Despite being the primary opponent of the Mubarak regime, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) accepted to participate in the initial negotiations upon the request of the vice-President, Omar Suleiman. When asked why the MB participated in these talks, a member of the MB's Guidance Bureau, Saad al-Katatni replied, "We put forward our stipulations, such as the participation of the all political forces and parties in Egypt, all the representatives of the political currents in Tahrir square and that this would not be a bilateral talk" (see al-Katatni's
interview with Islam Online). When these demands were satisfied, they agreed to participate in the talks. This for sure gives us a clear sign that the MB does not opt to play an outsider role in the post-Mubarak transitional process. If the MB accepts to be an actor in this transitional attempt directed by a regime which they detested and suffered under for decades, they would gladly be willing to be an effective force in the democratic future of their country. Their current strategy seems very cautious, as Saad al-Katatni
declared that, "It is not in our agenda to participate in the presidential election or participate in the government." In this vein, they seem to follow the
tadarruj (step-by-step) method akin to the rest of the moderate Islamist parties in the Middle East. By this way, they guarantee their legitimate share in the new political game and they do not create another "Algerian scenario" by intimidating the secular forces within the country and in the West.
We will see what will happen to the MB's internal political formation as the they continue to integrate themselves in the transitional politics. The group has different factions (reformist vs. status-quo) who put forward different agendas for molding its political future. The developments will demonstrate to us whether or not the MB will continue its comprehensive Islamist movement da'wah-cum-political actions or accept to evolve towards being a political party similar to their Jordanian and Moroccan counterparts. Transforming into a political entity will turn the group into being a more pluralist and pragmatist. While a prominent member of the Guidance Bureau, Dr. Aryan, is apparently not willing to give up the comprehensive structure of the group (
source), the MB might resort to some concessions in order to guarantee its maintenance in the new political game. A probable non-shari'ah based constitution, the coexistence with the rest of the non-Islamic political parties, and the continuing peaceful status with the MB's arch-enemy, Israel, would be the main issue-areas in which MB would undergo a moderation test. At this critical juncture, staying out of the transitional politics would mean losing the historical advantage to attain the legitimacy they are looking forward to achieving after many decades. Furthermore, if the party continues its rigid position of non-moderation, it will face the consequence of being marginalized, which the group has been fighting against since the 1980s.
Cheers for the insight on this situation based on actual Arabic media. The MB has been largely vilified by many (most?) in the mainstream American media, but there is a great deal of confusion it seems still. James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, said of the MB:
ReplyDelete"[The Muslim Brotherhood] is an umbrella term for a variety of movements, in the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried Al Qaeda as a perversion of Islam... They have pursued social ends, a betterment of the political order in Egypt, etc. In other countries, there are also chapters or franchises of the Muslim Brotherhood, but there is no overarching agenda, particularly in pursuit of violence, at least internationally."
He almost immediately came under fire for these comments of course (for the "largely secular" statement in particular), and the Office of the DNI rushed out a "clarification" of his remarks.
The MB shows no signs of going away, whether we like it or not. At this point, it's completely up to the Egyptian people to determine what role the MB will play in the reshaping of their country - that's democracy, after all!
Keep up the good work!