The Muslim Brotherhood's announcement that businessman Khayrat el-Shater will run in the upcoming presidential election caught Egyptians by surprise. The Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood's political wing, had previously said that it would not field a candidate in the May 23 and 24 election.
The abrupt change was greeted with suspicion from Christian and non-Islamist factions in Egypt and revealed dissension within the Brotherhood itself. Some members are concerned that a Brotherhood presidential win will stir fears of a complete Brotherhood takeover of Egyptian government. The group already dominates the two houses of parliament and is actively participating in a rewrite of the Egyptian constitution.
A delegation of four Freedom and Justice Party members speaks about the Muslim Brotherhood's plans for Egypt during today's discussion at Georgetown University's Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.