made by Mummar Gaddafi’s son, Saif, earlier this evening, which suggested that Islamists would cause civil war if the protests continued in the country. Meanwhile, Obama’s folks have been fishing for “clarification” what Saif meant. We can already tell you what he meant: He meant to impress us all with the way he inherited his crazy from his dad. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Feb 2011 13:36

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World: Might all this Muslim Brotherhood hand-wringing be overdone?

  • 15% reported support for Muslim Brotherhood, poll claims source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Feb 2011 13:18

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Politics: Tony Blair has his say on Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood

  • It is founded on a different view of the relationship between religion and public policy than most people in secular societies would want.
  • Former British PM Tony Blair • The oft-maligned former leader speaking about the Muslim Brotherhood, whose likely involvement in forming a new Egyptian government is causing some angst for advocates of secularism. Blair suggested the Brotherhood was not extremist like some groups in other countries, but that while religion had an important place in society, he “wouldn’t want to live in even a democratic theocracy.” Can you even call something democracy if one entity officially has omnipotent control over the people?  source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Feb 2011 20:38

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Politics: Obama on Egypt: He’s sure they’ll “work together with us.”

  • What I want is a representative government in Egypt and I have confidence that if Egypt moves in an orderly transition process, they will have a government in Egypt that will work together with us.
  • Barack Obama • Talking to Bill O’Reilly pre-Super Bowl. The conversation of course took a turn towards the Muslim Brotherhood, to which Obama had this to say: “But here’s the thing that we have to understand, there are a whole bunch of secular folks in Egypt, there are a whole bunch of educators and civil society in Egypt that wants to come to the fore as well. So it’s important for us not to say that our own only two options are either the Muslim Brotherhood or a suppressed people.” Obama wants to see an orderly transition that reaches everyone, not just Islamists or any other group, in hopes that the region doesn’t radicalize. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

06 Feb 2011 11:25

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World: Muslim Brotherhood: We’re OK with Mubarak staying for now

  • We wanted the president to step down but, for now, we accept this arrangement as long as we feel there is a serious implementation.
  • Muslim Brotherhood senior leader Mohamed Saad El-Katatni • Revealing comfort with allowing Hosni Mubarak to stay in power of Egypt during a transition period. He said this after sitting down at a giant table with Vice President Omar Suleiman and other opposition leaders. The Muslim Brotherhood, currently barred from running in elections, joined the opposition late, eventually saying it shared their goals.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

04 Feb 2011 17:04

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World: Experts: Volatile Egypt unlikely to fall into Iran-style regime

  • No representative system can take root in Egypt without the Brotherhood’s participation. But, after spending the last half century battling Islamist political forces, the military leadership will have trouble overcoming its deep disdain for the Brotherhood.
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies’ Middle East program deputy director Haim Malka • Discussing the deep divide between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood which may make Democracy in the region difficult – but at the same time, make it hard for an Iran-style regime to take hold in Egypt. With the military holding so much power over the country, many scholars see such a result as unlikely, due to their lack of power in the region and the dissenters being less radical than those in Iran. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2011 13:13

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World: Egypt’s opposition groups call for one million protestors in Cairo

  • 1 million people urged to take to the streets by Egyptian opposition source
  • » Opposition groups are picking up steam: In what’s been called a significant sign that Egypt’s opposition is coalescing into a more unified front, the groups against Mubarak made a call for one million Egyptians to take to Cairo’s streets. What a unified opposition would resemble politically, though, is yet unknown. Those in want of a secular democracy in Egypt are undoubtedly concerned at the thought of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood waiting in the wings.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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