By Amani El Sehrawey
On the eve of the 26th May protests, one is unsure what quite to expect in terms of tomorrow’s events. As anger rises over the army’s slow handling of the imprisoned Mubarak family, there is speculation that the protests may turn violent.
On May 6th, a new political party called Adl Party was formed, and is claiming to be an alternative to the Muslim Brotherhood. Although its exact platform is still unclear, the party has already gained the necessary 5,000 members needed to form a political party. The group claims to “[s]upport a civil state with respect to the important role religion plays in the Egyptian society but completely reject the flagrant religious interference in politics”. The party has announced that they intend to contest 13% of the available parliamentary seats in the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, Coptic billionaire Naguib Sawiris has claimed that his party, the Free Egyptians Party, is not attempting to displace the Muslim Brotherhood’s new Freedom and Justice Party. The Free Egyptians Party has an estimated 35,000 members, about 70% of whom are Muslim. "The party seeks to represent all Egyptians, not on the basis of religion," he said, adding that he would favor a Turkish model for Egypt rather than an Iranian one.
-Amani El Sehrawey is a undergraduate studying International Relations at Boston University. She is currently interning at the American Islamic Congress in Cairo, Egypt.
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