Muslim Brotherhood supports ElBaradei

Moves shows potential for change in Egypt

Mohammed ElBaradei, former U.N. nuclear chief and Egyptian diplomat (right), speaks during a press conference with Saad al-Katatni, the parliamentary leader of Egypt‘s largest opposition bloc, the Muslim Brotherhood, after a meeting in Cairo last month.

When the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition group, threw its weight behind that movement in early July, suddenly the numbers ballooned, from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. The coalition now claims to have more than 300,000 petition signatures, with more than two thirds of them gathered by the Brotherhood.

It’s an indication of the powerful force for change in Egypt that could emerge if the Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt’s notoriously fractious secular opposition groups were able to create a united front that demands an alternative to the regime of President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled with an iron fist for 29 years.

ElBaradei, mentioned as a possible challenger to Mubarak, said his organization was considering a partnership with the Muslim Brotherhood to encourage political reform.
“The religious-conservative Muslim Brotherhood and my own National Association for Change will be working together to bring about change,” ElBaradei told Der Spiegel.