Egypt’s Salafis want no pact with Muslim Brotherhood
Emphasis mine. *sigh*
(Reuters) - Egypt’s ultra-conservative Islamist Salafis said they will not water down their views to ally with the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood, after a first-round vote put the two rival groups on track to dominate parliament. […]
The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s best-organized political force, which was banned but partly tolerated under Mubarak, is on course to win the election. The Salafis, who follow an even stricter interpretation of Islam, have emerged from the margins to push liberals into third place.
Analysts say the Brotherhood has a pragmatic streak that makes it an unlikely ally for Salafis who only recently ventured from preaching into politics and whose strict ideology offers little scope for compromise.
Salafi al-Nour party leader Emad Abdel Ghaffour made it clear he would not play second fiddle to the Brotherhood.
“We hate being followers,” Ghaffour told Reuters in an interview. “They always say we take positions according to the Brotherhood but we have our own vision… There might be a consensus but … we will remain independent.” […]
While spurning a parliamentary alliance with the Brotherhood, Abdel Ghaffour said al-Nour was ready to join a coalition cabinet that furthers its goal of “gradual” reform.
“No single party can impose its will on 80 million Egyptians,” he said.
He said al-Nour would not accept a “secular” state and would try to strengthen sharia as the main source of legislation.