The lead up to 11 November, the day on which the Muslim Brotherhood has called on people to take to the streets to protest the deterioration in their living standards, saw the pound being floated and cuts to fuel subsidies. The subsequent devaluation of the pound, and its inevitable impact on inflation, could not have come at a more critical time. Some Muslim Brothers living abroad have taken to social media to urge the public to participate in what they term “the revolution of the poor”, capitalising on the recently enacted economic reforms in an attempt to mobilise people. The general response, however, has been muted. The mass of the public appears indifferent to the Brotherhood's calls to demonstrate and are wary of any actions that could promote chaos. In an attempt to stoke tensions, the banned group used its satellite channels to broadcast interviews with people upset with inflation rates which have seen the price of foodstuffs soar and the cost of public transport increase. The Muslim Brotherhood views the government's programme of economic reform as providing fertile ground for the fanning of discontent. Floating the country's currency will destroy Egypt, claims the group, and the poor will take to the streets in their millions to protest the increased price of food staples. According to a source close to the Muslim Brotherhood, Mahmoud Ezzat, deputy supreme guide of the group, supports the call for demonstrations. Another source, however, expects the group, divided between old and young leaderships, will not participate en masse in the protests. While younger cadres want to ally with other opposition movements, the old leadership thinks the opposition is too weak to face up to the security forces which have had ample time to prepare and will stand firm in the face of any demonstrations. US-based Brotherhood leaders have said that participating in demonstrations tomorrow is tantamount to “political madness”. It is a position that those members of the group still hold in hope to reconcile with the state. Commentators also point out that should any demonstrations take place, the Brotherhood will be keen to project them as an uprising of the angry masses and are therefore unlikely to attend in large numbers. Instead, the group is adopting other tactics in an attempt to fuel discontent, including writing seditious slogans on circulating banknotes. While the Brotherhood is acting behind the scenes in an attempt to use Egypt's economic crisis to stir opposition to the government, the Salafis have adopted a neutral stand on economic reforms. They are against the 11/11 calls and support the government's economic policies with the proviso that a safety net be put in place to protect the poorest members of society.
