Press review based on al-Misrī al-Yawm (June 7, 9) (p. 3, 1); al-Dustūr (June 7) (p. 5); al-Musawwar (June 9) (pp. 10-11)
al-Baradcī is not aware that a job is something and politics is a totally different thing, but everything seems to have been mixed up, particularly when he met Sa‘d al-Husaynī, a member of the Egyptian People's Assembly (parliament) from the Muslim Brotherhood group in London. (al-Musawwar p. 10)
Husaynī was then in London on a mission for the outlawed group at the end of last year, prior to the election of a new murshid (guide) and an irshad (guidance) office board. (al-Musawwar p. 10)
The Baradei-Husaynī meeting took place at the fancy Landmark Hotel in London. They spoke about a "common history" as Barad‘ī boasted that his father, Mustafá al-Barad‘ī was the former chief of the Bar Association who had defended the Brotherhood during the 1950s. (al-Musawwar p. 10)
He also met with Sa‘d al-Katātnī, the head of the Brotherhood's parliamentary bloc inside the People's Assembly (Lower House of Parliament). (al-Musawwar p. 10)
A source within the Brotherhood said that Katātnī's meeting with Barad‘ī came in response to the security practices against its candidates during the mid-term elections of the Shūrá Council (Upper House of Parliament). (al-Misrī al-Yawm, p. 3)
"The Irshād Office decided to hold that meeting with Barad‘ī as a reaction to the regime's clear twisting of the voters' will," said the source, adding that the group would reply to "election rigging practiced by the ruling party" with support to Barad‘ī during the coming presidential election scheduled for 2011. (al-Misrī al-Yawm, p. 3)
Dr. Rashād Bayūmī, an Irshād Office member, denied any correlations between the practices that took place in the Shūrá Council election and the meeting with Barad‘ī . (al-Misrī al-Yawm, p. 3)
"Our bonds with Barad‘ī are ones based on principles because we believe all that Barad‘ī is calling for are our hopes for political reform and democracy," said Bayūmī. (al-Misrī al-Yawm, p. 3)
Dr. ‘Amr al-Shubkī, an expert at the al-Ahrām Center for Political & Strategic Studies, said that the meeting perhaps centered on an agreement to collect signatures on a "change statement" issued by Barad‘ī, which is of great importance to him as he hoped the number would "climb to reach one million.” (al-Dustūr, p. 5)
It would be much better if the meeting was to focus on signature collecting and the Brotherhood's help in this respect because a large part of Barad‘ī’s strength rests on the concept that he has represented a third option between the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and the Muslim Brotherhood. (al-Dustūr, p. 5)
