Middle East analyst Joseph Kechichian, speaking to Al Jazeera this morning, said he believed the Muslim Brotherhood had made a "tactical mistake of the grandest proportions" by "siding with the military against the protesters" in Tahrir Square.
Though the Brotherhood has been riven by internal divisions on the issue, it has publicly declared it will not participate in the demonstrations and today has scheduled a separate, unrelated march connected to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the same time that activists have called for another "million-man march" in Cairo.
The Brotherhood, like the military, wants parliament elections held on time on Monday. Its political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, is widely predicted to win a large plurality or majority of the lower house.
The Brotherhood did issue a statement on Thursday, saying: "Had we been out to secure our own interests and reap popularity on the political street, going down to Tahrir Square would have been just the way to do that. But we refrained from rash action."