Official and popular rejection… The Muslim Brotherhood fails to return through “national dialogue”

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is attempting to break the deadlock and return to the political scene by taking part in national dialog sessions.

Diaa Rashwan, general coordinator of the Egyptian National Dialog, revealed attempts by the Muslim Brotherhood, which is classified in many countries as a terrorist organization, to join the sessions of the “National Dialog”.

Rashwan said in a statement through a local media the day before yesterday, “The Muslim Brotherhood organization tried by all means to participate in the dialog, and attacked it violently before it began,” adding that “the organization was surprised that the opening scene of the dialog last May included all political movements,” and that “the civil movement participating in the dialog confirmed in its statement last July that not all those who practiced violence, led by the Brotherhood, did participate,” according to Middle East newspaper.

Rashwan explained that “the Muslim Brotherhood thought that the refusal to participate in the national dialog was a maneuver,” pointing out that “the organization has not refused to participate until now, with the exception of the only wing, which is the Mohammed Kamal wing (the Kemalist Movement).” He noted that Brotherhood members in Istanbul and the London Brotherhood “tried to join the national dialog, which is a very important indication, as the organization believes up until now that the national dialog has room for it, and some of them tried to make people understand that this is a type of national reconciliation, while all the various Egyptian movements unanimously rejected them.

Over the past few months, there has been renewed talk by some Brotherhood members about “reconciliation with the Egyptian authorities,” but this Brotherhood talk has caused “uproar” on pro-Brotherhood social media pages, “without any significant impact on the ground in Egypt, as it has been met with official and popular disregard in the country.”

According to a source familiar with the Brotherhood’s movements, “There have been more than eight previous attempts since the Brotherhood was removed from power in Egypt in July 2013 to present the idea of reconciliation with the Egyptian authorities; “However, they have been rejected by the Egyptian state and some of the organization’s leaders abroad.”

Rashwan noted that “for the first time [recruitment] into the organization has stopped for 10 years, as there are no new members. Also for the first time, 70% of the Brotherhood’s bases quit public affairs, in protest of the internal conflicts taking place within the organization, especially between (the Brotherhood abroad), or because of (the organization’s use of violence).”

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi called for “a national dialog” on all issues, including all but one of the political factions, during a Ramadan iftar in April of last year, in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The National Dialog opened its sessions early last month. Its sessions are held three days a week by 19 sub-committees under the three main axes: “Political, Economic and Social”, which were agreed upon by the members of the NDC Board of Trustees.