The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has intentionally leaked its platform for the 2010 Shura Council elections to the group's internet forum, according to a number of young Brotherhood members. The move, the Brothers said, was intended to see what kind of response the platform would elicit before its official announcement. Comments by forum participants will be taken into account when formulating the final platform, they added. Mohamed Abdel Karim, a blogger and MB member, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that leaking the platform is an attempt to test the waters before the Islamist organization puts together its final platform. Abdel Karim said that the Brotherhood's program resembles that of the 2007 elections. "Islam is the Solution" continues to be the group's motto, Abdel Karim pointed out. Not all MB members were so comfortable with the new platform. Hossam Yehia, another blogger, described it as "superficial," saying that the Guidance Bureau is still convinced the MB has the most powerful presence in the Egyptian street. Yehia criticized the Brotherhood for insisting on their motto despite ongoing dialogue with political parties which, he argues, necessitates change within the organization. The MB's political office disclosed the platform to one young man so he could post it on the internet forum, which tends to host the harshest criticism of the organization, said a source from within the Brotherhood, speaking on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Hussein, the MB secretary general, said that leaking the platform isn't a method the Brotherhood would use at all, particularly since the platform has not yet been finalized. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
