[Nadin Maison]

Muslim Brotherhood (Egypt)
Updated: Feb. 4, 2011
For a generation, the Muslim Brotherhood has been by far the most muscular and influential of Egypt’s dissident organizations. It was officially banned but unofficially tolerated, in part because of its cautious approach to criticizing or challenging the regime of President Hosni Mubarak. It has long had a vast following among Egypt's 83 million people.
When widespread anger at Mr. Mubarak burst into massive public protests in late January 2011, the Brotherhood initially stood aloof, fearful that the government would try to blame it for the unrest, as the government in fact did. As a result, it found itself largely on the sidelines.
The Brotherhood joined the secular opposition in banding together around a Mohamed ElBaradei, a prominent and secular government critic, to negotiate on behalf of the forces seeking the fall of Mr. Mubarak. It appeared to be taking a more assertive role on Feb. 3, issuing a statement asking for Mr. Mubarak to step aside for a transitional government.
The Obama administration has spoken cautiously about the future role of the group, saying only that all parties must renounce violence and accept democracy. But one of the few near certainties of a post-Mubarak Egypt is that the Brotherhood will emerge as a powerful political force.
The unanswered question, according to experts on the region, is whether that will prove a manageable challenge for the United States and Israel or a catastrophe for American interests in the Middle East.
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