CAIRO - “Not again” was the sigh reverberating across Egypt when the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) pulled their swords and declared a holy war against certain presidential candidates. The MB stated officially that they were grooming one of their heavyweight members to run in the presidential elections in May. The speculations are focusing on multimillionaire Khairat el-Shater. If these speculations turn out to be true, the MB's chief warrior will arm himself with a golden sword to cut off the heads of his rivals. His armour and shield will be covered with Qur'anic texts to protect him from the arrows shot by those not belonging to the Brotherhood. When invading the presidential palace, el-Shater's warrior army will undoubtedly include Salafists (diehard Muslim fundamentalists). Known for being passionate defenders of outdated Islamic interpretations, the Salafists will probably want to enter the war on horseback. El-Shater's warriors will undoubtedly wave copies of the holy Qu'ran to convince-or compel-the simple and brainwashed Egyptians. The MB Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie must now be examining his wardrobe to find the best ceremonial outfit worthy of the occasion. Reviving the Muslim Caliphate tradition, Badie will head the ceremonial procession to wish ‘el-Shater the Conqueror' good luck for his presidential mission. The new Caliph (Mohamed Badie) will definitely remind el-Shater the Conqueror to revive the actions of Amr Ibn el-As, who pioneered the spreading of Islam in Egypt. El-Shater will not let his General Guide down and seize the golden opportunity to create a niche for himself in the history of great Muslim warriors. El-Shater will be a record holder: he will possess the biggest power and wealth in Egypt. He is the MB's richest member, a movement controlled, since its birth, by a group of multimillionaires. They are said to possess a collective wealth of billions of US dollars deposited in many banks overseas, particularly in the US and Europe. Regardless of the group's lifelong dream of seizing power, its latest conniving act will reduce the popularity it gained after it had carefully orchestrated participation in the January 25 Revolution. The MB's announcement to nominate el-Shater as presidential candidate has also shaken their credibility. Politicians and citizens remember now the MB's 80-year history of manoeuvring and suspicious deals with the nation's rulers, including the late King Farouk. The organisation is notorious for never keeping its promises or telling the truth. Months and weeks before the parliamentary elections, the group coaxed the public into believing that it would compete for no more than 40 per cent of People's Assembly seats; but the MB ravenously seized more than 60 per cent. They also promised not to have a nominee in the first post-revolution presidential elections. Now the opposite is the case. Reneging on other promises, the MB's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) fought for 50 per cent of constituent assembly seats. According to this cycle, the present members' grandfathers did the same under four regimes including King Farouk's in 1949. They boosted and supported the army-led revolution on July 23, 1952, but not satisfied with the ‘spoils' they were offered, these grandfathers revolted against the army to overthrow the military government led by then Colonel Gamal Abdel-Nasser. Thousands of MB leaders and members were imprisoned and brutally tortured under Nasser, whose successor Anwar el-Sadat released them to help him silence his communist foes. They successfully lived up to Sadat's expectation, but true to their manipulative genes they rewarded him with assassination in 1973. Learning the lesson from the unfortunate relationship, Sadat's successor Hosni Mubarak started a cat-and-mouse game with the Brotherhood. Although Mubarak's regime ostensibly had a hostile relationship with the organisation, under-the-table deals and compromises were made. The presidential nomination of el-Shater the Conqueror has opened deep cracks between the MB's old guard and young members. Looking into the matter from a wider angle, reliable sources inside the group refuse to deny that the MB are threatened by ‘implosion'. More and more young renegades support the secessionist Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fetouh in his presidential campaign. The MB expelled Abul-Fetouh because of his liberal and improved views about its charter and dogma.
