Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Today I'd like to share with you a post written by Wahda Maseyya – An Egyptian Girl – about the Muslim Brotherhood party and her thoughts about their ideologies. In fact there is a huge debate here in Egypt the whole time about religious – mainly Islamic – parties, and if it is going to be a good choice to have religious parties here or not.
الإخوان المسلمين أخاف ان ياتي اليوم الذي تكون فيه جماعة الإخوان المسلمين هي السكين البارد التي ستذبح مصرنا الحبيبة و الذريعة التي قد تدخل بها جيوش الإحتلال لمحاربة الإرهاب
و لذلك لا اتمنى على الإطلاق ان أرى ذلك اليوم أو ان يحقق الإخوان ما قد يصبون إليه فيصبح حزبهم هو من يشكل مجلس الورزاء أو يكون من بينهم رئيس للجمهورية .
The Muslim Brotherhood; I am afraid that they may become one day the cold knife that slaughters our beloved Egypt, and become the excuse for occupying forces the get into Egypt to fight terrorism.
That's why I really don't want to see that day when their dream comes true and their party becomes the one responsible for forming the Council of Ministers (Cabinet), and that one of them becomes the president of Egypt.
She then tried to use a conversation she had with an American researcher a while ago about the Muslim Brotherhood, and Essam El Eryan the one in charge of the Political Bureau of the Group – I am using the term Group instead of Party here as they are not considered as an official party by the Egyptian Government. Wahda tries to say that some members of the Group are considered to be moderate but she believes that the MB will continue to have a radical ideology.
في رأيي أن للإخوان ايدلوجيا و فكر لم و لن يتغير لأن أصلة و أساسة ثابت جامد محافظ و أحيانا متطرف عندما تناقشت مع أحد الناشطين من جماعة الإخوان فحكيت له عن تلك الباحثة الامريكية التي تقوم بعمل دراسة عن الإخوان و أنها متفائلة بالإخوان و لم تكف عن ذكر عصام العريان كدليل على الإعتدال و الوسطية بين الإخوان فقلت لها ان عصام العريان هو واحد من ضمن ألاف و ان عصام العريان قد يكون معتدل إلا انه لا يمثل الغالبية العظمى من الإخوان ذات الفكر الجامد المحافظ
و كان رد الناشط أن هناك ما يسمى النخبة في أي جماعة و هناك ما يمثل الباقية الباقية و أن النخبة هي التي تقوم بدور القياده و ان عصام العريان هو من النخبة و هو من تيار الإصلاحيين
I think that the MB has a certain ideology that did not and will not change, because it has solid and conservative bases, which are sometimes radical as well. When I had a debate with one of the activists in the MB, and told him about an American researcher who is doing some research about the MB, and that she is optimistic and likes to mention Essam El Eryan as an example of moderation and centrism, and that I told her that El Eryan is just one among thousands and that he may be moderate but he doesn't represent the majority of the group who have radical and conservative thoughts.
The activist then replied that there are some elite members in any group and those members are the ones who take the responsibility of leading the group, and El Eryan is one of those members.
She then continues …
و لكن أعود لاقول ان تيار الإصلاحيين هذا يقابلة تيار محافظ يميني داخل الجماعة و هو من له السطوة و التحكم و هو الأقرب للناس و الأقرب للفكر الإخواني المتأصل منذ سنوات بعيدة و أعتقد انه من الصعب جدا على تيار الإصالحيين أن ينجح و يصبح هو الصوت الأعلى و الغالب
و ليس معنى ذلك أن يتوقف الإصلاحيون داخل الجماعة عن المحاولة و لكن في رأيي أن عليهم الإستمرار في المحاولة لتغيير الفكر الجامد المحافظ داخل الجماعة إلا انني في النهاية لا أريد لمصر ان تصبح إيران أخرى بل أتمنى ان ارى مصر مثل بريطانيا او مورتنيا حيث تحول فيها الحكم إلى الديموقراطية المدنية دون عسكر أو إسلامين
But I still believe that those reformists are opposed by the radical members of the group who have the power and control on the group as a whole. And those radical members are those ones who are closer to the original ideologies of the MB, the ideologies that are many years old and I believe that it is really hard for the reformist to be able continue or to be to have an effective role in the group.
This doesn't mean that the reformist will not keep trying, and I really want them to continue their efforts to change the radical ideology of the group. But at the end of the day I do not want to see Egypt turning out to become another Iran. On the contrary, I wish to see it like Britain or even Mauritania where there is a democratic and civil government without any intervention of the military and the Islamists.
Links:
Muslim Brotherhood Official Site, Ikhwan-Web
Wikipedia, History of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt