Reuters After waiting 83 years, the Muslim Brotherhood finally senses a chance to be at the center of how Egypt is governed and the Islamists hope to lead the renaissance of a nation which has suffered a steep economic and political decline. That ambition above all else will define the next steps of a group which owes its survival to pragmatism. The Brotherhood will likely carry on treading lightly, hoping to ease fears at home and abroad over its vision for the new Egypt. A strong Brotherhood showing in elections which began this week has brought the country closer to a prospect unthinkable just a year ago: a government influenced and possibly even led by a group outlawed under ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Headed by doctors, engineers and teachers, the Brotherhood's slogan is “Islam is the solution”. Yet it talks the same language as other reformists when it comes to the need for democracy, an independent judiciary and social justice in Egypt. At the group's office, a simple apartment building in a residential district on the Nile, one of the group's leaders outlines a political program that has triggered comparisons with moderate Islamist groups elsewhere in the region. “Now is the time for us to build a modern country, a modern state of law, a democratic state,” said Essam Al-Erian, a doctor who was a political prisoner when Mubarak was deposed in February, and who is also a leader of the Brotherhood's newly-founded political party. He rejected a comparison between his movement and Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, which has Islamist roots. “I hope we can give a different model,” Erian told Reuters in an interview. “We hope that when we build a modern democratic country in Egypt this will be a good example, inspiring others to build democracy,” he added. The Brotherhood's future policies are as much a source of concern abroad as at home. In the United States, which gives Egypt $1.3 billion in military aid each year, figures including US Senator John McCain have voiced concerns. McCain in March warned about the group's rise leading to a “more extreme” form of government. But in recognition of the role they expect the Brotherhood to play, the US government is now in touch with the group. Foreign governments wonder how the Brotherhood might act if it gained a major say in foreign policy, defined in the Mubarak era by an alliance with the United States. In the near term, analysts and diplomats expect the Brotherhood to avoid areas of controversy, instead focusing on reforms around which it can build consensus. “From our conversations with the Muslim Brotherhood, we expect them to be pragmatic and to work with a broad range of partners to find solutions to the difficult political and economic problems facing Egypt,” a Western diplomat said. Conscious of the concerns of fellow Egyptians, the Brotherhood could try to build a coalition in the new parliament with secular groups, said Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center. “They will go out of their way to show they are going to work with leftist and liberal groups,” he said. They must also manage their relationship with the ruling military council, a legacy of the Mubarak era. Though they have backed the generals' plan for the post-Mubarak transition to civilian rule, the Islamists distrust the military's strategy and want an end to its role in government. The Brotherhood's call for parliament to form a new government in January when the elections conclude could set the stage for confrontation with the military because only last Saturday the generals said that would remain their prerogative. But above all, the Brotherhood, which gained trust by aiding the poor during the Mubarak years, will aim for economic growth to ease poverty and convince voters they are fit to govern. __
