Egyptian media is reporting that the “Muslim Sisterhood” has held its first conference in 60 years. According to the report:
Daily News Egypt July 3, 2011, 7:04 pm CAIRO: Muslim Brotherhood (MB) leaders at a conference on Saturday said that the group’s main priority in the coming period is to establish a government that “refers to Islam in all its affairs” and forming coalitions to rebuild the country. During the first general Muslim Sisterhood conference in 60 years, MB leaders said that it is the responsibility of all Egyptians across the political spectrum to contribute towards Egypt’s renaissance and that their role is only to shape and spread the idea. “We now have a political vacuum and we have to build the political system of the country … then there will be eight years of transition followed by 30 years during which we will rebuild the country,” said Khairat Al-Shater, deputy leader of the MB. The MB said there will be a bigger role for women inside the group and that they have the biggest representation of women among all political groups. “No one can deny women’s role in the success of the revolution whether with their participation or supporting their husbands and sons,” said the Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide, Mohamed Badei. “The role of women in this critical moment is as important as their role in supporting the revolution,” he added.
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It should be noted that the Muslim Brotherhood today has become a global network and that the Egyptian mother branch is not necessarily the most important part of the movement. Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi, close to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, is often referred to by the GMBDW as the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, an acknowledgement of his role as the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to lead the Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide.