Editing Muslim Brotherhood (section)

=== Stance on democracy, civil rights and secularism ===
According to Deputy of the Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood, Dr. Mohamed El-Sayed Habib, the Muslim Brotherhood believes in implementing various political reforms for enabling [[freedom of assembly]], [[Freedom of the press|press freedoms]], [[democracy]], [[Pluralism (political philosophy)|political pluralism]], [[peaceful transition of power]], etc.

<blockquote>We believe that the political reform is the true and natural gateway for all other kinds of reform. We have announced our acceptance of democracy that acknowledges political pluralism, the peaceful rotation of power and the fact that the nation is the source of all powers. As we see it, political reform includes the termination of the state of emergency, restoring public freedoms, including the right to establish political parties, whatever their tendencies may be, and the freedom of the press, freedom of criticism and thought, freedom of peaceful demonstrations, freedom of assembly, etc. It also includes the dismantling of all exceptional courts and the annulment of all exceptional laws, establishing the independence of the judiciary, enabling the judiciary to fully and truly supervise general elections so as to ensure that they authentically express people's will, removing all obstacles that restrict the functioning of civil society organizations, etc.<ref name="Ikhwan Web">{{cite web|url=http://www.ikhwanweb.com/faq.php|title=interview w/Dr. Mohamed El-Sayed Habib|publisher=Ikhwan Web|access-date=28 November 2012|archive-date=28 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228143735/http://www.ikhwanweb.com/faq.php|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

However, the Brotherhood is opposed to [[secularism]] and seeks the implementation of [[Sharia|Shari'a]] (Islamic law) as the basis of [[Egyptian Civil Code|Egyptian legal system]] and insists on complying the political system with Islamic legal precepts. When asked whether the Muslim Brotherhood seeks to establish a religious [[theocracy]]; the same spokesperson replied:
<blockquote>This concern stems from a wrong understanding of the nature of [[Islam]]. To those who speak about a [[religious state]], in the same ecclesiastical meaning given to it in Europe in the Middle Ages, when the church had hegemony over a State's authorities, we wish to say that the issue here is completely different. The Muslim Brotherhood has gone through the latest legislative elections on the basis of a clear-cut program under the slogan "Islam is the Solution", given the fact that Islam, as Imam el-Banna said, is a comprehensive program that encompasses all aspects of life: it is a state and a country, a government and people, ethics and power, mercy and justice, culture and law, science and justice, resources and wealth, defense and advocacy, an army and an idea, a true belief and correct acts of worship.<ref name="Ikhwan Web"/></blockquote>