For example, the Brotherhood belatedly joined the protests in Tahrir Square, but after Mubarak fell, its leaders opposed any “supraconstitutional” guarantees of individual freedoms and then barred members from further demonstrations. The group initially said it wanted no more than 30 percent of the seats in parliament; then switched to around half; then said maybe a majority, but in coalition with others; and now is drifting toward exercising complete control by taking the most important leadership and committee positions without having established formal coalitions with other parties. As for the upcoming presidential election, the Brotherhood once said it would not participate, then said it might support one of the existing candidates; now it appears it might search for a yet-unmentioned candidate of its choosing.
Meanwhile, one thing that has not changed is the Brotherhood’s hostility toward U.S. policies and interests. In its electoral platform, the FJP begins its section on “Regional Leadership” by explicitly rejecting the old regime’s approach of “supporting occupiers and colonisers, through its presence in the so-called axis of moderation, which is sponsored by the United States.” In August, the Brotherhood called U.S. funding for Egyptian nongovernmental organizations “a disgrace.” In its supposed denunciation of the violent police crackdown on NGOs in December, it nevertheless reaffirmed its continuing opposition to this funding.
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