Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Youth Deny Split

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OnIslam, the Islamic Internet portal associated with Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi, is reporting that the youth wing of the Muslim Brotherhood has denied that it split with the main organization. According to the report:

CAIRO – Denying internal divisions inside Egypt’s largest opposition group, Muslim Brotherhood youth have called for dialogue among the groupimit’s members and voiced concern over its new political party. “This is not a conference about split inside the Muslim Brotherhood,” spokesman Mohamed Maher Aql told nearly 350 youths attending a conference organized by Muslim Brotherhood youth. “We are one hand behind our leadership.” Organized by some young members, the conference has discussed challenges facing the Muslim Brotherhood after the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. Under the banner “Muslim Brotherhood Youth Conference…New Vision From Inside”, the conference focused on the future of the group’s organizational form and the relationship between the Muslim Brotherhood and its planned political party. The conference, however, has stirred speculations about divisions inside the country’s most powerful, well-organized group. “We tell those who are betting on divisions (inside the Brotherhood) that ‘you are dreaming’,” said Aql. Media reports said that the group’s Executive Bureau has opposed the conference over the participation of former Brotherhood members Abdel-Monem Abul-Futuh and Mohamed Habib. This claim, however, was vehemently denied by the organizers. “The conference was the idea of some young members, who had some initiatives and proposals for the group,” said Aql. “The Executive Bureau has welcomed the initative, but didn’t give a final approval because of the short time before holding the conference.” Partisan Politics Attendees have called for a review of a ban on Brotherhood members from joining other parties. “We call for a review of statements about banning Brotherhood members from joining other parties,” they said in a final statement. Last month, the Muslim Brotherhood has announced plans to form a political party under the name “Freedom and Justice Party”. The group, however, banned members of the opposition group from joining other parties. The planned party has been criticized by senior Brotherhood member Abdel-Moneim Aboul-Futtuh, who was reportedly planning to form a new party. He said that the opposition group should not get involved in partisan politics and that politicized members should be let to form their own parties independently from the group. Aboul-Futtuh’s opposition was echoed by young attendees, who called for the partisan politics to be run away from the Muslim Brotherhood group. They also called for empowering the group’s elected legislative body — known as the Shura Council — and enhancing the decision-making process. The Muslim Brotherhood is the most powerful and well-organized opposition group in Egypt. The group has an overwhelmingly lay leadership of professionals with modern educations — engineers, doctors, lawyers, academics and teachers. The core membership is middle-class or lower middle-class.

It should be noted that the Muslim Brotherhood today has become a global network and that the Egyptian mother branch is not necessarily the most important part of the movement. Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi, close to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, is often referred to by the GMBDW as the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, an acknowledgement of his role as the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to lead the Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide.

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