The US Congress on Wednesday discussed the place of the Muslim Brotherhood group in Egypt’s future political scene.
Robert Satloff of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy warned of the group reaching power in Egypt. He said that it pretends to be peaceful, modern and democratic, whereas in reality it aims to “Islamize” Egyptian society.
He also warned of the group pulling out of the Camp David and Qualified Industrial Zones agreements if it comes to power, and of possible sectarian violence resulting from the group clashing with moderate Islamic trends.
Satloff called on Washington to provide the Egyptian armed forces with information about the group’s financial resources so as to impede its objectives and help build a democratic state in Egypt.
On the other hand, Lorenzo Vidino of the Rand Corporation in Washington contended the Muslim Brotherhood is a “pragmatic” group that believes the end justifies the means, but said it is not as popular on the Egyptian street as some like to think.
Nevertheless, he said that it would be naive of Washington to think of the group as a reliable partner.
Ahmed Mansour, head of the Quraniyoon group, said the greatest danger comes from Salafis, who want to divide the world into an Islamic Orient and a Christian Occident, and who believe that the war between the two camps would bring the world to an end.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
