CAIRO: Thirty-eight members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) were detained Thursday for a further 15 days pending investigation. The arrests early last week came after a crackdown on a march in the governorate of Kafr El-Sheikh in support of a parliamentary candidate. Security forces had arrested 100 MB supporters during an 8,000-strong march Tuesday in Dosouq, Kafr El-Sheikh in support of the MB parliamentary candidate who was running in complementary elections to the People's Assembly (PA) due to begin this week. Additionally, State Security arrested Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, a leading MB figure in Alexandria, at the airport as he returned from Saudi Arabia. Two other members, Raafat Alian and Khaled Mohamed were also arrested in Alexandria Tuesday, but were released Thursday in Mansheya. The group has blamed the latest crackdown on the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), claiming it is attempting to stifle any sort of effective opposition to it. MB Advisor to the Supreme Guide Gamal Nassar told Daily News Egypt, "The NDP does not want any competitor in the Egyptian street. It has frozen opposition parties and any political power, including the MB, which has an effective role in the street, it seeks to stop. In Mansheya, Alexandria, candidate Saad El-Sayed along with fellow MB parliamentary candidate Mahmoud Awad said they have been unable to issue permits to representatives who can be present at the electoral committees and oversee the ballots. In addition, the candidates claim they have not been given voter lists nor have they been told the number and location of the ballots stations even though they paid the necessary fees and applied for the requisite permits. "The Brotherhood will have a role in responding to this through the PA and will continue to do so in a democratic and peaceful manner, Nassar said. The candidates claim they were told by government bureaucrats that there were orders not to issue permits to MB candidates, so they have decided to take the matter up in the Alexandria Administrative Court. Nassar said, "The obstacles will continue because unfortunately the NDP are using all methods to counter effective opposition, whether through current laws or by creating new ones such as the recent constitutional amendments in 2007 to pursue their aims. The area of Mansheya in the port city of Alexandria has historical significance for the outlawed group. It was the site of the assassination attempt on then President Gamal Abdel-Nasser in 1954, which the regime blamed squarely on the MB and led to the ruling Free Officers to drive many of the group out of the country.
