GIZA, Egypt, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A female candidate is among the Muslim Brotherhood's field of 10 candidates running for November parliamentary elections in Egypt, the group announced.
Sayed Nazili, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood's offices in Giza, said Amal Abdul Karim was among 10 candidates slated to run in next month's elections, the banned political outfit announced through its Ikhwanweb Internet portal.
The Muslim Brotherhood claims that more than 165 of its members were arbitrarily arrested since the organization announced Oct. 9 it was competing in the election. Nearly 100 of those are still in custody, the group said.
The group is barred from running openly but its members won 20 percent of the seats in the Egyptian parliament by running as independents in 2005.
A top lawyer for the group said the organization was undeterred by the political pressure in Egypt.
Muslim Brotherhood members said they couldn't effectively challenge the ruling National Democratic Party without taking an active role in the political process.
The Muslim Brotherhood allies with Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei on several key reform issues in the country but decided against honoring his calls for a general boycott of parliamentary elections.
UPI
