BREAKING NEWS: Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood And Salafists To Form Electoral Coaltion; Goal Is Islamic State

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Egyptian media has reported that Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi leaders have announced that they are planning to form a coalition for the next parliamentary election in order to bring about an Islamic state. According to a report in Al-Masry Al-Youm:

A number of religious leaders representing Muslim movements have announce that the recent cooperation between various religious trends points to a common desire for a religious state that applies God’s laws. They also said that they would form a coalition at the next parliamentary elections in order to combat the secular political forces in the country. ‘It was the recent attacks on the Islamic groups that brought us together,’ said leading Muslim Brotherhood member Sobhi Saleh. For his part, Salafi spokesman Abdel Moneim al-Shahat said Islamic movements are uniting in order to preserve the Islamic nature of Egypt. ‘God’s words must rule and Islam must be in the hearts of the citizens,’ said Jama’a al-Islamiya spokesman Osama Hafez. ‘The Islamic movements are uniting, despite their different ideologies, because they feel Islam is threatened,’ said Muslim Brotherhood lawyer Montasser al-Zayat. Amr al-Shobky, expert at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said that this religious cooperation is a demonstration of power, and that it reflects the imbalanced political scale, which is tilted towards the Islamic movements.

Translated from the Arabic Edition

Salafists are generally described as Muslims who consider the period of early Islam and the “Salaf” (forefathers), or first generations of Muslims,  as exemplary role models. The term “Salafi Jihadists” refers to those Salafis who support a violent, jihadist ideology.

Previous  posts reported that Egyptian Brotherhood leaders said that the Brotherhood “aims to apply Islamic legislation”  and that they they plan to establish an Islamic state after achieving power though its newly founded political party. Although the Egyptian Brotherhood has said it does not plan to field a candidate for President,  well-known Brotherhood leader Abdul Munim Abu al Futuh will reportedly stand as an independent candidate in the election

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