Secularism in Egypt were banned including the Wafd Party and the Muslim Brotherhood. The government of Gamal Abdel Nasser was secularist-nationalist in nature which at the time gathers a great deal of support both in Egypt and other Arab states. Key elements of Nasserism: Following the death of Nasser, President Anwar Sadat (1970–1981) continued economic liberalization and maintained the government's secularist policy, even going as far as signing peace agreements with Israel which was a first for any Middle Eastern country. However, following further intensive clampdowns on political opposition, Sadat was assassinated and replaced by Hosni Mubarak who again faces the issue of
Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh organizations into the Muslim Brotherhood. For many years, he was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and served on its Guidance Bureau. He was called "one of the Brotherhood's most respected members" but he quit its Guidance Bureau in 2009 then quit the Muslim Brotherhood in 2011. When he was the head of Cairo University's student union, Abou al-Fotouh had a discussion with President Anwar Sadat. He accused Sadat and those who were working with him of being 'brown-nosers' because they banned Mohammed al-Ghazali from speaking in public. Abou al-Fotouh was arrested in 1981 in the famous September arrests that