Young members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) opposition movement say the group's newly elected leader, Mohamed Badie, has rejected a memo submitted by members contesting results of recent elections for the group's authoritative Guidance Bureau. Critics within the MB allege that the bureau elections represented an attempt by the leadership to destroy the reformist faction within the group. "Rejecting the demands of reformers and prohibiting them from speaking to the media will lead to clashes between the group's leadership and its rank and file," said young MB member Mohamed Heikal. Another young member, Abdel Rahman Aiash, said: "Suppressing reformers will only serve to make the MB ineffective, while the group will end up losing contributions." In a related development, 18 MB members were arrested Thursday in the Gharbiya and Fayoum provinces, while 20 others were remanded into custody for 15 days. All men face charges of "belonging to a banned group" and "promoting anti-regime ideologies." Former group leader Mahdi Akef said that the latest crackdown against the MB would "not stop the group from fulfilling its mission." Translated from the Arabic Edition.
