CAIRO – Egypt's Islamists, represented by the Muslim Brotherhood, were triumphant when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan landed in Cairo. The Muslim group, which is flexing its muscles to control the political life in Egypt, claimed that it was drawing its inspiration from Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party. Further, exaggerating its admiration for Erdogan and his party's tendencies, the group seems to have blundered when it claimed that the Turkish Prime Minister's party was displaying overlapping labels of Islam and politics. It was apparent that Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, whether intentionally or otherwise, lent deaf ears to voices trying to remind them that ‘secularism' was one of the chief principles of Erdogan's party. Big Muslim Brother names in Egypt also appeared to have deliberately jeered at voices seeking to draw their attention to the fact that, regardless of its Islamic labels, Erdogan's party has thrown its door wide open to Christians, Jews, and even non-believers to come forward and receive the party's ticket. That was why the Muslim Brotherhood and its leaders must have been greatly disappointed when they arrayed themselves in the first row to listen to Erdogan's speech. They became restive when the Turkish Prime Minister declared that his party divided its loyalty between different religions and, at the same time, admired secularism. Murmurs of discontent were audible in the audiences. They suggested that the Turkish Prime Minister had overstepped the line when he decided to give lessons to others on how to manage their own affairs and draw up the map of their future. There is a great distance between Erdogan's thoughts and future dreams and those of the Muslim Brotherhood.
