Egypt's Salafi Islamist Nour party endorses Sisi for another term

Egypt's Salafi Islamist Al-Nour Party has endorsed President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi for a new presidential term in a video statement posted to the party's official Facebook page. 

In the video, prominent Nour Party leaders declared their support for Sisi and urged party members and all Egyptians to participate in the upcoming elections, which are likely to be boycotted by opponents of the regime.

The statement emphasised "the importance of electoral engagement" and warned against "negativity, despair, and frustration."

Sisi overthrew his democratically elected predecessor, Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, in a military coup in 2013.

Presidential elections held in Egypt since then have not been free or fair, with Sisi winning improbable majorities and opposition candidates being arrested. 

The Nour Party was formed following the 2011 Egyptian revolution with ideological influence from Saudi-aligned Salafi religious scholars.

The Nour Party's ultraconservative ideology mixes strict interpretation of Islamic custom and ritual with a quietist political philosophy based on obedience to rulers.

Its interpretation of Islam differs markedly from that of the more politically engaged Muslim Brotherhood and the party supported Sisi's coup against Morsi, despite his going on to detain thousands of political opponents and suppress rights and freedoms.

The party includes Salafists who were active in various Egyptian cities during the Mubarak era, especially in Alexandria, where they provided religious and social services.