Key Note Speaker: President and Head of Public of Communications (2 people) of the Nuer Party.

Key Note Speaker: President and Head of Public of Communications (2 people) of the Nuer Party.

This has been and probably will be the most interesting meeting we will have. The Nuer party is the official party of the Salafi group. The Salafi group is very similar to the United States Republican party (especially the family values movement) except the Nuer party is based in Islam instead of Christianity. They are the largest Egyptian party by membership.

                This was the first meeting that was done in two languages. Arabic and English was used with Professor Hammed as a translator. Overall I was left with this impression of the Salafi party.

1)      Their leadership is very smart and well spoken

2)      They are committed to cleaning up corruption that was ubiquitous in the Mubarak regime

a.       This is extremely important because the front runner (Mussa) was part of the Mubarak regime, and the levels of corruption in Egypt are a major issue.

3)      Much like politicians they will say what the listener wants to hear

a.       I say this because they were asked to comment on the criticism that parties like the Nuer party and Freedom and Justice parties have stepped into the power void created by the revolution but do not represent the revolution at all.  

b.      They gave a very eloquent answer about their involvement even before the revolution, and while they were in opposition to Mubarak well before the revolution. They did not join the revolution until the square had been occupied (the pivotal point being the fight to occupy it).

4)      They Plan to implement Sharia Law

a.       I have to qualify this by saying that I have asked many questions about Sharia Law, and although I am not an expert I can safely say that the media completely misrepresents it and most people reading this in the states have only heard a very spun version of Sharia law.

b.      I cannot deny the western world may find the eye for an eye mentality brutal and primitive. However, Sharia law would find court execution non-majority persons (mentally handicapped) brutal and immoral.

5)      They do strongly believe in democracy

a.       The main difference between the Salafi (Nuer) and Muslim Brotherhood (freedom and Justice) is their inner workings. The Muslim brotherhood much resembles the inner political stricter of US parties while the Nuer party is democratic within as well and emphasizes merit within their ranks.

6)      Their treatment of woman is questionable.

a.       In the meeting the Nuer party said that they wish to create a government that enforces the concept that all men, woman, ethnicities, genders, and religions are created equal.

b.      However,  I am very skeptical (so are many Egyptians), because the Nuer party was forced to include one woman member, which is evidence in of itself, but when they showed pictures of the party, instead of the picture of the woman there was a picture of a flower.