Recent claims of Muslim Brotherhood (MB) leaders Maḥmūd ‘Izat and Sa’d al-Husīnī, to turn Egypt into a purely Islamic state, frightened liberals and Copts alike. The article at hand discusses to which extent such fears are legitimized. After all, MB senior officials like Mohamed al-Biltāgī emphasize the MB’s democratic and peaceful character. In an attempt to analyze the credibility of such pro-democratic statements, journalist ‘Alā Qudūs takes a look outside of Egypt and reports on views and opinions of US professors and researchers.