A new initiative to be proposed by dissidents who have broken away from the Muslim Brotherhood raises the question of the extent of their influence with the organisation they have left. And can any initiative garner support among the government, other political forces and wider society? The initiative has been developed by a number of splinter movements which joined to create the National Reconciliation Council. Its members include Muslim Brotherhood Youth, Dissident Muslim Brotherhood Youth, Muslim Brothers without Violence, the Free Muslim Brothers and the Dissident Muslim Brothers. The council is headed by Amr Amara, its secretary-general is Ahmed Yehia and its media spokesman is Hussein Abdel-Rahman. Hana Mohamed, Amal Abu Shadi, Khaled Al-Tayeb, Mahmoud Mohammedi and Samir Amer are among its members. They all left the Muslim Brotherhood following the breakup of the sit-ins at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque and Nahda Square. Amara told Al-Ahram Weekly that the initiative, which will be unveiled on 8 March during a meeting at the Free Egyptians Party headquarters, contains a number of demands. It calls for the release of Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members who were arrested on the grounds of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood but have had no charges brought against them. It wants the Muslim Brotherhood to regain legal status, the non-dissolution of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the lifting of the sequestration of the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters, an end to the ban on Muslim Brotherhood and FJP media such as the Misr 25 satellite channel and the Freedom and Justice newspaper and a halt to the execution of the ruling calling for the sequestration of the assets and property of the Muslim Brotherhood, the FJP and individual Muslim Brotherhood members. In return, the Muslim Brotherhood would cease international litigation measures against the Egyptian government. The initiative includes an “anti-violence charter” that bans violence, whether on the part of the state towards groups or individuals or the reverse. It calls for the creation of a fact-finding commission tasked with identifying injured parties, arranging for their compensation and bringing those guilty of wrongdoing to justice. All parties to the reconciliation agreement would commit themselves to working together positively and recognising the current roadmap and its products and the right of the Muslim Brothers to participate in the political process in accordance with the constitution and the law. The Reconciliation Council, says Amara, welcomes all opinions on the initiative which he claims has been rejected by some politicians before they know what it contains. He added that the main purpose of the initiative was to halt bloodshed and argued that the proposals be put to a public referendum. According to Amara, the members of the Reconciliation Council were inspired by the Quranic verses: “...Save those who command charity, kind deeds and reconciliation among mankind..” (Nisaa 114), “Believers are brethren, thus make reconciliation among your brethren.” (Hujurat 10), and “He who pardons and makes amends will find his reward with God.” (Al-Shura 40). They were also inspired by the Saying of the Prophet: “Reconciliation is permissible among Muslims, apart from a reconciliation that prohibits the lawful or legitimises the prohibited. Muslims [are free to choose] their terms apart from a term that prohibits the legitimate or legitimises the prohibited.” Several analysts dismiss the initiative out of hand, insisting that the Muslim Brotherhood must leave politics altogether. The group, they say, is responsible for shedding the blood of many Egyptians and has been involved in numerous terrorist operations and the initiative would effectively reward terrorists. It is impossible, they argue, to be reconciled with a group that refuses to acknowledge it is guilty of any wrongdoing. Another body of opinion approves of the idea of reconciliation in principle but believes the process should be deferred until after the presidential elections. Priority needs to be given to establishing the political order and ensuring that the people's will is expressed in the election of the new president. Although the initiative has not been officially submitted to the interim president it has been reported that Kemal El-Helbawi, a onetime Muslim Brotherhood leader who broke away from the organisation, brought it up during a meeting with Mansour on Saturday. According to reports the two men discussed a raft of problems that would put paid to the initiative, not least that the Muslim Brotherhood does not trust the dissident Muslim Brothers. It regards them as “government plants”. And the substance of the initiative, it was reported, was deemed to offer the Muslim Brotherhood a great deal in exchange for very little. Yet the initiative as worded would compel the Brotherhood to compromise their refusal to recognise the post 3 July roadmap as anything but a “coup.” However tempting the rewards the Muslim Brotherhood leadership is unlikely to approve of the initiative. Muslim Brotherhood youth, on the other hand, will be sharply divided over it. Another problem relates to the jihadist groups that have entered into an undeclared alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood since the overthrow of the Morsi regime and the beginning of the new roadmap. Having been stripped of their political cover with the fall from power of the Islamist group they have returned to violence. They believe it is unacceptable for an ally they have helped in its bid to pressure the government to reap the fruits of an initiative while they are left empty handed. On the part of the government there is a feeling that, whatever the magnitude of the terrorist challenge it faces, it is not in such a bad position and there is nothing to compel it to work for a reconciliation that will result in the loss of many international allies. The government has repeated time and again that it is contending with a terrorist peril and working to prevent its spread to other countries of the region, the Gulf in particular. Several Gulf countries have backed Egypt and gained from Cairo's decision to brand the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. The move helped legitimise actions against members of the International Muslim Brotherhood in their countries. One of the most formidable obstacles to the initiative is popular sentiment. The public has come to believe that the Muslim Brothers are terrorists who can be blamed for the deaths of police and army officers and soldiers. The public still holds the Muslim Brotherhood responsible for many ills during the Morsi era, most notably the exclusion of significant components of society from government. While young Muslim Brother dissidents are keen to advance the initiative as a means to promote calm ahead of presidential elections, some of them say that another reason is to expose the Muslim Brotherhood to itself and the rest of the country. As one of them put it to the Weekly, the Muslim Brotherhood's response to the initiative “will confirm that they are still working against the nation and that they are solely bent on power regardless of the damage they cause.” The initiative is unlikely to be welcomed in government circles, among wider society or by the Muslim Brotherhood itself. There have been many previous initiatives that have come and gone as the situation on the ground fluctuated, sometimes in favour of the Muslim Brotherhood at other times in favour of the state which still possesses the instruments of force — the army and police — as well as immense popular support. In addition public opinion has been heartened by the recent cabinet reshuffle under Ibrahim Mehleb. The new prime minister is noted for his passion for getting things done. The people have renewed hope in positive change that does not include “reconciliation” with the Muslim Brotherhood. Reconciliation remains a non-starter at this stage though its prospects might look brighter following the presidential elections.
