CAIRO — After Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year, ultraconservative Muslims known as Salafists emerged from the shadows and quickly became a surprising political force. No longer afraid of being detained and tortured for their strict interpretation of Islam, more pious men grew out their beards and more women felt comfortable covering their faces with the black veils favored by Salafists, even at government jobs.

In the winter, Salafists won about 25 percent of the seats in Egypt’s new parliament. But though they are far more visible now than they were under Mubarak’s secular but autocratic rule, Salafists are once again feeling marginalized as they struggle to translate their new strength into a unified political voice just a few weeks before Egyptians elect a new president.

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