Egyptian Copts, native Egyptian Christians, have reportedly established a Christian Brotherhood in response to the increasingly influential Muslim Brotherhood.
Political analyst Michel Fahmi told Al Arabiya: “The idea started in 2005 with the rise of Islamist groups, but it had not been put to action since then.” It is thought that the idea has been implemented following the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohammed Morsi's, victorious presidential election.
Despite the obvious religious connotations the group have said that they were established to create a balance in the Egyptian political scene, 'to create a body that can resist the Islamist tide'.They also said that the group was formed following the realisation that Egypt was moving away from being a sectarian state.
Amir Ayad likened the move to the tactics used by Mahatma Gandhi.
The Christian Brotherhood now has 16 governorates (administrative divisions) in Egypt as well as four branches outside Egypt, three in Europe and one in Australia. However, responses to the announcement have so far been confused:
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