The failure of Abdel Moneim al-Shahat, a prominent leader and the official spokesperson for the Salafi movement in Alexandria, to win a seat in parliament, has caused anger among Egypt's Salafis, who accuse the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood of acting against them. Shahat, who is highly popular among Egypt's Salafis, failed to win a seat in an electoral run off last week against an independent candidate backed by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. His loss might serve as “a great victory and the beginning of the establishment of an Islamic state,” said Sayyed al-Affany, Nour's secretary general in Beni Suef. Affany, who was speaking in a conference last week, said that “the secularist and liberal devils on earth have nothing but low morals.” Shahat is a member of the ultraconservative Salafi Nour party, which unexpectedly won 24.4 percent of the votes allocated for party-lists constituencies during the first round of parliamentary elections. Salafis in Egypt have a history of staying out of politics, which they say corrupt religious principles. The movement considers democracy a Western system of government and generally does not accept the appointment of women or non-Muslims to leadership positions. Shahat's comments have caused a series of controversies since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak on 11 February. Salafis adopt a literal interpretation of religious texts and therefore do not see parliament as the proper source of legislation or the people as the proper source of authority. Earlier this year, Shahat said that democracy is a heretical practice that contradicts Islam. He also confirmed an earlier statement that women's participation in parliament is inconsistent with the nature of women. Early this month during a TV interview, Shahat cited the writings of late Egyptian Nobel prize winner Naguib Mahfouz as “inciting promiscuity, prostitution and atheism.” He also argued that Coptic Christians, who make up to 10 percent of the population, should not be allowed to run in parliamentary or presidential elections. Affany added that the church warned against voting for Shahat in the run-off and several “so-called Muslims listened to its warning.” “How could a Muslim join hands with a non-Muslim to bring down his Muslim brother?” he asked. “To those we say, the Treaty of Hudaibiya appeared to be oppressive to Muslims, but turned out to be a great victory: Allah allowed Muslims to open Mecca and a lot of people embraced Islam.” He said the loss of Shahat would usher the establishment of an Islamic state ruled by Islamic Sharia law. Yasser Borhamy, vice president of the Nour Party, said “losing a seat in parliament is better than losing each other. Our morals are our capital.” He denied rumors that Shahat no longer served as official spokesperson for the Salafi movement.
