CAIRO - A new poll finds a majority of Egyptians do not support Egypt's most powerful Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood, and less than 1 per cent want an Iran-style Islamic theocracy. The Gallup poll conducted after the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak found that while 69 per cent of Egyptians want religious leaders to have an "advisory role" in new legislation, most do not want a government based in religion. Only 15 per cent said that they support the Muslim Brotherhood, while more than 60 per cent showed no political preference. The poll, conducted in April, surveyed 1,000 Egyptians nationwide and had a margin of 3 percentage points. It appears to contradict a widely held view that the Muslim Brotherhood will be a big winner in upcoming parliamentary elections.
