Only to be told by his elders that it could not emerge as either a real political party or a bona fide charity under the rule of Hosni Mubarak.

But even after Mr Mubarak was overthrown in last year’s revolution, Mr Gebba said, he found the Brotherhood refused to open up and, in many ways, became less transparent once it began to acquire real political power.

 

“You have seven people who are all the time managing the Muslim Brotherhood,” said Mr Gebba, who broke with the group last year after 12 years as a member. “Now they think they can manage Egypt in the same way.”