CAIRO, June 13 (UPI) -- A political committee in Egypt said it approved a Salafi group's application to form a political party, the third group with a platform mentioning Islam.
The Nour Party becomes the first Salafi political party in Egypt after getting approval from government officials, Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reports.
The Salafi movement is afforded the right to conduct political affairs as of Monday, the report adds. It becomes the third after the Muslim Brotherhood and the Wasat Party to mention Islam in its platform.
The Muslim Brotherhood in 2010 elections campaigned under the slogan "Islam is the Solution."
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said last week she protested the recognition of the Muslim Brotherhood's party because the organization was "committed to violence and extremism."
The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said the country would have parliamentary elections in September. It didn't announce a date for the presidential election, though that vote is expected after the September contest.
