Parliament candidates from Egypt's Al-Nour Party giving speeches at the rally hardly referred to religion, a dramatic change for a party that was once one of the strongest advocates for a greater role of Islam in government and society. The Nour Party is "trying to reach out to the political center, where anti-Islamist sentiment is high, with promises to unify and rebuild a polarized country."

Amr Mekky, an Al-Nour candidate there has been no official pressure on the party but "We are above all being attacked by the Brotherhood, who are urging a boycott. Just look at social media," he said at the rally, referring to a slew of Facebook posts describing Al-Nour as stooges of el-Sissi and facilitators of his crackdown on political Islam. For core supporters meanwhile, the party's appeal remains clear: "Islamic Shariah law."