Islamic Party (Egypt)

The Islamic Party (formerly known as the Peace and Development Party or Safety and Development Party) is an Islamist political party in Egypt. The name of the party was changed in approximately December 2012. The main leaders of the group are Mohamed Abu Samra and Kamal Habib. The party is backed by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad group. Most of the founders of the party are former members of the organization. Many members of the party have court rulings that bar them from running for elected office.

The party and Egyptian Islamic Jihad withdrew from the Anti-Coup Alliance in January 2014. One of the reasons for the withdrawal was the rejection by the pro-Morsi coalition of the initiative put forth by the Islamic Party that sought to end the crisis by appointing a presidential council composed of a civilian, an Islamist and a member of the army. The party called for a "negotiated" solution on 8 February 2014. The party rejoined the alliance around March 2014, though there are indications that it has withdrawn again.