Commentary
Cairo’s efforts send a message to the United States and the region that it still has a place at the diplomatic table.
Angie Omar
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Source: Getty
Other
Egyptian Current
A backgrounder on the Egyptian Current Party.
Published on Sep 21, 2011
This resource was published on 09/21/2011 and is not updated to reflected changing circumstances.
A moderate Islamist party, the Egyptian Current Party was founded by prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood youth wing who had become disgruntled with the group’s old guard and were unwilling to join the Freedom and Justice Party. The Egyptian Current Party was a member of the Completing the Revolution Alliance during the 2011-2012 parliamentary elections. It later joined the Moderate Current Coalition.
Major Party Figures
Mohamed al-Kassas: Founder
Islam Lotfy: Founder
Ahmed Abd al-Gawad: Founder
Background
In June 2011, amidst tensions between the youth and leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed al-Kassas, leader of the movement’s youth wing, declined to join the Brotherhood’s official Freedom and Justice Party, announcing his intention to form the Egyptian Current Party. Shortly after the announcement, the Brotherhood expelled al-Kassas. Ahmed Abd al-Gawad, another member of the Brotherhood’s youth wing, joined the party and was also promptly expelled from the Brotherhood. Mutazz Abd al-Fattah and Sayf al-Din Abd al-Fattah, two moderate Islamist intellectuals, are leading members of the party—al-Fattah has stressed the need for Egypt to “be like Turkey.” The party currently has roughly 5,000 members, including 200 dissident Muslim Brotherhood members.
Al-Tayar al-Masry supports a civil state and the protection of individual civil liberties, embracing Islamic values without the enforcement of Islamic law. Its slogan is “freedom, building, and pioneering,” and one of its founders, Islam Lofty, has described the party as “pragmatic and nonideological.” Although on paper the position of the Egyptian Current is very similar to that of the Freedom and Justice Party, its leaders have criticized the Muslim Brotherhood for its archaic values and for opposing diversity.
Platform
Political Issues
- Embracing democracy for and political participation of all Egyptians
- Providing equal rights to all citizens regardless of creed, race, or social status
- Calling for a civil state in Egypt with Islamic values, not an Islamic state
- Advocating for good governance and the development of civil society
- Ending military trials of civilians
Socioeconomic Issues
- Making Egypt one of the ten wealthiest and most scientifically advanced countries in the world by 2030
- Advocating for social justice and the fair redistribution of wealth
- Investing in education to increase social capital
- Guaranteeing equal opportunities to all Egyptians regardless of background
- Providing adequate housing and universal health insurance for all Egyptians
- Decreasing poverty
Foreign Policy Issues
- Affirming Egypt’s identity as Islamic, Arab, and African, and working to strengthen its ties with its sister countries
- Giving priority to promoting reform in the Islamic, Arab, and African worlds
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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