Egyptians tipped to turn on Islamists

THE image of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has been damaged by its decision to stay out of this week's protests to focus on an expected victory in Monday's parliamentary elections.

The Brotherhood stayed on the sidelines of the demonstrations led by secular liberal groups demanding the country's military rulers step down, hurting its support among key sectors of the Egyptian public who now accuse the group of siding with the generals and selling out democracy demands to gain power.

By staying out of the protests, "the Brotherhood has made it clear that they want elections because they want the seat of power, no matter what that seat looks like", said Abdel-Jalil el-Sharnoubi, who headed the Brotherhood's website before quitting the group this year in frustration with its leadership.

Ever since the February 11 fall of autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak, fears have heightened among some Egyptians that the country would turn towards Islamic fundamentalism. The Brotherhood was long repressed under Mr Mubarak.

However, many Egyptians who have no problem with greater religious conservatism in public life are suspicious that the Brotherhood is too authoritarian and too eager to rule.

The damage from staying out of the protest hub in Cairo's Tahrir Square may not be heavy enough to set back the Brotherhood's election showing.

But the chaos will undermine the legitimacy of the vote and the parliament that emerges will have a deeply damaged mandate. Many liberals already say the parliament will not be truly representative.

Even if the Brotherhood and other Islamic parties gain the largest bloc or majority, they will have a difficult time pushing any agenda through.

And the prize itself is not so sweet - a legislature and government under the shadow of the military, which will keep its overwhelming power at least until next June, after presidential elections.

The military, as head of state, is trying to take a major role in writing the next constitution, a process that parliament is expected to oversee.

Clashes continued yesterday despite a promise by the head of the ruling military council to bring a presidential election forward, a concession swiftly rejected by tens of thousands of protesters.

Egypt's military rulers apologised yesterday for the deaths of demonstrators at the hands of police, as international criticism of Egypt's military rulers mounted. As a rights group raised the death toll for the wave of violence to at least 38, the UN condemned authorities for what it deems an excessive use of force.

Germany, one of Egypt's top trading partners, called for a quick transfer of power to a civilian government.