MB Continues Struggle for Egyptians’ Rights

The July 8^th demonstration was originally a message for‘constitution first’, but it is also calling for justice, as Egyptians are outraged over the acquittal of Mubarak’s ministers as well as the way in which the martyr’s families have been mistreated. Since the fall of Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has avoided taking part in protests but now the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has announced that it will be officially participating in the protests on July 8th.

Mr. Saad Katatny, FJP’s secretary general, said the protest was a public reaction to the slow-paced trials and a push for faster changes, including prosecution of former regime officials. Officers who had killed protestors during the revolution have been released and this has added to public outcry.

The MB is supporting the Egyptian public in their complaints about the use of force by police against protestors, court rulings that cleared three ministers from Mubarak’s administration and the release of some police officers accused of killing protesters during the revolution.The participation of the Brotherhood is lending more credibility to the massive protest, as Egyptians grow increasingly unhappy with the current military rule.

The protests come at the same time that the US administration announced its intention to hold dialog with the Muslim Brotherhood. With Mubarak out of the way, Washington anticipated that the MB would be a major player in the post-revolution phase in Egypt .The announcement came from Hilary Clinton- a high-ranking US official – thus lending more political weight to the MB as the US now views the Brotherhood as a political power rather than a security threat.

The US ‘s decision to engage in talks with the Brotherhood indicates the extent of the MB’s current political clout, as America waited six months since the revolution to see how powerful the group was going to be in the post-Mubarak era. The MB is now a legal, stable political entity in Egypt and with the formation of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the US no longer has an excuse for ignoring the Brotherhood.

As Egypt gears up for another round of massive demonstrations, the FJP is encouraged by US calls for dialogue, while the MB insists that any talks with the US must be based on mutual respect and on Washington ‘s non-interference in Egyptian affairs.

However, the point of the dialog is vague as US foreign policy in the Middle East is problematic for the MB, while many in the US see ‘Islamists’ as essentially opposed to western interests in the region.

Meanwhile, the Brotherhood is focusing its attention on stabilizing the situation in Egypt , but it also welcomes dialog with the US in order to remove any misunderstandings and to bridge gaps.