Global media are reporting on a statement by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood that it would “continue its struggle to regain the rights of Egyptians” despite its boycott of the countries parliamentary runoff elections. According to a UPI report:
The Muslim Brotherhood said it would continue its struggle to regain the rights of Egyptians despite a decision to boycott a second round of elections. The Muslim Brotherhood ignored early calls for a boycott of the country’s parliamentary elections, saying competition was the only way to ensure reform. The group, after complaining of ballot stuffing and general intimidation, announced this week it was pulling out of a second round of voting after failing to secure a single seat in the first round. The group is banned from competing openly in the political process but took 20 percent of the seats in 2005 elections by fielding its candidates as independents. Mahmoud Hussein, the secretary-general of the Muslim Brotherhood, told the BBC that participation in the recent elections was worth the struggle. “If the Brotherhood did not participate in the elections, the whole world would not have been able to witness the abuses that were committed against voters by the Egyptian government,” he said. Washington in the wake of the voting said it was “disappointed” about the transparency in the process, adding it was “dismayed” by the action of security forces during Election Day. Turnout among the country’s 41 million registered voters was reported light.
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood can be considered to be the “mother” organization of what is referred to in these pages as the Global Muslim Brotherhood which developed as Muslim Brothers fleeing Egypt settled in Europe and the United States, as well as other places, throughout the years. The global network has since eclipsed the Egyptian organization as evidenced by global Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi’s decision to turn down the leadership of the Egyptian organization when it was offered to him in 2004.