CAIRO: Disgruntled members of some political parties complained of being prevented from attending a meeting called by Al-Azhar to discuss a charter of constitutional principles.
They were not allowed beyond Al-Azhar’s hallway.
Leading political figures and representatives of political parties attended Wednesday a meeting called by Al-Azhar’s Grand Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb to discuss the Azhar Charter of constitutional principles.
"We object to the way we were received and treated, preventing us from attending the meeting like other political powers," Secretary General of Egypt 2000 party, Ismail Abul Fotouh told Daily News Egypt.
The shunned political parties — which include the Arab Socialist Egyptian, the Future Knights, Egypt 2000 and the Freedom and Development parties — admitted that they were not officially invited by Al-Azhar, but that they responded to media reports saying that the invitation was open.
"This small group of political powers who were allowed to attend the meeting don’t represent all of Egypt’s political powers or even different sectors of Egyptian society," said Adel El-Qella, head of the Arab socialist Egyptian Party and the democratic coalition for Egypt.
El-Qella also criticized Deputy PM for democratic transition issues Ali El-Selmy for dividing political powers into three groups to discuss Cabinet’s proposed supra- constitutional principles on three separate days.
Hayam Abdel Hamid, member of the Freedom and Development Party, said that Al-Azhar failed to understand the developments and changes that occurred in Egypt’s political arena after Jan. 25.
"Many political parties and movements emerged after the revolution and these groups will have a profound effect on the political scene in the coming years," she said, adding that they should have been permitted to participate in A-Azhar’s event.
