Rallies organised by Islamist forces took place in a number of governorates across Egypt Friday to stress the importance of continuing the revolution and preventing old regime figures from reclaiming power.

Since the early morning, hundreds headed to the iconic Tahrir square. A number of banners demanding the continuation of the revolution and condemning military rule were hung around the square. Slogans include, “No elections under military rule,” “No constitution under military rule” and “No former regime icons for president.”

The April 6 movementtold Reutersit would not take part in protests that pressed for demands of a single group or party and the turnout was a fraction of the previous week when tens on thousands took to the streets.

The Muslim Brotherhood organised a protest in Beheira governorate where around 3500 protesters chanted against presidential candidates Ahmed Shafiq and Amr Moussa due to their links to the old regime.

In Zagazig, the Brotherhood and other groups organised rallies that chanted against the SCAF and former regime candidates.

In Shabin El-Kom around 200 protesters joined a protest organised by one of the city’s largest mosques to protest the SCAF and former regime candidates.

Thousands of Islamists and Salafists gathered in Mansoura to demand the application of the Disenfranchisement Law, the dismissal of El-Ganzouri’s cabinet and the end of military rule.

In Tanta and Mahalla hundreds from protesters from the Muslim Brotherhood, the April 6 Youth Movement, Kefaya and Kazeboon protested to demand the Disenfranchisement Law be applied against Mubarak regime figures.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Sohag governorate to demand the Disenfranchisement Law be applied to Moussa and Shafiq.

Islamists protested against military rule in Assiut but the protest was boycotted by non-Islamists who claimed the former hijacked such rallies for their own purposes.

An Islamist rally in Qena was also boycotted by non-Islamists.

Protests did not take place in Suez after it was decided to delay them until next Friday when the focus would be on the cancellation of Article 28 of the presidential law.

Major Egyptian Islamist parties and groups – including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafist Calling and Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya – have issued calls few days earlir for a Tahrir Square demonstration on Friday under the banner of "Saving the revolution."

"Protests will take place in Cairo and in other Egyptian governorates," Brotherhood Secretary-General Mahmoud Hussein announced on the group's official website.

Several non-Islamist revolutionary groups, meanwhile, have expressed their refusal to participate in the event. These groups include the April 6 movement, United Maspero Youth, the Egyptian Brothers Independent group, and the Free Front for Peaceful Change.

"There's no reason to protest this Friday given the recent ratification of the disenfranchisement law and the fact that the ruling military council is keeping its promise to hand over power to an elected president by 30 June," read a statement released by the United Maspero Youth.

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