Egyptian police arrested some 35 members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in the Nile Delta on Saturday, the first day of Islam's Eid al-Fitr festival that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the official MENA news agency reported.

 

Police detained the MB members in Faquos, Sharqiya governorate, some 65 km north of the capital of Cairo, when they tried to prevent mosque Imams from leading congregations to perform outdoor prayers for Eid al-Fitr, a police source was quoted as saying.

 

According to MENA, some 150 members of the outlawed group took part in the action by force to prevent Imams from heading to outdoor plots to lead the festival prayers in al-Salihya district.

 

The police dispersed most of the MB members as they hurled stones against the police, leaving a police lieutenant injured, and arrested 35 of them.

 

Officially banned in 1954 for its attempt to set up an Islamic government, the MB won 88 seats in the 454-member lower house of parliament after its members ran as independents in 2005 legislative elections.

 

An Egyptian constitutional amendment adopted by a national referendum late March prohibited the forming of any political party on religious bases.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2007)