Briefs
Arab Reform Bulletin: New Format, New Release
February 19th, 2010
In trying to analyze the significance of a reconfigured Brotherhood, Husam Tammam writes that Mohammed Badie’s ascension to General Guide empowered a conservative MB faction that is “more interested in working from within to cultivate a strong, disciplined movement than in engaging with other political forces and intellectual currents in Egyptian society.” However, the Brotherhood has long been known for its “steadiness and pragmatism,” and Tammam is convinced that “the group’s major strategic choices—renouncing violence as a tool, participating in politics, and adopting a gradualist approach—are unlikely to shift suddenly.”
http://pomed.org/blog/2010/02/arab-reform-bulletin-new-format-new-release.html/
More on Egypt’s April 6 Protest
April 9th, 2009
Monday’s nationwide student-led protests and strike in Egypt turned out to be rather muted, as we mentioned earlier this week. Writing in Al-Ahram, Hossam Tammam accuses the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, which did not take part, of being “too old school” to coordinate protests with other opposition groups. Tammam points to the group’s “strict hierarchy” and “far-reaching agenda” as reasons it sits out on ad hoc protests with narrow demands, such as the April 6th movement. “To add to the confusion the MB is divided between the conservatives who want to keep doing things the old way and the new breed of Islamic activists who are interested in taking part in public protests, whether rigidly organised or not.”
While the low turnout for the April 6th demonstrations disappointed activists, the scale of arrests makes clear that there were at least some protests in several cities. Amnesty International reports (as noted by Impunity Watch) that “protesters were arrested in Alexandria, Kafr al-Sheikh, Manufiyya, Port Said, Qalyubiyya, Sharqiyya and Fayoum and at Ain Shams University.” Meanwhile, Global Voices Advocacy reports that Abdel Rahman Fares, the blogger who was arrested Sunday for handing out fliers about the protest, was released from jail Tuesday night, but is now missing.
http://pomed.org/blog/2009/04/more-on-egypts-april-6-protest.html/
November 9th, 2009
The Arabist points to an article by Hossam Tammam on the Muslim Brotherhood, in which he avoids the typical moderate versus conservative dichotomy and instead describes a schism between “inward-looking vs. outward-looking” groups. According to Tammam, the current Supreme Guide Mahdi Akef’s attempts to bridge the divide between these groups began to crumble after internal squabbles during the MB’s attempt to formulate a coherent party platform in 2007. As the conservatives gained more influence after the 2008 internal council elections and the arrests of reformist MB leaders, Akef began an active attempt to balance their influence with the failed appointment of Essam El-Erian to the Guidance Bureau. Now, Akef is no longer viewed as a neutral arbitrator between the two camps. Tammam predicts that reformist MBs may grow increasingly disenchanted with the conservative leadership, but “the deeper effect of the crisis will be see in greater organisational and ideological rigidity.”
http://pomed.org/blog/2009/11/will-elbaradei-run.html/
The Changing Face of Islamism in Egypt
September 11th, 2008
Hussam Tammam has a provocative article up at the Arab Reform Bulletin about the attempt by reformed and repentant jihadists to reintegrate into Egyptian society. He also talks about the mainstreaming of formerly violent Islamist groups and the increasing personalization of religiosity in Egypt.
http://pomed.org/blog/2008/09/the-changing-face-of-islamism-in-egypt.html/