ALEXANDRIA (Egypt) - The coastal city of Alexandria used to be famous for its cultural diversity, but now it has become a fortress for Muslim fundamentalists, who are apparently intolerant of ideologies other than their own. The violent clashes between supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and the police ahead of today's legislative elections have renewed the debate about the curious relationship between Alexandria's geography and history and the growing influence of the outlawed organisation. Over the past two weeks, hundreds of the organisation's supporters in Alexandria have been arrested for causing chaos, terrorising rival candidates and hitting policemen with stones and sticks, when they intervened. The group's spokesman says about 1,250 of the organisation's supporters have been arrested in the past fortnight. The figure is likely to treble by today, as the police are expecting an escalation in violence when citizens go to cast their votes. Like Alexandria, the Delta governorates of Sharqiya and Mansoura are notorious for tragic clashes on voting day. Sources in the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) claim that the Brotherhood used violence in the 2005 elections, when they seized 88 seats ��" eight in Alexandria alone ��" in the People's Assembly (The Lower House of Egypt's Parliament). Built by the legendary Alexander theGreat, this coastal city established itself as the cultural capital of the ancient world. Named after its founder, Alexandria used to be a highly cosmopolitan city teeming with different races, cultures, traditions and faiths. Attempts in modern times to revive the city's glorious history appear to be facing a serious challenging from the Brotherhood. Since late President Anwar el-Sadat ordered the release of the group's theorists and influential members from jail, the Brotherhood have gained a strong foothold in this coastal city. But it is thought that the clandestine group cleverly decided to 'dig in' in Alexandria back in the 1940s, in order to keep away from the beady eyes of the police in Cairo. The fundamentalist group fortified themselves behind the walls of Alexandria, when their help was sought by army officers planning to oust the monarchy in July 1952, say historians. The Muslim Brotherhood first decided to flex their muscles in 1954 when they attempted to assassinate their former 'brother', President Gamal Abdel- Nasser, in 1954 during a mass rally in Alexandria of all places, they add. The group's muscles continued to bulge as they mobilised thousands of their members to stage mass rallies to denounce the Government's approach to different local, regional and international issues. These demonstrations made the news headlines, locally and internationally, during the US-led war on Iraq, and the Israeli wars on Lebanon (2006) and Gaza (2008-09). Although the Brotherhood have organised anti-US rallies in Cairo (the home of Al-Azhar, the highest Muslim institution in the country), the security authorities in Alexandria have faced a bigger challenge, especially with the outlawed group becoming angry about the disappearance of Coptic women, having allegedly converted to Islam. Voluble and articulate preachers have been instructed to lead the summer camps held in Alexandria for young members. These preachers have included Abbas el- Sissy, Mohamed Hussein Eissa, Mohamed Abdel- Moneim and Wagdi Ghoneim. The group's leading preacher at present is Gomaa Amin, the deputy to the group's Supreme Guide. Eissa has provided the group's central library with more than 50 books about Sharia (Islamic Law) and fiqh (jurisprudence), while el-Sissy is a very influential preacher who used to be active in Alexandria. Known for his irresistible charisma and articulation, el-Sissy was sworn in by the group's founder Hassan el-Banna way back in 1940, amidst the roaring of the guns of war. He was arrested in 1948 and spent six months behind bars; in 1954 he was arrested again and this time spent two years in prison. Like el-Sissy, Ghoneim was very popular with the hundreds of thousands of Muslim fundamentalists living in Alexandria, before deciding to flee abroad, in order to escape the warrants for his arrest. Ghoneim was deported by the UK authorities for his alleged role in inciting fundamentalist and terrorist ideologies. He went to Bahrain but had to leave after expressing his sympathy for the regime of late President Saddam Hussein over his country's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. He went to Yemen, but the security authorities there soon asked him to move on for unclear reasons.His whereabouts are not known at present.
