Former Brotherhood official hopes new initiative will bridge Egypt's social rifts
Former spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, Kamal Halbawi, has launched an initiative to mend the social rift in Egypt. Will it be successful?
CAIRO — Kamal Halbawi has launched an initiative to be added to the series of previous initiatives aimed at bridging the social rift in Egypt post-June 30, 2013. Halbawi is a former spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood abroad and a member of the National Council for Human Rights. He left the Brotherhood on March 31, 2012, and later announced his support to the June 30 camp and the regime of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Several similar initiatives were previously launched by political science professors such as Hassan Nafea, Amr Hamzawi and Saad Eddin Ibrahim; judge Tariq al-Bishri; as well head of the Tunisian Ennahda movement Rached Ghannouchi and head of the Strong Egypt Party Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh Abdel.
On April 26, Halbawi announced his intention to launch an initiative for community reconciliation in Egypt that would include all opposition forces, except for the people and groups who have claimed responsibility for terrorist and violent acts, such the Islamic State (IS).
Halbawi plans to form a committee of advisers from Egypt and abroad that will include former Sudanese President Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab, speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly Marzouq al-Ghanim, former Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem, head of the Sudanese pro-opposition National Umma Party Sadiq al-Mahdi, Palestinian thinker Munir Shafiq, Lebanese political thinker and writer Maan Bashour, president of the National Council for Human Rights Mohamed Fayek, former secretary-general of the Arab League Amr Moussa, a personality chosen by Al-Azhar, and another representative of the Copts.
