CAIRO: Fouad Allam, the former head of State Security Investigations, launched an attack on the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in an exclusive interview with local online news portal Masrawy.com published Wednesday. Allam told Masrawy that the Brotherhood's success in the 2005 parliamentary elections, when the banned group won 88 seats through fielding independent candidates, has made the group's Supreme Guide Mohamed Mahdi Akef "think that this could be a powerful path to rule and that it is possible to send 10 thousand fighters to Gaza. The MB is the "origin of terrorism, as they do not abide with any laws or regulations Allam reportedly said. Allam admits, however, that using security tactics in dealing with the Muslim Brotherhood is a "big mistake because it is not a security issue, but a political issue with a "large religious dimension. He also refutes the notion that the MB is hugely popular among the masses of Egyptians, emphasizing that the group merely has the ability to convince the media and the public of their popularity. He attributes the MB's success in the 2005 legislative elections to their exploitation of other political forces and the ruling National Democratic Party's wrong choice of candidates. Allam adds that the group is also the most organized and committed group on the local political arena and is hence the most visible during elections. Allam said he expects a major decline in gains during the coming parliamentary elections in 2010, because their "supporters have lost trust in them and because other parties have recognized that they should not trust them.
