The Lede is following events in Egypt on Saturday, where Islamist protesters have taken to the streets again to demonstrate against the military-backed government that killed hundreds this week.
Egypt’s prime minister, Hazem el-Beblawi, has proposed legally dissolving the Muslim Brotherhood, according to a report in Reuters, a move that would return the group to the outlaw status it suffered under the reign of former President Hosni Mubarak.
The proposal “is being studied currently,†a spokesman for the Ministry of Social Affairs, Sherif Shawky, told Reuters.
He also seemed to dismiss the prospect of any form of reconciliation between the military-backed transitional government and Mr. Morsi’s Islamist allies, saying, “Reconciliation is there for those whose hands are not sullied with blood.â€
Founded in 1928, the Brotherhood was first banned in 1954 by iconic Egyptian strongman Gen. Gamal Abdel Nasser. The group founded a political party, the Freedom and Justice Party, after the 2011 overthrow of Mr. Mubarak and registered itself as a nongovernmental organization in March.
