Egyptian Islamists say they have presented a formal request for permission to set up a political party.
The Al-Sharia or Islamic Law party is led by a former member of the group which assassinated the former Egyptian presidnet, Anwar Sadat in l98l.
The leader, Mamdouh Ismail, is now a lawyer who says he is trying to promote his views through peaceful means.
A BBC correspondent Cairo says that Egypt's Islamists are currently re-evaluating their tactics.
She says that the massacre of 58 tourists in Luxor nearly two years ago provoked public revulsion, and a tough response from the security forces.
But she adds that their request to the government is almost certain to be rejected - religious parties are banned in Egypt.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
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