Period 2 (1987-1995): Increasing Tension

Abstract

From 1987 onwards, the war of position saw a sharpening on the material as well as the ideational level, as the relationship between the Muslim Brotherhood and the state began to change from a rather conciliatory into a more confrontational one. The parliamentary elections of that year heralded a new era for the Brotherhood. The group now stepped out of the junior status it had held within its previous electoral alliance with the Wafd party and – as the senior partner within a new coalition – the group advanced to become the biggest opposition in the new parliament.