29 Jul 2011

Muslim Brotherhood calls for Egypt demonstrations

8:15 pm on 29 July 2011

The main Islamist group in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, is calling for major demonstrations across the country.

It comes as Egyptian authorities announce plans to put former president Hosni Mubarak on trial next week.

Mr Mubarak, 83, has been under arrest at a hospital in the coastal town of Sharm el-Sheikh since April.

Mr Mubarak, who ruled for three decades, is charged with corruption and ordering the killing of protesters before he was toppled in February.

His trial is due to begin on 3 August.

Even though they were not prominent in the Muslim revolution earlier this year, the Muslim Brotherhood is still the single most organised political force in Egypt reports the BBC.

It could mean these are some of the biggest protests yet seen.

The BBC reports there is little likelihood of Islamists gaining complete control of the Egyptian government, but that they want a system that guarantees them, and Islam itself, an important role in the future of the country.