The Democratic Viability of Islamic Opposition in Egypt: A Theoretical and Comparative Perspective

Open Access

Abstract

In response to the increasingly authoritarian government of Hosni Muburak, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has emerged as the only meaningful opposition party—even though the Brotherhood has been illegal for the last 50 years. Despite its often violent and murky past, in the last 25 years the Brotherhood has preached a platform based on moderate and peaceful Islamic activism as well as the compatibility of democracy and Islam. However, there are still elements of the Muslim Brotherhood that suggest certain democratic values would be abandoned should the Brotherhood achieve power, as well as critics who contend that the recent changes in the Brotherhood are a ploy to achieve political power. A comparison to Bharatiya Janata Party, an Indian Hindu-nationalist party, as well as a vein of democratic theory known as moderation theory, are both useful tools to address these concerns. Both analytical tools suggest that the Muslim Brotherhood would likely positively contribute to a democratic system of governance in Egypt should it be legalized and the appropriate political reforms take place.