Ya Libnan reported yesterday that Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is subordinating its religious goals to the effort to achieve democratic elections in the country. In that effort, they are backing Mohamed ElBaradei as the lead spokesman for negotiating political reforms on behalf of the various opposition groups. Middle East analysts disagree over whether the Brotherhood should be seen as an extremist group, or as one having a more moderate theological agenda.
Meanwhile, Asia News reports that last week some 20 intellectuals and theologian from Al Azhar published a a statement titled "Document for the Renewal of Religious Discourse" which calls for dramatic liberalization of Islamic doctrine in Egypt. (Full text is included in the Asia News article.)
