Islamist forces are struggling to show the public that elections are not their only concern, writes Amani Maged In response to a week of violent clashes in Qasr Al-Aini and streets surrounding the Cabinet Office the Muslim Brotherhood's (MB) Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has launched an opinion poll on its Facebook page, asking respondents to choose their preferred options for the transition period. Among the alternatives from which they could select was the immediate transfer of power from the military ruler to the Speaker of the People's Assembly, presidential elections being brought forward to 25 January or SCAF remaining in power until June next year. The vast majority -- 65 per cent -- of those who have taken part in the poll opted for the transfer of power from the military to the speaker of parliament. As clashes began last week the MB and Salafis reacted by issuing statements condemning those responsible for the violence. The MB insisted that the recurrence of such incidents and the large number of victims and injured suggested there are forces working against the revolution and its goals of freedom, democracy and social justice. Mahmoud Ghazlan, deputy guide of the group, argues that conditions are worsening because of the lack of transparency in previous investigations. The continuous delay in bringing those responsible for the clashes to justice, he said, acts to encourage other troublemakers. Meanwhile, contradictory statements issued by the military, ministry of interior and Cabinet, combined with provocative statements by some officials, wreak havoc on the Egyptian street. Ghazlan called on MPs to intercede with the authorities in an attempt to secure lives and calm down the situation in order for parliamentary elections to continue. Liberal groups accuse the Islamists of caring only about their election victory and refusing to come to the aid of demonstrators who are being mowed down with increasing brutality because they fear it might upset the election. Although the MB's young cadres have refrained from joining the protests they did issue a statement accusing SCAF and the military leadership of causing criminal turmoil on the streets surrounding the Cabinet Office and Tahrir. The charges they levelled include murder, assault, arson, physical and psychological torture and blocking public thoroughfares. MB Youth member Mohamed El-Qassas said Kamal El-Ganzouri's government failed before it began its work, and has shown itself incapable of keeping the one promise it did make, that no sit-ins would be forcibly dispersed. It has also failed to make public the results of investigations into any of the earlier clashes in which the military was involved. El-Qassas speculated that Mubarak supporters or foreigners were also fanning the flames of chaos, accusing SCAF of failing miserably in its management of the interim phase to the extent that Egypt's sovereignty is itself imperiled. He urged that the military return to barracks after the third phase of the elections, handing over power to the new speaker of parliament who will oversee the writing of the new constitution. Youth MBs believe that desperate attempts to manipulate developments because the transition to democracy is yet incomplete foretell a very explosive situation in the future. The FJP-led Democratic Alliance announced it would participate in a sit-in of activists until the violence in Tahrir ends. MB leaders taking part in the action include Mohamed El-Beltagui, the FJP's secretary-general in Cairo, who urged an immediate end to the violence and guarantees for the right to peaceful protest. The alliance has also demanded a judicial committee be immediately formed to investigate recent violations of human rights, assaults on women, and the burning of public buildings. El-Beltagui called for an end to the vilification of protesters by state-owned media and urged general intelligence, military intelligence, national security, criminal investigation and prosecutor-general agencies to reveal the names of the people who killed protesters during demonstrations in Maspero, Mohamed Mahmoud Street and in front of the Cabinet headquarters. He discounted claims that there is "a hidden hand", saying that in the absence of any proof they cannot be taken seriously. El-Beltagui demanded the immediate release of detainees held without legal basis, and condemned the targeting of political activists. He also held the authorities responsible for their safety. The Legislative Association for Reform (LAR), which includes Muslim Brothers and Salafis, issued its own statement describing the national salvation government led by El-Ganzouri as "a government for the salvation of the military". LAR made it clear, however, that its members would not be taking part in protests because they believed elections were the only guarantee of a trouble-free transition of power. It did, though, confirm the right of protesters to express their opinions peacefully. LAR described the torching of the Egyptian Scientific Institute adjacent to the cabinet headquarters as a crime against humanity and Egypt's culture that must be punished. The association warned against attempts by a third party -- associated with the former regime or with conflicting camps within the incumbent regime -- to sabotage the peaceful Egyptian revolution and incite strife and division among Egypt's free revolutionaries. They could, said LAR, be targeting some clerics such as the martyr Emad Effat, and female dissenters, exposing their bodies, especially the righteous ones. In a firmer tone the association warned against any attempt to undermine the electoral process, warning that it could lead to a second revolution.
