By Cam McGrath
"CAIRO, May 15, 2012 (IPS) - One is a conservative Islamist attempting to reinvent himself as a pragmatic liberal, the other is a secular statesman trying to distance himself from the authoritarian regime he once served. Both aspire to be Egypt’s first civilian president.....
Aboul Fotouh was ejected from the Muslim Brotherhood in July 2011 after declaring his intention to run for president despite the group’s pledge that it would not field a candidate.
Fortune has shaped his political trajectory. In less than a year the former radical has engineered a stunning political transformation, casting himself as a "liberal" Islamist and inspiring an unlikely mix of followers: secular-minded youth, leftist thinkers, disillusioned Muslim Brotherhood members and hardcore fundamentalists.
His support has swelled with the endorsement of an influential Salafi (ultra-conservative Islamist) group following the disqualification of their hard-line candidate.
Moussa mocked his rival’s apparent contradiction during a televised presidential debate last Thursday.
"He is a Salafi with Salafis, and a liberal with liberals," he said......"
"CAIRO, May 15, 2012 (IPS) - One is a conservative Islamist attempting to reinvent himself as a pragmatic liberal, the other is a secular statesman trying to distance himself from the authoritarian regime he once served. Both aspire to be Egypt’s first civilian president.....
Aboul Fotouh was ejected from the Muslim Brotherhood in July 2011 after declaring his intention to run for president despite the group’s pledge that it would not field a candidate.
Fortune has shaped his political trajectory. In less than a year the former radical has engineered a stunning political transformation, casting himself as a "liberal" Islamist and inspiring an unlikely mix of followers: secular-minded youth, leftist thinkers, disillusioned Muslim Brotherhood members and hardcore fundamentalists.
His support has swelled with the endorsement of an influential Salafi (ultra-conservative Islamist) group following the disqualification of their hard-line candidate.
Moussa mocked his rival’s apparent contradiction during a televised presidential debate last Thursday.
"He is a Salafi with Salafis, and a liberal with liberals," he said......"
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