Abdul Rahman opined that the MB electoral success
was not a reflection of real MB influence in Egypt. The
Egyptian people, he said, are "culturally and politically
immature," and were led astray by MB independent candidates
campaigning on the theme that Islam is under attack around
the world. Abdul Rahman said U.S. military operations in
Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as Israeli operations against
the Palestinians, had angered "the poor and the young" in
Egypt, and made them susceptible to the MB slogan "Islam is
the solution." The MB success in the 2005 parliamentary
elections, said Abdul Rahman, "was not a real success nor was
it a reflection of their real influence." Abdul Rahman
asserted the GOE does not use the Emergency Laws against the
MB. The ordinary penal and criminal code is sufficient, he
said. The GOE only resorts to the EL in the case of violent
extremists.