The Muslim Brotherhood would favor a Turkish model for Egypt rather than the Iranian model for an Islamic state, Egypt's deputy prime minister said Tuesday.
At a forum held in Cairo, Deputy Prime Minister Yehia al-Gamal said that although the Brotherhood is Egypt's largest organized group, it does not represent the majority.
"Transparent elections will prove this," he said at the forum, in which Brotherhood Deputy Supreme Guide Khairat al-Shater participated.
News reports had claimed the Brotherhood made a deal with the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) about forming Egypt's new government after the 25 January revolution. Both the Brotherhood and the SCAF dismissed the reports as false.
Al-Gamal said he does not fear the Brotherhood, adding they are abandoning a religious state model. However, he added that the Brotherhood still has some extreme factions.
Al-Shater, meanwhile, said the Brotherhood will not implement punishments stipulated in Islamic Sharia if it seizes power, adding that the group is currently trying to reassure the West, which he said fears the Brotherhood.
Al-Shater said former President Hosni Mubarak's regime used the Brotherhood as a scare tactic to establish the regime's rule, managing to tarnish the group's reputation.
Addressing the audience, he said, " As an organized faction, the Brotherhood does not seek power or competition over parliamentary majority… Rather, it wants to achieve one goal, that of developing Egypt."
Translated from the Arabic Edition
