Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Loses Youth Wing

The New York Times reports:

Leaders of the youth wing of the Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood have split with their elders to form an independent political party, deepening the fractures with the group as some of its prominent members moved toward a more centrist and liberal version of Islamist politics.

The new party, the Egyptian Current Party, is expected to advocate the division of religion from politics, the protection of individual freedoms, and the embrace of Islamic morals and culture without the enforcement of Islamic religious law. Its founders, including Islam Lotfi, Mohamed el-Kasaas and Mohamed Abbas, were also among the young leaders of the Egyptian revolution and broke with the Brotherhood to help lead the first day of the protests that brought down former President Hosni Mubarak.

The Brotherhood, an 83-year-old organization with offshoots and followers around the world, flourished here in its home country by combining religious and charitable work with opposition to the secular dictatorship. In the wake of the revolution here, it established its own political party, Freedom and Justice. The group says it advocates a civil and democratic state within what members often call an Islamic framework. But it has been vague about its ultimate goals, without embracing individual freedoms or secular government as fully as the Brotherhood youth.

The announcement of the new party follows very closely the Brotherhood’s decision to expel a popular and liberal Brotherhood leader, Abdel Monim Abou el-Fotouh, because he announced an independent campaign for president of Egypt in defiance of the Brotherhood’s promise to stay out of the first election to succeed Mr. Mubarak. Dr. Abou el-Fotouh is widely admired by the Brotherhood youth.