**Several senior members of the Islamist opposition movement in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, have been detained.**They include its deputy leader, Mahmoud Ezzat, the organisation says.
The Brotherhood is officially outlawed in Egypt but its members have many seats in parliament, sitting as independents.
A spokesman for the group said the arrests were an attempt by the authorities to thwart its preparations for elections later in the year.
Charity work
The Brotherhood has been banned from open political activity since 1954, and leading activists are frequently arrested and imprisoned by the authorities.
Despite this, Brotherhood members standing as independent candidates won 20% of the seats in the last parliamentary election in 2005, its best ever result.
In January, the movement named Mohammed Badi, a 66-year-old veterinary professor, as its new leader.
The Muslim Brotherhood has influenced Islamist movements around the world with its model of political activism combined with charity work.
Not fair! Al Ikhwan are a party of the people and have legitamacy to back up thier efforts.
They are and have always been persecuted......
And where are the so called champions of democracy now!
These guys are a legitamate and perfectly harmless, hard working and massively supported group.
The Muslim Brotherhood is as old as the great Muslim league of Asian history, and both seem to share a simmilar past. Shame how they are treated, 25,000 were killed on one day by the Syrian army in 1982, that black day of February the 2nd is always in my heart. Jews blabber on about thier holocaust what about ours!
The Al Ikhwan have always been a charitable organisation, never have they been active in any form of terrorism, they are not even a millitary group!
But the way they are treated by some...... By Allah they have great patience! It is suprising that they havent taken up arms yet, becuase believe me if these guys actually started a Jihad then forget Bin-Ladens Al Qayidah and co......
Al Ikhwan could easily become the greatest ruling party in many Arab countries, they have massive support and yet they are so patient and allow themselves to be treated like this.
Allah will reward thier patience. They are an example to all Muslims, truly they are noble and worthy followers of the true deen ul Islam.
