CAIRO, 9 May 2005 — Egypt’s banned Muslim Brotherhood vowed yesterday to continue staging demonstrations despite hundreds of the Islamist movement’s supporters being detained in a police crackdown. Egypt’s largest Islamic group, which has been demanding political reforms in Egypt, says police have detained more than 2,000 of its supporters during nationwide protests held Wednesday and Friday.
The Brotherhood, which has been banned since 1954, renounced violence years ago, but its leader told reporters during a packed press conference that it will keep staging protests seeking political reform from the government of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, leader since 1981.
“We are not getting into a confrontation, but we will hold demonstrations soon demanding change,” Mohammed Mahdi Akef said. “We are reaching out to oppressed Egyptians who reject the oppressive way in which they are being ruled.” Akef, 77, addressed the media while standing beside large photographs of three Brotherhood members who died during previous protests or in police custody.
“I’m not looking for clash, not calling for a fight, I categorically reject it, it’s not my agenda,” said Akef. “The ruling elite wants a clash because they don’t any voice. We want nothing but freedom, if freedom is absent, everything else is.” “Demonstrations are one of various kinds of expression that we could use,” he added without elaborating.
One member, Tarek Ghannam, died after Friday prayers near the Nile Delta town of Mansoura. Akef said in a statement that police killed him with a blow to the head, which led to a hemorrhage. Police said he was killed in a crush. Authorities arrested some 2,000 members of
the group last week and the police have referred 800 of them to prosecutors for possible indictment. The 800 have been detained for questioning for an initial period of 15 days, Akef said.
The frequency of anti-government protests has increased since December and the Brotherhood, after long avoiding confrontation with the government, has since March joined more secular reform movements demanding reform. A catalyst for the demonstrators has been Mubarak’s surprise call for multi-candidate presidential elections to be held for the first time in September.
Mubarak, 77, hasn’t announced if he will run for a fifth term, but is widely expected to do so. The president has said no religious-oriented political parties will be allowed to compete. The Brotherhood, which calls for the implementation of Islamic law in Egypt, was established in 1928.
Despite being barred from running as a political party in elections, the state tolerates some of its activities but has frequently cracked down on it. Fifteen Brotherhood members have been elected to parliament as independents, forming the largest opposition bloc.
