Background:

Muḥammad Maʾmūn al-Huḍaybī (28.5.1921 – 8.1.2004) was the official spokesman and secretary of the General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). He was also shortly the Sixth General Guide of the MB from 2002 up to his death in 2004. Al-Huḍaybī speaks of the 1995 parliamentary elections in which the MB took 1 seat out of 444 seats. During the time leading up to the elections, dozens of MB members had been arrested, but al-Huḍaybī argues that the results of the parliamentary elections do not reflect upon the strength of the movement. The one MB candidate that did manage to obtain a seat in parliament is not even supported by the movement, and thus al-Huḍaybī says the results do not at all reflect the grand support the MB has. Out of the 160 MB candidates, 83 were detained, al-Huḍaybī argues that even without their best 83 elements, the MB’s strength did not decrease.

For more information on the 1995 parliamentary elections, please refer to the following tapes: 

• Coptic Candidates in 1995 parliamentary elections in Shubrā, Egypt:

      http://www.arabwestreport.info/en/coptic-candidates-1995-parliamentary-e...

• Dr. Sa‘d al-Dīn ʾĪbrāhīm on Egypt’s 1995 “fair” parliamentary elections:

      http://www.arabwestreport.info/en/dr-sa%E2%80%98d-al-d%C4%ABn-%CA%BE%C4%...

• Alleged Outing of Egypt’s Corrupted 1995 Parliamentary Elections:

      http://www.arabwestreport.info/en/alleged-outing-egypt%E2%80%99s-corrupt...

• Wafd Partisans Argue Egypt’s 1995 Parliamentary Elections are Free and Fair:

      http://www.arabwestreport.info/en/wafd-partisans-argue-egypt%E2%80%99s-1....

Side A:

Due to the disappointing results, there might be a risk of young members leaving the movement argues Cornelis Hulsman. Al-Huḍaybī agrees with the statement but advocates that the elections were the worst in the last 60-70 years due to its huge levels of forgery not just against the MB, but to all political parties in Egypt. The elections were anything but fair, and the impact is disastrous on Egyptian society according to al-Huḍaybī. The MB spokesperson states that in the 1990 parliamentary elections, only 3000 people voted and that in this election, the number halved. He says it is not the enthusiasm or their will to vote that changed, but rather their expectations of democracy. Their votes meant nul in this year’s elections due to the extremely high level of forgery, he says.

Al-Huḍaybī believes that a number of people, even including a few members of his movement, will begin to believe that violence is the answer to changing the government leading to them joining violent political groups such as al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyya or the Islamic Jihād group. He says members of every political power in Egypt now believe that there is no room for change through peaceful and legal channels and it is the MB’s responsibility to try and help people to not lose faith and remain fixed to non-violent channels

According to al-Huḍaybī, the 1995 parliamentary elections made the public feel that no one is allowed to participate in elections, that it is nothing but a façade. The MB regrets the results of the last elections and believes that these elections illustrate the regime’s utter dismissal of claims of democracy, freedom and respect of human rights.

Furthermore, al-Huḍaybī believes Americans are not pro any blood conflicts between the Egyptian regime and the Muslim Brotherhood, but does believe that Americans also do not support any non-violent Islamic groups (al-Huḍaybī is referring to the MB) ruling Egypt as an alternative to the current regime.

Side B:

Al-Huḍaybī is asked if the reliance on the MB has increased now that the government has proved to have failed to deliver serviced to the people time and again. Al-Huḍaybī believes that the government wants to put the people up for two choices; the government or the MB. Al-Huḍaybī argues that the movement has not asked for this hostility, but that they are asking for freedom of formation of parties and freedom of the press.

The crackdown of the Muslim Brotherhood now and the crackdown in 1954 under Jamāl ‘Abd al-Nāsir’s regimeare similar in the sense that the MB was the biggest political power then, and it is again the biggest political power now says al-Huḍaybī. The strongest opposition for the MB are the state, the Nasserists and the few communists who have continue to have power in the Egyptian media to a certain extent.