A former lawyer for Egypt's Islamist groups has turned into the defender of democracy, announcing the formation of a new political party, Karim El-Khashab investigates Controversial lawyer Montasser El-Zayat, most famous for acting on behalf of members of various Islamist groups, this week announced the formation of a new political party, the Union for Freedom Party, following months of speculation about his intentions. The new party, El-Zayat said, was not a religious party, but "a civil party within an Islamic framework," and it would not use religious elements in its campaigns. Perhaps surprisingly for a party within an Islamic framework, El-Zayat also said that the new party already included some Christian members. The party had almost 60 female members, he said, but he would not name any of the 500 members he claimed have already joined the party. El-Zayat did not outline the policies of the new party, except to say that it would call for free and fair elections without the interference of the government and for political pluralism. However, he was quick to distance the party from Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya, whom he had previously represented. "There are no ties between us and these groups, but we would welcome any of their members in the party," El-Zayat said, denying the possibility that the new party would have close links with the Muslim Brotherhood. For its part the Brotherhood dismissed the creation of the party as nothing more than a media campaign by El-Zayat. Hossam Labib, a member of the banned group, told Al-Ahram Weekly that he saw little future for the new party. "It is highly unlikely that this party will be recognised by the government, as was the case with the many others who came before it," he said, adding that the problem with such parties was that they had no real grassroots support and their members were drawn exclusively from the intellectual class. However, Abdallah Aziz, who has written several books on Islamist movements in Egypt, says that the creation of the new party signals something bigger. Though he agreed that the chances of the new party's being recognised were slim, its formation came on the back of a shift in strategy amongst the former hardline Islamist groups. "When someone creates a political party, that means they want to be recognised and to be part of the mainstream," Aziz told the Weekly, adding that this was a trend not just in Egypt but all over the region. "Recently, we have seen the Interior Ministry free dozens of former militants that El-Zayat used to defend, claiming that they have been rehabilitated and have renounced violence." Aziz added that this was a sign that these groups have realised there is little to gain from being on the margins, and that the idea they can use force to weaken the regime has failed. This was why Hamas has entered into elections, why Hizbullah in Lebanon is conducting a dialogue with the government, and why the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has softened its stance on issues like women and democracy, he said. "Guns don't do the trick anymore, and no one will sympathise with you. But talk of democracy and freedom could give you a bigger platform," Aziz said, adding that El-Zayat's move was part of a strategy to bring political Islam into the mainstream, both at home and abroad. Much of what El-Zayat has said about the platform of his new party seems to suggest such a shift. On the issue of women and the wearing of the headscarf, or higab, for example, El-Zayat said that "not wearing it is something that God punishes, not us". On the issue of religious minorities such as Christians, El-Zayat also seems to have changed his previous position, saying that all Egyptians should be allowed to participate fully in the political process without exception. Previously, El-Zayat had called for a special tax, or gizia, to be levied on non-Muslims in Egypt. The new party seems set to attract many so- called repentant Islamists who have now been freed from jail, but there are still many observers who remain sceptical about apparent changes in ideology. Even more doubtful is whether the party will receive authorisation from the government, El-Zayat denying the claim that he had made a deal with the authorities, helping them "rehabilitate" former Islamist militants in exchange for authorisation. "We do not recognise the government's right to authorise political parties, but we are forced to work with it," he said, perhaps summing up the new shift in tactics.
