Islamists 'unprepared' for Egyptian challenges

A former leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood said on Tuesday that the group faced challenges it could not handle since the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) won a majority of seats in parliament. In an interview with privately-owned satellite channel Dream, the Brotherhood's former deputy Supreme Guide, Mohamed Habib, said the enormity of the challenges facing the group will force it to give up some of the principles upon which it was founded. The group's members were detained under former president Anwar Al-Sadat for objecting to the peace treaty with Israel, but once they assumed power they stressed their commitment to the treaty, Habib said. Habib said it was too early to assess the parliament's performance, but said it complied with the general revolutionary mood. He added that the Brotherhood, when nominating candidates for parliament, selected more obedient rather than qualified members. According to Habib, the Brotherhood made a "major strategic mistake" during the parliamentary elections when it competed for seats in all constituencies, insisting that no political group could face internal and foreign challenges single-handedly. Habib argued that recent announcements by the group - that it was ready to form a coalition government - were an attempt to keep public opinion on their side. He also said that the Brotherhood could not force the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to discuss the issue of governance.