Islamic Party (Egypt) Explained

Country:Egypt
Native Name Lang:ar
Islamic Party
Leader:Muhammad Hegazy[1]
Leader2 Title:Secretary-General
Leader2 Name:Mohamed Abu Samra[2]
Leader3 Title:Deputy Head
Leader3 Name:Magdy Salem[3]
Foundation:April 2011[4]
National:Egyptian Islamic Jihad
Seats1 Title:House of Representatives
Colorcode:
  1. C74D1C

The Islamic Party (formerly known as the Peace and Development Party[5] or Safety and Development Party) is an Islamist political party in Egypt.[4] The name of the party was changed in approximately December 2012.[6] The main leaders of the group are Mohamed Abu Samra[5] and Kamal Habib.[7] The party is backed by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad group.[8] Most of the founders of the party are former members of the organization.[9] Many members of the party have court rulings that bar them from running for elected office.[10]

The party and Egyptian Islamic Jihad withdrew from the Anti-Coup Alliance in January 2014.[11] One of the reasons for the withdrawal was the rejection by the pro-Morsi coalition of the initiative[12] put forth by the Islamic Party that sought to end the crisis by appointing a presidential council composed of a civilian, an Islamist and a member of the army.[13] The party called for a "negotiated" solution on 8 February 2014.[14] The party rejoined the alliance around March 2014,[15] though there are indications that it has withdrawn again.[16]

Basic tenets

The party is in favour of putting the Camp David Accords to a public referendum, expanding Islamic banking, abolishing mixed-sex education in secondary schools, forming a cultural media council to monitor the Egyptian media, respecting private property, progressive taxation, and is in favour of setting a minimum and maximum wage in line with inflation.[4]

Ideology

The secretary general of the party, Mohamed Abu Samra, stated that it would vigorously oppose returning Egyptian Jews of Israeli descent to Egypt in response to a comment made by Essam el-Erian, a member of the Freedom and Justice Party and an adviser to President Morsi; he also stated that according to Sharia law, Jews deserve to be killed.[17]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Islamists threaten to strike Interior Ministry on anniversary of Mohamed Mahmoud clashes. Al-Ahram. 13 November 2013. 14 October 2014.
  2. News: Salafist Front calls on NASL to suspend activities. Cairo Post. 30 April 2014. 14 October 2014.
  3. News: Pro-Morsy alliance meets EU delegation. Egypt Independent. 3 December 2013. 14 October 2014.
  4. News: Safety and Development Party (Al-Salama Wal Tanmeya). Egypt Electionnaire. 14 October 2014.
  5. News: Jihad movement accuses Morsy of ignoring reconciliation attempts in Sinai. Egypt Independent. 9 October 2012. 14 October 2014.
  6. News: Islamic Jihad movement calls for mass demo Sunday against judges . Egypt Independent. 28 December 2012. 14 October 2014.
  7. News: The new Islamist scene in Egypt . Al-Ahram Weekly On-line . 23 June 2011 . 14 October 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131016114806/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2011/1053/op3.htm . 16 October 2013 .
  8. News: Islamic Jihad vows escalation leading up to 25 January. Egypt Independent. 20 January 2014. 14 October 2014.
  9. News: Al-Jama'a Al-Islamiyya and the Safety and Development Party . Islamopedia Online. 14 October 2014.
  10. News: Salafi Jihad movement [sic] allies with hardline Ismalist [sic] parties for elections]. Egypt Independent. 25 February 2013. 14 October 2014.
  11. News: Jihad Organization: No Islamist dares to contest Sisi. Egypt Independent. 31 January 2014. 14 October 2014.
  12. News: "الجهاد": "مَن يجرؤ من الإسلاميين على الترشح أمام السيسي؟". Al Masry Al Youm. 31 January 2014. 14 October 2014.
  13. News: Islamic Party presents new initiative to solve Egypt's crisis. Cairo Post. 8 January 2014. 14 October 2014.
  14. News: Jihad movement welcomes reconciliation initiatives between MB, state. Cairo Post. 8 February 2014. 14 October 2014.
  15. News: Pro-Morsy alliance considers presidential elections boycott. Egypt Independent. 31 March 2014. 14 October 2014.
  16. News: نهاية تحالف "دعم المعزول". Al Masry Al Youm. 5 December 2014. 5 December 2014.
  17. News: Islamic Jihad vows to fight the Jews if they return to Egypt. Egypt Independent. 3 March 2013. 14 October 2014.