Two years ago, when Sherif Diyab, a political activist, participated in the founding of the Tamarod (Rebellion) Movement, which initiated the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood and President Morsi, he never imagined how radically the political system would change or that he would one day align himself with the same group he helped bring down.

Two years ago, when Sherif Diyab, a political activist, participated in the founding of the Tamarod (Rebellion) Movement, which initiated the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood and President Morsi, he never imagined how radically the political system would change or that he would one day align himself with the same group he helped bring down.

The current regime has since labeled the Brotherhood a “terrorist group” and parliamentary elections meant to take place at the end of 2014 were postponed amidst the government’s fears of the Muslim Brotherhood returning to power via the parliament, according to statements made by more than one political official.

But the marginalization of the Brotherhood and the harsh has potentially backfired and has created unlikly allies amongst disillusioned Egyptians like Diyab.

 “When Sisi, the son of the military establishment, became the president of Egypt, the situation in the country became like it was before the January revolution and even worse,” says Diyab. “Repression increased, justice is absent, and revision and re-evaluation of developments were inevitable.”

Diyab said members of Tamarod Movement have strongly differed like all other active revolutionaries and those who believe that it is now important to build an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood Movement are very much aware that its return to power is impossible. Diyab believes that the optimal shape for the administration of the country’s affairs is through a coalition government in order to prevent the return of the Muslim Brotherhood’s violations and those of the military establishment. Still, Diyab says the Muslim Brotherhood’s crimes make him fear the Brotherhood’s return to power.

A safe “exit” and a safe “entry”

Riyad Muhammad, a member of Kifaya Movement and April 6 Movement in Ismailia, says while the Brotherhood is not innocent of crimes, they cannot be compared to the crimes committed by the civil forces.

“The Brotherhood killed some of the revolutionaries at the Itihadiya Palace, but it also lost many of its members and its headquarters were burnt,” says Muhammad. “While some say the Muslim Brotherhood granted the military the so-called “safe exit,” those described as civil forces have granted the same military the so-called “safe entry,” and allowed it return to power again,” he said.

An alliance with the Brotherhood, Muhammad says, is not a disgrace for him as for some of his colleagues.  “Any person who participated in the revolution should not accept injustice, murder and imprisonment of those who disagree with him in their opinions,” he said.  

Recalling the period he spent with the Kifaya Movement, which called for the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak Muhammad said there were members who called for the overthrow of Mubarak. “No one can deny their role in toppling Mubarak, and therefore it is worthier to build an alliance with them against those who are completing the march of oppression and torture, which was pursued by the ousted president.”

“It seems that they have forgotten the principles upon which the movement was built, either in response to the temptations of the military or for fear of punishment,” he said.

While Muhammad does not want the return of Morsi’s rule, he still believes the Brotherhood has the right to return to political life. “It is better than those who call themselves civil forces and who abandoned their principles under the oppression of tanks and guns.”

They should abandon their current demands

Mahmoud al-Noubi, a political activist, and one of the founders of the leftist Bread and Freedom Party (which was formed when a number of the Socialist Alliance Party in Ismailia walked out of it), did not reject the principle of an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood. However, he believes the Muslim Brotherhood should, as a main condition, abandon one of its main current demands of the return of the legitimacy: representation by President Muhammad Morsi, demonstrate as ordinary people and abide by the slogans of the January revolution as they did in the al-Tahrir Yard in Cairo or al-Mamar Yard in Ismailia.

Al-Noubi emphasized that while he strongly believes in the right of the Muslim Brotherhood to freely express its opinions and its special demands, in an alliance “it should be built on common grounds as long as the aim is to achieve the goals of the revolution. The Muslim Brotherhood hasn’t until now understand that it was the main reason behind the stabbing of the revolution because it abandoned the revolutionaries and cared for its own interests.”

He clarified that even if he builds an alliance with the movement, this will not stop him from reaching the goals of his party on the need to find a real substitute for the Egyptian people, independent of the military and the Muslim Brotherhood, even if this goal would take a long period of time to be achieved.”

Why not?

Wael Abdul Aziz, a member of the Strong Egypt party’s secretariat in Ismailia, which was founded by Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, a leading Muslim Brotherhood member, who walked out of the movement after the revolution, said his party’s strategy, which was announced recently, mainly emerged from the principles of the January 25 revolution in which the Muslim Brotherhood had participated. The strategy covers many issues, but mainly labels the current regime as worse than Mubarak’s. It also maintains that the current government seized power via a coup and condemn the events in Rabia and in al-Nahda, calling it state terrorism.

“It is possible to build an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood Movement if it abandons its polarization discourse and if it returns to the ranks of the political and revolutionary forces.” He said if his party was ready, he would be willing to build an alliance with forces that ideologically disagree with him such as the April 6 Movement in order to achieve the goals of the revolution. “So why should I not build an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood if this will lead to the success of the revolution.”