A newly-elected senior official of the Muslim Brotherhood leader has said that he plans to “revive the movement, relaunch and strengthen it, take care of its members who are detained and their families, and promote younger people to manage it.” Salah Abdul Haqq was elected as Deputy Supreme Leader of the Brotherhood earlier this week.
Abdul Haqq said that the movement had overcome many historic challenges due to the flexibility of its leadership, and insisted that the solution for all challenges comes through dialogue, not confrontation. The Brotherhood will not, he said, get involved in any confrontation for the sake of power.
The new deputy supreme leader added that the movement knows how to deal with various issues based on its own principles and understanding of religious texts. He reiterated that it is “nationalistic and feels the pain and suffering of the Egyptian people” under the authoritarian regime in Cairo, which he criticised for the way that it is handling the political situation in Egypt. Nevertheless, he hinted at the possibility of cooperation.
Salah Abdul Haqq was born in 1945 and joined the Muslim Brotherhood in 1962. He was detained by the Gamal Abdul Nasser regime in 1965 and spent nine years in prison before holding a number of responsible positions within the movement.
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