Muslim Brotherhood to quit Egyptian politics?

The MB's Essam el-Erian at a meeting in January, prior to his arrest in a government sweep/AP Photo/Amr Nabil

With more than a hundred of its members arrested in recent government raids, Egypt's Islamist Muslim Brotherhood is reportedly putting its political plans on hold.

Al Masry Al Youm ran a story alleging that the Brotherhood is backing out of politics and possibly looking for a "truce" with the Egyptian government.

According to the paper, Brotherhood leaders have drawn a curtain around any information regarding members running for parliamentary positions. "Sources close to [the Brotherhood" said it will be putting a temporary hold on its political ambitions in order to secure the release of leaders arrested in the course of the Egyptian government's recent raids.

The paper quoted the Brotherhood's Gamal Heshmat as saying "[t]he general atmosphere doesn't allow the formation of new political parties, which is why we put our proposed platform on hold."

While the Muslim Brotherhood is legally banned in Egypt, it remains the country's largest political opposition movement. Brotherhood Memebers often run as independent candidates in local and parliamentary elections.

The Egyptian government intensified pressure on the organization after a strong performance in the 2005 parliamentary contest, in which it won 20% of the available seats. Police and security officials generally justify arrests by accusing Brotherhood members of planning terrorist attacks.

Sayyid Qutb, the intellectual force behind the Brotherhood during the '50s and '60s, inspired both Egyptian Islamic Jihad and Al Qaeda by teaching that violence was an acceptable means of creating an Islamic state. Many members of the contemporary Brotherhood, including General Guide Mohamed Badei, are alleged to adhere to Qutb's philosophy.

However, these facts are counterbalanced Brotherhood's emphasis on community activism (granted with an Islamist slant) and public statements supporting religious and political pluralism. Indeed, many poor Egyptians see the Brotherhood as a committed source of support in their communities, while viewing the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) as distant, corrupt and generally unconcerned with their well-being.

Thus, wherever the Muslim Brotherhood is concerned, uncertainty lingers over whether the Egyptian government is protecting the democratic process or crippling it.

Sources: Al Masry Al Youm, The New York Times Magazine