Why not the Teddy Bears and Gumdrops Party? Because they have about as much to do with Islam as freedom and justice.

(JPost) — The Muslim Brotherhood — which had been the standard bearer of Egypt’s opposition until non-aligned protesters forced President Husni Mubarak out of office this month — is forming a political party, as it seeks to ensure it place for itself in the country’s new democratic politics.

But the new party, to be called Freedom and Justice, faces an uphill struggle. The Brotherhood officially remains banned in Egypt and its leaders declined to detail what its positions will be or even state with certainty whether non-Muslims will be able to hold leadership positions. Analysts say many Egyptians are suspicious of its Muslim agenda.

Moreover, once the only significant opposition to the rule of Mubarak and his predecessors — Gamal Abd Al-Nasser and Anwar Sadat — was largely sidelined during the three weeks of protests that shook Egypt and now faces a plethora of new rivals for Egyptian votes.

With a transitional government promising elections later this year, other opposition groups are coming back to life or being formed. Earlier this week, an Egyptian court authorized the registration of the Wasat, or Center Party, headed by Abul-Alaa Madi and Issam Sultan, two Brotherhood breakaways. On Tuesday, it held a press conference . . . Abd Al-Gawad said the Brotherhood was making a special effort to “play by the rules” in order to dispel internal and external anxieties.

“The Brotherhood is trying to avoid scaring the Egyptian public, because most Egyptians, like many foreign players, are afraid of it,” he said. “The Brotherhood has announced it will not appoint a candidate for president nor will it seek a majority in parliament, trying to look magnanimous.”

But on Wednesday Katatni did not rule out the possibility of Freedom and Justice nominating a presidential candidate. “It is hard to tell right now. When the party is formed, it will decide the matter,” he told Al-Masry Al-Youm.