re: #417 Obdicut

In my opinion, the media is kind of abetting the problem by treating them as though they are the ones calling the shots.

I think it’s the other way around. The MB, while still calling the shots, is trying to publicly downplay its role in the protests and the future of Egypt. I just finished reading this….
Background: Who are the Muslim Brothers?

Today, the Muslim Brothers in Egypt are led by Muhammad Badi, elected as head of the organization in 2010, who is considered too meek and uncharismatic a character to gain the backing of the multitudes of Egyptians trying to force out their government, according to Prof. Elie Podeh of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies.

“We’ve heard nothing from Badi since the beginning of this,” he said.

Podeh said that while the exact popularity of the Brothers cannot be measured due to the lack of democracy in Egypt, 2005’s parliamentary elections did see 88 Muslim Brotherhood representatives – who ran as independents to bypass the law – voted into the 454- member parliament.

By the time the 2010 parliamentary elections were held in November, the regime had become alarmed at their influence, and not one Muslim Brotherhood candidate won a seat.

“That means that 88 out 454 is the minimum number of seats they could win, and their popularity could be greater,” Podeh said. “The regime is very afraid of them.”

Podeh said the Brotherhood could now be deliberately lowering its own profile in the current crisis as a deception tactic, while supporting the uprising.

Should free elections ever be held in Egypt, the Brothers have a reasonable chance of winning, he said. “Clearly this is a possibility.

This is the most organized opposition in Egypt. The rest of the opposition groups are are a rabble.”

Read the whole thing. It also contradicts the myth some people keep repeating about the MB being outlawed simply because they oppose Mubarak.