[Christian Science Monitor] Mohamed Elmenshawy - The Muslim Brotherhood, established in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, has been outlawed by the Egyptian government since 1954. Today, it packages itself as a moderate organization, and its members hold 88 seats (about a fifth) in the Egyptian parliament as independents. The latest version of the Muslim Brotherhood's political party platform calls for the adoption of a "Civic Islamic State." Perhaps the most alarming feature of the draft platform is the call to create a Council of Islamic Scholars that could end up being elected by Islamic clerics, not through free and fair elections, reminiscent of Iran's Guardian Council. This undemocratically selected body could have the power vested by the state to veto any and all legislation passed by the Egyptian parliament and approved by the president that is not compatible with Islamic Sharia law. Mohamed Habib, the Muslim Brotherhood's second-in-command, said in an interview in August that the Brotherhood would not recognize the "Zionist entity" or "unjust" international treaties, in reference to the peace treaty signed with Israel in 1979.
2007-10-16 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive