EGYPT/ Farouq: Free people taking ideals to the streets of Cairo

"The announcement by the Muslim Brotherhood that they will not run in the presidential elections in June may not be simply for the good of Egypt, but also for the good of their group. Their position is irreconcilable with that of the guys in Tahrir Square, as demonstrated by the fact that, on January 25 and 27 there were clashes between demonstrators and the main Islamist party.” This is the statement by Professor Wael Farouq, who tells IlSussidiario.net about the current situation in Egypt. After the inauguration of the Parliament, where Islamist parties won 70% of the seats, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in protest. According Farouq, "the Muslim Brotherhood wants to promote their ideology and so they are willing to make many compromises. The guys from Tahrir Square on the contrary are motivated by noble ideals, and that is their strength: faith cannot be compromised. What is happening in Egypt is the documentation of what Giussani said, that ‘the forces that change history are the same as those that change the heart of man’".

The Muslim Brotherhood has declared that it will not participate in the presidential elections. What is the real aim of this announcement?
The Muslim Brotherhood has their own personal vision of the future of the country, which one can share or not. At the same time, however, their concern is not only the good of Egypt, but the fact that they think of themselves as a specific group of people who belong to a very specific ideology, organization and political party. This is in clear contradiction with the spirit of the Egyptian revolution, and it is not by chance that we witnessed street battles between protesters and the Muslim Brotherhood. 47% of Egyptians voted for their party, but the driving forces of society are still the guys in Tahrir Square. When the Islamists say they will not stand for the presidential elections, they do so to pursue their goals as a party and ideology.

The Muslim Brotherhood, however, has shown that they have a precise political project. Why do young liberals limit themselves to simply affirming their ideals?