No reconciliation so far with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood
As both the Muslim Brotherhood and much of the Egyptian public seem opposed to a reconciliation between the Brotherhood and the current regime, questions arise concerning the future of the group.
"There is no longer a basis for reconciliation," said Hisham Dessouki, a leader in the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political arm of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, Ammar Ali Hassan, a political scientist specializing in the affairs of political Islam, said, "The word 'reconciliation' is deceptive and does not reflect reality." And Mukhtar Nouh, a former leader in the Brotherhood who has defected, said, "There have not been any reconciliation initiatives since June 30, and there won't be any [in the future]."
This is what Dessouki, Hassan and Nouh said to Al-Monitor on the idea of reconciliation, thus confirming that — despite their different ties to the Muslim Brotherhood — they each believe that reconciliation is not the proper way to reintegrate the Muslim Brotherhood into political life.
"No reconciliation initiative has been carried out since June 30, 2013, until today. Most [efforts in this regard] were characterized by mere chats between some mediators and Brotherhood leaders. But these chats did not produce any initiative with clear conditions and steps," Nouh told Al-Monitor. This completely contradicts what has been reported by Egyptian news sites and newspapers.
He said that there will not be any reconciliation initiatives between the state and the Muslim Brotherhood, since, according to him, the state will not reconcile with an entity that has no legal or legitimate presence.
