Group's rise to power masks its deep internal conflicts

Cairo: The revolution that last year upended former president Hosni Mubarak has heralded the Brotherhood's political ascendancy and near control of parliament. But the world's largest Islamic organisation is torn by conflicts between religion and politics, and calls from its young to be more pluralistic and modernise its voice for a new Egypt.

"We need unity, not an atmosphere where you're the majority and everyone else is against you," Hadi said. "It's not good for the nation and puts enormous pressure on the Brotherhood. If the country fails, it's all on them."

The rise of the Brotherhood mirrors a pattern of Islamists coming to political prominence, most notably in Tunisia, since the uprisings of the "Arab Spring."

This narrative is reshaping the Middle East, but it is revealing internal friction, political missteps and failure to put forth a vision that transcends Islamic designs and speaks to Christians, other non-Muslims and liberals.

These challenges epitomise the campaign of Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohammad Morsi, a conservative pressing for Sharia, or Islamic law, to be embedded in the country's new constitution. "The Brotherhood has enemies because it hasn't been inclusive," said Osama Abdul Hadi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. "This is not the time for the Brotherhood to exclude revolutionaries and activists."

Since its founding in 1928, the Brotherhood has been respected for its Islamic and social programmes, such as schools and clinics. The fear among many members is that the Brotherhood's taste for politics is jeopardising its soul. "Our presence in parliament and trade unions has sapped a lot of our energy," said Ashraf Abu Zeid, a Brotherhood member in Cairo. "Before the elections, we were present in the street and all our efforts were focused on social work and services... But all of a sudden politics has taken too much of our strength, numbers and focus."

"There was a strong media campaign to defame us after fielding a presidential candidate," he said. "There were about 20 television channels all moving against the Brotherhood and we could only respond through our one channel and one newspaper."

"The Brotherhood's leaders are keen on survival," Hadi said.

— Los Angeles Times