- Al-Wasat Party
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New Center Party
Hizb al-Wasat al-JadidArabic name حزب الوسط الجديد Founder Abu al-Ila Madi(ar) Founded 1996[a] Split from Muslim Brotherhood[1] Ideology Moderate Islam
Centrism[2]Official colors Brown Website http://www.alwasatparty.com/ Politics of Egypt
Political parties
Elections
a^ : Legally recognized on 19 February 2011.Hizb al-Wasat al-Jadid (Arabic: حزب الوسط الجديد), translated in English as the New Center Party but more commonly known as al-Wasat Party, is a moderate Islamic political party in Egypt.
Contents
Foundation
It was founded by Abu al-Ila Madi(ar) in 1996 as a splinter group of the Muslim Brotherhood, whom Madi accused of having "narrow political horizons." The creation of al-Wasat was criticized by the Brotherhood, which said Madi was trying to split the movement.[1] It was also not well received by the Egyptian government, which brought its founders before a military court on the charge of setting up a party as an Islamist front. Al-Wasat tried to gain an official license four times between 1996 and 2009, but its application was rejected each time by the political parties committee, which was chaired by a leading member of the ruling National Democratic Party.[1] Political parties formed on the basis of religion have been banned by the Egyptian constitution since an amendment to Article 5 was approved in 2007.[3]
Recognition
Al-Wasat was granted official recognition on 19 February 2011 after a court in Cairo approved its establishment. The court's ruling was handed down in the wake of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, and made al-Wasat the first new party to gain official status after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.[4] Its newly acquired official status allows al-Wasat to compete in the next parliamentary election, and makes it the first legal party in Egypt with an Islamic background.[5][6]
Ideology
The party asserts that its aim is to promote a tolerant version of Islam with liberal tendencies. Its founder Madi highlights as proof of this openness the fact that two Copts and three women are among the party's 24 top members.[7] According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, al-Wasat "seeks to interpret Islamic sharia principles in a manner consistent with the values of a liberal democratic system. Although al-Wasat advocates a political system that is firmly anchored in Islamic law, it also views sharia principles as flexible and wholly compatible with the principles of pluralism and equal citizenship rights."[2] The party's manifesto accepts the right of a Christian to become head of state in a Muslim-majority country.[5] Its founder Madi likens its ideology to that of the Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP).[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Mikhail, Sarah; Perry, Tom (19 February 2011). "New party shows deep political change in new Egypt". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/19/us-egypt-idUSTRE70O3UW20110219. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
- ^ a b el-Karanshawi, Shaimaa (19 February 2011). "Egypt court approves moderate Islamic party". Almasry Alyoum. http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/323634. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- ^ "Constitutional Amendments of 2007" (PDF). Cabinet of Egypt. http://www.cabinet.gov.eg/AboutEgypt/HTML/Constit_update2007_e.pdf. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
- ^ Perry, Tom (19 February 2011). "After 15-year wait, Egypt's Wasat Party approved". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/19/egypt-politics-party-idUSLDE71I06320110219. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
- ^ a b "Egypt court approves country's first Islamic party" (Reprint). Indo-Asian News Service. 19 February 2011. http://www.sify.com/news/egypt-court-approves-country-s-first-islamic-party-news-international-lctu4fiafed.html. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
- ^ "Egypt licenses first moderate Islamic party". The Jerusalem Post. 19 February 2011. http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=208916. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- ^ Youssef, Maamoun (19 February 2011). "After years of trying, moderate Islamic party gets official recognition in post-Mubarak Egypt". CP. http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jqgqVZUjLjXbA31l70QPM4H-X8GQ?docId=6004567. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
Further reading
- Norton, Augustus Richard (2005). "Thwarted Politics: The Case of Egypt’s Hizb al-Wasat". In Robert Hefner. Remaking Muslim Politics : Pluralism, Contestation, and Democratization. Princeton University Press. pp. 133–60. http://people.bu.edu/arn/Hizb%20al-Wasat1.pdf. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- Wickham, Carrie Rosefsky (January 2004). "The Path to Moderation: Strategy and Learning in the Formation of Egypt's Wasat Party". Comparative Politics 36 (2): pp. 205–228. JSTOR 4150143.
External links
Categories:- 2011 Egyptian revolution
- Islamic political parties
- Political parties established in 2011
- Political parties in Egypt
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