Background:

ʿIsām al-ʿIrīyān’s is a member of the “middle generation" of the Muslim Brotherhood leaders, who developed their political stance in students’ politics in the early 1970s. He maintains a fundamentally Islamic world view and as such propagates the application of the Islamic Sharīʿah. The Muslim Brotherhood has often been accused of supporting violence or at least not strongly condemning other Islamist groups’ use of violence during the 1990’s. In response to this, al-ʿIrīyān says he has continuously stressed the non-violent nature of the organization. 

Side A:

The instability of Egypt’s political situation in the 1990s is described by ʿIsām al-ʿIrīyān as rather than a threat from outside forces, to be in fact, a threat coming from within the government. al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyya has allegedly, on multiple occasions, asked the government for an end to the violation of human rights including torture in prisons and the unjust killings of members of al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyya in the streets. However, according to al-ʿIrīyān, the government did not accept the proposal and pursues the aforementioned activities.

Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm Mūsā; former Minister of Interior of Egypt was expelled for accepting the requests proposed by al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyya according to al-ʿIrīyān. He asserts this further proved the unjust treatment of the group and proves the fact that Egypt is going through a never-ending political crisis. al-‘Irīyān advocates that the same political party has been in power since 1952, who do not accept civil participation and do not take initiative in sharing power or political reform. Al-ʿIrīyān thus justifies al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyya’s former violent attacks as a means to pressure the government. He stresses that the Muslim Brotherhood, on the other hand, are a peaceful political power who ask for political and economic reform, for the government to apply the constitution and ask for recognition and differentiation between the Muslim brotherhood and al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyya  – as according to al-ʿIrīyān, President Ḥusnī Mubārak fails to do so.

The plan proposed by the Muslim Brotherhood is to widen participation in civil society, establish a position in the parliament, and make alliance with political parties to get rights in sharing power of the country and essentially to defend human rights which are allegedly being violated by the government.