Christians Under Attack

"Women and Christians are not allowed to have access to the position of president of the republic," said a representative of the Muslim Brotherhood in a report carried by local newspaper, al-Masri al-Yom.

The highly influential Islamist movement, banned in several Arab countries such as Syria, Jordan and even Egypt, expressed this view as part of a draft of a new political programme revealed on Wednesday.

Women and Coptic issues have been impediments to the group's party platform being accepted by Egyptians as a whole.

Scholars and intellectuals have asked the group to modify its views on this matter, but this latest statement shows that the group has refused to change its previous stance, which is based on an Islamic fatwa or edict.

The request for made for the movement to modify its stand and this would then in principle allow a woman or a member of Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, to hold the post of president of Egypt.

"After a long debate, we have reached the conclusion that these two categories of people do not have the right to take on this role and this is the definitive verdict on this issue and we will not turn around on this in the future," said the representative.

The group will be circulating the decision among the militants of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The news was also confirmed by Isam al-Ariyan, a member of the political office of the Muslim Brotherhood, who said that "the decision was supported by all the spiritual leaders within movement who said it was necessary to send a signal that would differentiate it from the secular position," he said.

According to the reports, included among those who supported this position, was Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Islamic television preacher on the Arab television channel Al Jazeera, who is considered to be top international ideologue of the movement.

The group has repeatedly said that the party is civil in nature with an Islamic background. The Egyptian constitution forbids the formation of parties based on religious affiliation.