الرئيسية
An Egyptian protester sets up a tent in Tahrir Square in
Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. Anticipating a strong presence in
the new Egyptian parliament, ultraconservative Islamists have outlined
plans for a strict brand of religious law, a move that could limit
personal freedoms and steer a key U.S. ally toward an Islamic state. (AP
Photo/Bernat Armangue)
By AYA BATRAWY, AP
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, emerging as the
biggest winner in the first round of parliamentary elections, is seeking
to reassure Egyptians that it will not sacrifice personal freedoms in
promoting Islamic law.
The deputy head of the Brotherhood's new
political party, Essam el-Erian, told The Associated Press in a
telephone interview on Saturday that the group is not interested in
imposing Islamic values on Egypt, home to a sizable Christian minority
and others who object to being subject to strict Islamic codes.
"We
represent a moderate and fair party," el-Erian said of his Freedom and
Justice Party. "We want to apply the basics of Shariah law in a fair way
that respects human rights and personal rights," he said, referring to
Islamic law.
The comments were the clearest indication that the
Brotherhood was distancing itself from the ultraconservative Islamist
Nour Party, which appears to have won the second-largest share of votes
in the election's first phase.
The Nour Party espouses a strict
interpretation of Islam similar to that of Saudi Arabia, where the sexes
are segregated and women must be veiled and are barred from driving.
Egypt's
election commission has released few official results from the voting
on Monday and Tuesday. But preliminary counts have been leaked by judges
and individual political groups showing both parties could together
control a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament if they did
form an alliance.
The Brotherhood recently denied in a statement
that it seeks to form an alliance with the Nour Party in parliament,
calling it "premature and mere media speculation."
On Saturday,
el-Erian made it clear that the Brotherhood does not share Nour's more
hard-line aspirations to strictly enforce Islamic codes in Egyptians'
daily lives.
"We respect all people in their choice of religion and life," he said.
Another
major check on such an agenda is the council of generals who have run
the country since President Hosni Mubarak's ouster in February. The
military council, accused by Egypt's protest movement of stalling a
transition to civilian and democratic rule, is seeking to limit the
powers of the next parliament and maintain close oversight over the
drafting of a new constitution.
Egypt already uses Shariah law as
the basis for legislation, however Egyptian laws remain largely secular
as Shariah does not cover all aspects of modern life.
On its
English-language Twitter account, the Brotherhood said that its
priorities were to fix Egypt's economy and improve the lives of ordinary
Egyptians, "not to change (the) face of Egypt into (an) Islamic state."
El-Erian urged the Brotherhood's political rivals to accept the election results.
"We
all believe that our success as Egyptians toward democracy is a real
success and we want everyone to accept this democratic system. This is
the guarantee for stability," he said.
For decades, Mubarak's
regime suppressed the Brotherhood, which was politically banned but
managed to establish a vast network of activists and charities offering
free food and medical services throughout the country's impoverished
neighborhoods and villages.
It is the best organized of Egypt's post-Mubarak political forces.
The vote for parliament's lower house is taking place over three stages, with 18 provinces in Egypt yet to vote.
Meanwhile,
the swearing-in of a new temporary Cabinet was delayed on Saturday due
to disagreements over key posts, including over who will lead the
ministry in charge of internal security.
An official in the
Interior Ministry said several high-ranking security officials have been
named as possible replacements but that some have turned down the
offer.
Protesters have also strongly objected to the nominations
put forward by newly appointed Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri, who
served in the same position under ousted President Hosni Mubarak from
1996 to 1999.
The country's ruling military general, Field
Marshal Hussein Tantawi, appointed el-Ganzouri as a new interim prime
minister last month after the previous premier's government resigned in
the wake of a police crackdown on protesters that killed over 40 people.
The
interim Cabinet will serve until after the parliamentary elections
finish in March. A new government is to be formed after the legislature
is seated.
Activist Hussein Hammouda, a retired police brigadier,
is among those opposed to the names being considered for the Interior
Minister post and says someone from outside the police force should be
chosen instead.
Protesters in Tahrir Square, the epicenter of
Egypt's protests, released a statement saying they would continue their
sit-in while allowing traffic to resume normally in the area.
There
were tens of thousands of protesters in the square in the days leading
up to the elections, but numbers have dwindled to several hundred since
then. Protesters demanding el-Ganzouri be replaced as prime minister
said they will keep up another sit-in outside the Cabinet headquarters.
