Should the U.S. trust Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood?

The Islamist group is the most popular party in Egypt, but its antipathy for Israel and wobbly commitment to democracy are causes for concern

If Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat el-Shater is elected Egypt's next president U.S.-Egyptian relations may crumble.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

In May, Egypt will hold its first presidential election since pro-democracy protesters overthrew strongman Hosni Mubarak, and the vote promises to be a wild one. A hardline Islamist, Sheikh Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, will likely draw strong support if his candidacy survives claims that his mother was an American citizen. The recently announced candidacy of Omar Suleiman, Mubarak's former righthand man, has raised concerns that Mubarak's cronies will try to wrestle back power. But the candidate drawing the most attention is Khairat el-Shater, a top official in the Muslim Brotherhood. A victory for el-Shater would put the Brotherhood in control of the presidency, the parliament, and Egypt's future, but it's not clear how the group — whose commitment to democracy is questionable — would rule. Should the U.S. support the Muslim Brotherhood?

No. The group is vehemently anti-American: Leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood have called "for jihad against the United States," says Andrew C. McCarthy at The National Review. The group also has ties to the radical Palestinian group Hamas, which is "formally designated a terrorist organization under American law." The White House is trying to convince us that the Muslim Brotherhood is "moderate," but it has "never retreated an inch from its professed mission to establish Islam's global hegemony." El-Shater is the worst of them all.

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