The discourse of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has changed abruptly since a remark from a prominent member and activist Manal Abul Hassan has stirred further public debate. Abul Hassan said about the the December women's march condemning military brutality against female protestors that "when a woman marches to defend her rights, this affronts her dignity," this being the reason for the brotherhood’s absence during the demonstration.

As a reaction, other women’s rights activists entered the debate, stressing that without the demonstrations in which thousands of women participated, the Muslim Brotherhood’s political branch The Freedom and Justice Party would never have (re-) emerged on the political scene. This has apparently made the Freedom and Justice Party declare on Twitter that Abul Hasan’s remarks are “fabricated & misrepresented statements to manipulate public opinion,” without further elaboration.