Ikhwanweb News Digest 30-03-09

The war on prices

On Sunday, the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif fell under heavy parliamentary fire. As many as 11 opposition and independent MPs launched a scathing attack against the Nazif government, alleging that its policies are always designed to serve the business elite loyal to the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). As a result, asserted MPs mostly belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group and to leftist parties, not a single day goes by in Egypt without demonstrations, strikes, sit-ins and clashes between workers and the police. “There is deep- seated anger at the corruption and ever- growing wealth of the ruling NDP business elite, at the expense of the majority of poor Egyptians,” said Ibrahim El-Gaafari, a Muslim Brotherhood MP. More

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Analysis: Hamas and the Sudanese connection

By Jonathan spyer – The Jerusalem Post

Sudan has maintained close relations with Iran since the 1989 coup which brought Bashir to power. The coup was carried out in cooperation with the Islamist National Islamic Front, whose members went on to hold key positions in the new regime. Iranian supplies of weapons and oil began soon after. Hassan al-Turabi, a Muslim Brotherhood-associated Sudanese Islamist activist, was the key figure in building the Iran-Sudan link in the early days of the regime. More

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Egyptians ponder 30-year peace with Israel

By Catherine Miller – BBC News

In Cairo, the 30th anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt is seen by many as a moment for regret, not celebration.

“It”s a celebration for Israel – not for Egypt, not for the Arabs, not for the Palestinians,” says Issam al-Aryan of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist opposition movement which is officially banned in Egypt.

“I think the majority of Egyptians are against the treaty after 30 years.”

Israel is holding events to mark what it calls a “watershed” moment, the first time an Arab nation recognised the Jewish state. More

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The next Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood

By Marc Lynch – Forign Policy

It may surprise people to realize that Akef will be replaced in an internally democratic process. As I understand the process, the Supreme Guide is elected by the Brotherhood”s Shura Council, which has 100 members — 80 of them elected by the membership of the organization and 20 of them holding ex officio membership (i.e. current and former members of the Guidance Council). Since the Muslim Brotherhood remains by far the largest and most politically significant mainstream Sunni Islamist movement, this internal election may be one of the most significant in the Middle East”s so-called “year of elections.” More…

Arms mandate renewed

By Gamal Essam El-Din – Al-Ahram Weekly

Parliament extends President Mubarak”s authority to conclude military purchases in secret despite objections from opposition MPs. Muslim Brotherhood MP Ahmed Abu Baraka strongly criticised the extension but said his objection did not mean that he questioned the integrity of Mubarak he pointed out that Article 108 of the constitution states that the president is vested with this authority only in exceptional cases.

Saad Abboud, an independent MP with leftist leanings, argued that the recent armed confrontation between the Palestinians and the Israelis in Gaza had nothing to do with Egypt and should not be cited to justify the extension. “We refused to join the Palestinians in their fight against the Israelis or accept any military role in Sudan, Lebanon and Iraq. There are, then, no exceptional circumstances to approve the extension.” More…