On Monday, the Salafist Nour Party’s official Facebook page denied any relation to an anonymous new group launched on Facebook, the “Committee for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice in Egypt.” The party's denial followed controversy among social media users after the anonymous Salafist group used the party logo in their first Facebook statement on Sunday, despite insisting they are independent.

The anonymous group announced that the committee, similar to one in Saudi Arabia, intended to preserve the morals of Egyptians in accordance with sharia (Islamic jurisprudence). The success of Islamist parties in Egypt's ongoing parliamentary elections led the group to form the committee out of a belief that the majority of Egyptians allegedly chose Islam over “stinky liberalism.”

The unknown group promised to use advice and dialogue instead of violence to impose virtue and fight vice in the Egyptian street.

Many Egyptian Facebook and Twitter users have slammed the group and its statement, rejecting the idea of having a morality police that monitors personal conduct.

The group members said that they do not plan to reveal their identity until they reach a specific number of registered members.

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