THE REFORMERS:

Egypt's opposition targets reforms: Muslim Brotherhood members, Parliament's largest opposition bloc, are being closely watched. (Sarah Gauch, 3/23/06, The Christian Science Monitor)

So far, the speeches and activities of Brotherhood parliamentarians emphasize political reform. Their agenda includes demands widely backed by democratic activists: changing legislation that allows journalists to face prison sentences for libel, granting independence to Egypt's judges, and canceling a 25-year-old emergency law that forbids gatherings of more than five people.

"We need economic reform and development, in education and health, but we can't realize this until we have political reform," says Mohamed el-Katatny, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood's parliamentary bloc. The government, meanwhile, emphasizes economic reform with slower-paced political reform.