Muslim leaders: We want an Islamic state

MAY 12, 2011

A number of religious leaders representing Muslim movements have announce that the recent cooperation between various religious trends points to a common desire for a religious state that applies God’s laws.

They also said that they would form a coalition at the next parliamentary elections in order to combat the secular political forces in the country.

“It was the recent attacks on the Islamic groups that brought us together,” said leading Muslim Brotherhood member Sobhi Saleh.

For his part, Salafi spokesman Abdel Moneim al-Shahat said Islamic movements are uniting in order to preserve the Islamic nature of Egypt.

“God’s words must rule and Islam must be in the hearts of the citizens,” said Jama’a al-Islamiya spokesman Osama Hafez.

“The Islamic movements are uniting, despite their different ideologies, because they feel Islam is threatened,” said Muslim Brotherhood lawyer Montasser al-Zayat.

Amr al-Shobky, expert at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said that this religious cooperation is a demonstration of power, and that it reflects the imbalanced political scale, which is tilted towards the Islamic movements.

Translated from the Arabic Edition

Al MAsry Al Youm