(Washington Post) Ernesto Londono and Leila Fadel - The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition movement, soon will face competition from emerging political factions led by tech-savvy young Egyptians, as the country gears up for what could be its first fair election. The Islamist group also is facing internal discord, with a handful of young members breaking away. Some say they disapprove of its rigid top-down leadership structure and its politics. "In light of the oppression of Mubarak, the group was cohesive, one body," said Abdel Moneim Mahmoud, an Egyptian journalist and former member. "Now there is freedom. Many ideas will come to the surface and break some of that cohesion." Political analysts say the Brotherhood is deliberately keeping a low profile because its leaders are concerned that showing more ambition could backfire by stirring fear in the West and among secular Egyptians. "You don't know if what they say is what they want, and that's the big concern," a Western diplomat said.
2011-02-23 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive