Mubarak cracks down on Muslim Brotherhood, ahead of elections
CAIRO Feb 8, 2010 Egyptian security forces have held senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood today, sources close to the group said.
Security forces detained 20 other members of the Brotherhood on Saturday and Sunday. The Brotherhood called it a crackdown before elections this year.
The Brotherhood is widely seen as the only opposition group that can bring together thousands of disciplined supporters in protest against the government. However, its members are regularly rounded up before elections for national or local bodies.
Though banned, the Brotherhood won a fifth of the seats in parliament in 2005 when members ran as independents. However, the authorities have squeezed the Islamist group out of mainstream politics since then.
Security forces raided the homes of deputy leader Mahmoud Ezzat, a member of the governing body Essam al-Erian and other senior members early on Monday and held them, a lawyer said.
Mohammed Badie, who was picked as leader in January, told Reuters that the group will vigorously campaign in the parliamentary election. However, he said it will not be able to repeat the success it had in 2005 owing to the state crackdown.
The government of President Hosni Mubarak is wary of any group with Islamist leanings, including the Brotherhood. The group long ago gave up violence and insists it seeks peaceful reform.
Anwar Sadat, who was the President before Mubarak, was gunned down by Islamic militants in 1981.
