Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie on Monday invited Christians to join Freedom and Justice, the new party the Brotherhood intends to establish.

Badie said his invitation is intended to be a reassuring message for Egypt's Copts. He explained that the new party is not a preaching entity, adding that it will organize sports and artistic activities, as well as support the establishment of economic institutions, hospitals and schools.

"The Brotherhood rejects its members joining other parties. This is called partisan commitment," Badie told female Brotherhood students at Beni Suef, south of Cairo, on Monday.

The Brotherhood said it would introduce its party as soon as the group's consultancy council approves amendments to its platform at a meeting to be held within ten days.

Sources in the group said that Brotherhood nominees for the upcoming parliamentary elections will likely run with the Freedom and Justice Party.

"Approving the changes to the law on political parties is a step toward enriching political life and will provide chances for a genuine competition," said Sobhi Saleh, a leading figure in the Brotherhood and a member of the constitutional amendments panel.

Commenting on a clause preventing the establishment of parties on a religious basis, Saleh said that the Brotherhood is not a religious party.

”The Brotherhood is not a religious party. There is nothing wrong with that. Religion is not banned, but religious discrimination is," he said.

On Monday, Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces approved a draft amendment to the law banning the formation of political parties based on religion.

Translated from the Arabic Edition