Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood group picks hardliner as new leader
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood says it has elected Hammam Saeed, a hardline Islamist, to replace the group's moderate leader.
Brotherhood spokesman Jamil Abu-Bakr says Friday's election of Saeed, a former Parliament member, came after two days of voting by top Brotherhood figures. Saeed replaces Salem al-Falahat, who also contested the election, as head of kingdom's largest opposition group.
Saeed is a harsh critic of government policies and seeks to impose the Islamic Sharia law in this traditional Arab country whose monarch pursues a modern image and social and economic reforms. Saeed has repeatedly called for cutting ties with Israel.
The Brotherhood also chose moderate Abdul-Latif Arabiyat as president of the group's 51-member legislative body, the Shura Council.