March 30, 2012

MPAC is hosting a conversation on Tuesday, April 3, with a delegation from the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

The delegation from the Freedom and Justice Party is on a tour in Washington, DC, and will be visiting other institutions such as Georgetown University, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The Freedom and Justice Party was founded in April 2011 after the Egyptian Revolution, which resulted in the resignation of the president, Hosni Mubarak. Currently, the party remains the dominant Islamist group in Egyptian politics. As of the 2011-2012 Egyptian parliamentary elections, the Freedom and Justice Party won 47 percent of the lower parliamentary seats.

The Tuesday night event will serve as a forum for a frank and honest discussion about critical issues facing the Party and the Muslim Brotherhood such as the function of transparency in a pluralistic democracy, opportunities for women in politics, minority rights in Egypt and the state of religion and politics.

The Freedom and Justice Party defines itself as a civil entity and not a religious one, and it has partnered itself with a number of liberal and leftist parties under the umbrella coalition Democratic Alliance.

The Freedom and Justice Party’s platform issues include:

• Supporting a civil state, defined as one that is neither run by the military nor a theocracy, with Islam as the state religion and Islamic law as the source of legislation covering all aspects of human life
• Granting the Supreme Constitutional Court the right to oversee legislation in order to ensure its compatibility with Islamic principles of justice
• Supporting the goals of Islamic law in governance with the understanding that non-Muslims will be under their own laws in terms of personal status and religious worship
• Affirming the belief in nondiscrimination among citizens in rights and duties
• Supporting women’s rights by passing legislation that criminalizes favoritism towards men

 Since the downfall of the Mubarak regime, the Muslim Brotherhood and its political party have seen a shift in fate from obscurity to prosperity. Though critics have accused them of striking a deal with the military establishment, it has secured the largest number of seats in parliament. The Brotherhood also has faced public pressure on how it chose to form a committee to rewrite the Egyptian Constitution and if it will field a presidential candidate.

Religion, Power and Politics:
A Conversation with Egypt’s Freedom and Justice Party

WHEN:
Tuesday, April 3, at 7 p.m.

WHERE:
Location information available upon RSVP

SPEAKERS:
Abdul Mawgoud Dardery 
Member of Parliament, Freedom and Justice Party - Luxor
Member, Foreign Relations Committee, Freedom and Justice Party  

Hussein El-Kazzaz 
Businessman
Adviser, Muslim Brotherhood and Freedom and Justice Party

Sondos Asem 
Senior Editor, Ikhwanweb.com
Member, Foreign Relations Committee, Freedom and Justice Party

Khaled Al-Qazzaz 
Foreign Relations Coordinator, Freedom and Justice Party

RSVP:
Email Hoda Elshishtawy at hoda@mpac.org or 202-547-7701.
Seating is limited, based on RSVPs