Muslim Brotherhood factional spat
There is a time in the maturation process of political organizations where the younger members step up to control the direction and to ensure the relevance of the strategic direction, or the organization withers and dies on the vine. This is such a time for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
Evidence is growing of an internal spat about the future direction of the group. This tension, in large part, is due to a generational shift. There is a widespread discontent among a younger generation that complains of rigid, antiquated command that stifles views differing from the conservative’s austere political vision. Specifically the younger members are frustrated with the differences in ideology, specifically on allowing women to rule, and clerical oversight promoted by the older members. The Brotherhood is facing a painful developmental phase.
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood was swift in its rejection of reports that its leader resigned after a row with conservatives, but the crisis exposed a profound rift among the Islamists, analysts said.
The Brotherhood was reacting to front page reports in the Egyptian press on Monday that Supreme Guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef stormed out of a meeting at the weekend, saying he quit.
” It is an organisational conflict. There is a group that does not want newcomers, and there could be an ideological aspect as well “
Diaa Rashwan, expert on the Brotherhood
Akef reportedly clashed with conservative leaders over the appointment of senior member Essam al-Erian, who is associated with the Islamist group’s reformist wing, to the Brotherhood’s politburo.
The dispute has been brewing since the recent death of Mohammed Hilal, which opened a seat in the group’s politburo. The conservatives reportedly blocked Erian when he was nominated.
On the face of it, analysts said, it was a mere power struggle, pitting an old guard that survived the harsh crackdown by former president Gamal Abdel Nasser in the 1960s against relatively new and moderate newcomers such as Erian.
“There was a conflict, that was for sure,” said Diaa Rashwan, an expert on the Brotherhood with the Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.
“It is an organisational conflict. There is a group that does not want newcomers, and there could be an ideological aspect as well,” he said.
Middle East News | Resignation crisis shows Egypt brotherhood rift
