Emad Abdel Ghaffour, head of the Islamist Salafi Nour (Light) Party. Ghafour in 2011, said he wouldn't follow the Muslim Brotherhood - "we hate being followers." He also told the U.N. to criminalize contempt of Islam. And this man is less extreme?!Trouble in Salafist heaven Part “1”
There is big trouble in Al Nour Salafist Party, the trouble can spilt the second largest and influential Islamist political party for real.
Simply just like the Muslim brotherhood and its political arm Freedom and Justice Party. The al Nour Party is the political arm of the famous “Salafist Calling”. The Salafist Calling movement stationed in Alexandria is one of the strongest and most influential movements for Salafists in Egypt since 1970s. It is made of the hardliner Salafist Sheikhs headed by Sheikh Yasser Borhami, who strangely avoided politics and followed the ruler before the revolution. After the revolution Borhami and other Sheikhs found politics attractive enough to found a party and appear in front of the whole world as the second most organizing voting power in Egypt.
They founded the Al Nour party which included novice politicians from Salafists who gained political experience in the toughest way ever, whether through scandals in the parliament, or broken deals with the Muslim brotherhood. Now it seems that Al Nour Party wants to spilt from the Salafist Movement and its control according to some sources. The Party wants to be a political one, based on Islamist Salafist doctrines and not on the Sheikhs orders.
Recently we started to read about resignations in almost all the branches of the Al Nour party throughout the country. Then we find the party’s leader Emad Abdel Ghafour announcing that the party would hold a test for its members in general knowledge and politics to avoid embarrassment but for certain reasons the party did not complete its tests.
Then the media began to speak publicly about the two fronts of Borhami and Abdel Ghafur especially after the appointment of Emad Abdel Ghafur as President Morsi’s social communication advisor. We got two fronts now, Borhami’s front and Abdel Ghafur’s front.
Borhami’s front is more radical, more extremist whereas Abdel Ghafur seems to be less extremist, more open to dialogue to other political forces and powers including non-Islamists as well the West. Abdel Ghafur is trying to position his party as the second best option after the Muslim brotherhood and is trying to defend his party against the allegations of extremism in his own way.
There is on going war between the two fronts now on the party. I believe Borhami got too much power because of his religious role, already he is too dangerous and has too many followers and disciplesm, still Abdel Ghafur is the president’s adviser now, aside from his membership in the constituent assembly for the second time.
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This is not the only trouble in Salafist heaven, it seems this is just the tip of the iceberg...
http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2012/09/trouble-in-salafist-heaven-1.html
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/53736/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Salafist-Nour-Party-racked-by-internecine-s.aspx
Emad Abdel Ghaffour, head of the Islamist Salafi Nour (Light) Party. Ghafour in 2011, said he wouldn't follow the Muslim Brotherhood - "we hate being followers." He also told the U.N. to criminalize contempt of Islam. And this man is less extreme?!