The National thinks the Salafis
are splintering with some members gravitating towards their archenemy the
Muslim Brotherhood. Excerpts from the article below:
… two significant facts about Salafism and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt: first, the two groups share more in common than either side would like to acknowledge. Second, the rift within the Salafi movement over which candidate to endorse shows that some factions are in many ways closer to the Muslim Brotherhood than to Salafism … But it is one thing for Salafis to endorse a Brotherhood candidate to ensure the implementation of Sharia, and quite another to campaign for the Muslim Brotherhood as a religious group. The Brotherhood, after all, has historically been the Salafis' putative enemy.
... It has been said that Islamist groups tend to splinter as they approach political power. This appears to apply to Salafis more than the Muslim Brotherhood. More Salafis are moving closer to the Brotherhood as so many of the differences between the two groups have collapsed after the downfall of the Mubarak regime and the Salafis' involvement in politics. Now, Salafi scepticism about the Brotherhood, entrenched over decades, is further eroding as Salafis campaign for their lifelong rivals.
