Muslim Brotherhood leader Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh said on Wednesday he had halted his activities with the Muslim Brotherhood since 11 February to pursue his presidential campaign. Abouel Fotouh's statements came after Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badei prohibited group members from running for president and vowed to discipline any who disobeyed. In a meeting with members of his electoral campaign on Wednesday, Abouel Fotouh said he submitted a memorandum to the group after former President Hosni Mubarak resigned asking the Brotherhood to suspend his activities. Abouel Fotouh's Facebook page includes videos of his meetings with campaign volunteers, during which he declared that it was too early to think about coordinating with another presidential candidate. "If the Islamists assume power, they should not prevent others from expressing opinions and setting laws, or else it will be another National Democratic Party,” Abouel Fotouh said. He asserted that Islamists don't practice intellectual terrorism over other parties or groups and said that if a voter chooses a non-Islamist candidate it does not mean he or she is against Islam. “We're owners of a civilized project. We will continue on the same path as a group after this campaign ends, regardless of the results,” Abouel Fotouh told his campaign members. Translated from the Arabic Edition
