Rifts Develop In Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood
In Egypt, the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood is now the most organized political force in the country. It is poised to capture a significant amount of power in nationwide elections being planned for the fall.
But dissension in the brotherhood’s ranks has been growing since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. Key figures in the group are bolting, and at least one has been expelled, causing some in Egypt to question whether the decades-old movement can survive.
Members Split Off For New Parties
The Muslim Brotherhood joined forces with young Egyptians who rose against Mubarak and his government earlier this year. One of the group’s leaders who joined protesters in the streets was Dr. Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh.
“It is a miserable thing that [a] regime refuse any political reform,” Fotouh says.
Mounting public pressure for change forced Mubarak to resign. But when Aboul Fotouh more recently pushed for reforms within his own organization, the brotherhood gave him the boot.
Fotouh abruptly canceled an interview with NPR in which he had agreed to talk about what happened.
Another popular brotherhood leader, Khaled Dawoud, is also in danger of being axed. He warns that getting rid of figures like Aboul Fotouh does not bode well for Egypt’s oldest opposition group.