Islamists are divided over whether to participate in a demonstration called for by the Muslim Brotherhood to protest Mubarak regime members’ candidacies in the upcoming presidential election.
The call to protest comes after Omar Suleiman, ex-spy chief under Hosni Mubarak, announced his presidential bid Friday.
Jama’a al-Islamiya, the Islamic Legal Body for Rights and Reform, the Salafi Front and the Salafi-led Asala Party decided to participate. However, the Salafi-led Dawa movement and Nour Party, as well the Sufi orders, decided not to.
The Freedom and Justice Party said in a statement that the protest seeks to join a number of political forces to prevent the return of the ousted corrupt regime.
The Salafi Front spokesperson said a meeting with political and revolutionary powers, including the April 6 Youth Movement and the 25 January Revolution Youth Coalition, has failed “because they insisted on demands such as forming a national salvation government chaired by Mohamed ElBaradei.”
Adel Afify, head of the Asala Party, said his party will participate in the protest to face the remnants of the Mubarak regime, calling the demonstration “a kickoff for a series of protests and sit-ins until Suleiman and ex-Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq are removed from the presidential race.”
The spokesperson of Nour Party’s parliamentary bloc, Ahmed Khalil, said his party will not take part because they were not able to mobilize people because of the limited amount of time.
The Sufi orders will not participate and are instead preparing for another protest on 20 April called for by the April 6 Youth Movement, said Essam Mohie, the general secretary of the Sufi-influenced Egyptian Liberation Party.
Islamist movements hurrying to go down to the streets — particularly after Suleiman’s nomination — proves the protest is a conflict over power, Mohie added.
