CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) group, declared that they are in the final stages of announcing what they called the Muslim Brotherhood party program without applying for legal political party status, deputy leader Mohamed Habib told Daily News Egypt. The Brotherhood will announce its strategy, policies and opinions regarding different political, social and economic issues, he added. Lawyer Ahmed Sayed told Daily News Egypt that there is nothing legally wrong in what the Brotherhood is planning to do. The legal problem will arise if they decide to launch a political party on their own, Sayed said. He also explained that the group is boycotting the Shoura Council's political parties committee charged with screening potential parties. The MB considers it to be illegal because it is under government authority which strips it of objectivity. We will not by any means try to approach the political parties committee, Habib said. According to Habib, the group has not yet set a deadline by which time it will declare its program. "The program must be carefully revised and we do not want to set a date that we cannot meet. The Brotherhood s announcement will put an end to the long on-going speculations about the group s stance regarding internal and external political concerns that include the use of violence and women s role in society, Sayed said. The lack of a political program stoked fears that, once in power, the Brotherhood would set up an Islamic State, gag freedom of expression and discriminate against followers of other religions.
