Egypt

The new norm

Two predicaments, part of the new norm, are creating a stir on the streets of Egypt: the sentencing of 21 women to 11 years in prison and the anti-protest law, both backfiring in the face of the interim government.

In today’s norm, 21 females, some under age, are accused of stirring violence, blocking roads, and damaging shop facades. It is an effort on authorities’ part to curtail the disarray on the streets, but the harsh sentencing sparks outrage amongst activists and MB followers, the two ends of the spectrum.

In today’s norm, a law enacted to improve public safety is so flawed that it fuels activists into fault themselves. They insist on defying the law ultimately standing against authorities. Adding fuel to fire, two renowned activists get detained. I have no qualms with the detainment of either since they did indeed, one, break the law, two, incite others to violence. However, Alaa Abdel Fattah’s wife gets slapped while her husband is being taken into custody. Has the police force not learned anything from its previous mistakes? 

University campuses across Egypt seethe with anger and protest. One non-activist is killed by bird shots. 

Why stop there? In today’s norm, a woman walking on a street is verbally abused by a niqabbed woman partaking in an MB protest. In a shift in strategy, the MB now transports its loyal members on microbuses and disperses them in smaller groups everywhere. The woman passerby comments angrily on the blockage of the already congested street; the MB follower shuns her back. A row ensues. Intimidated and fearing for her life, the woman avoids clashing with the protestor further and walks away.

In today’s norm again, a veiled woman travelling with her elderly mother has her car windscreen smashed and her veil torn off by an MB group who, again, were blocking the road. She truly believed she was going to die. 

The picture is blurry. I don’t doubt that the women who were sentenced to 11 years hurled stones and smashed store windows; I don’t doubt that the innocent looking, white adorned veiled youths vandalized, but the judiciary system is faulted if it takes away their best years for hurling stones.  I don’t doubt that the appeal will end this fiasco, but I wonder why the court chose such harsh measures against such young women. Murderers get lighter sentencing.   

It doesn’t seem as though authorities have learned anything from the last three years, but many Egyptians haven’t learned much either. The Brotherhood is pulling Egypt one-way, the activists are pulling it another way, and the name of the game is defiance: break the law for you are above the law.

All this takes place as the remaining 90 million go about their businesses, trying to feed, clothe, and shelter their families. Amidst the doom and gloom, they try to come up for air, but they are unable to as one wave after another of disasters hits them pushing them further down.

How does Egypt go about changing this sobering reality, this new norm? 

Well, to quote my tweeting friend, RachidH, Egypt needs a “selfless, benevolent dictator until indoctrinated oldies vanish and unprepared youth learn.” Though profoundly wise, it is a tall order. Where does Egypt find that leader, respected and admired enough to bear the brunt of the circumstances and unite all these divisive and split factions?

Since January 25, not one single authoritative figure has remained untarnished; just about every prime minister, and president, has been unsuccessful in his task. Except Abdel Fattah El Sissi.

No, Abdel Fattah El Sissi has not figured out the equation to unite Egyptians, but the masses are behind him. Call it Sissi frenzy or Sissi mania, call it going back to military rule, or even call it a coup, El Sissi has succeeded in what no one else did: emerge as a leader. Whether he is selfless and benevolent remains to be seen.

Without respect, a leader cannot lead. This El Sissi has maintained. Today the disapproval confronts Prime Minister Beblawy, and to a lesser level, Interim President Adly Mansour while El Sissi remains unscathed.

I’m not for the return of the military to power. I hoped that we could prove western media at fault, but I’m now behind El Sissi’s running for presidency. The West will find fault no matter what, so their criticism is of no importance.

I’m looking for a leader that can work for Egypt in its dire times. Oh yes, Egypt has many capable and efficient men, and women, with the necessary expertise. However, if this individual has not emerged while Egypt was facing this bitter struggle, I don’t when he will.

El Sissi, I’ve given in. I find you the most appropriate man for Egypt today. I’ll elect you if you run. 

Awaiting change

I’m quitting politics. No, I’m not quitting on Egypt; I can’t do that, but it’s the political scene that I am quitting out on.

In January 2011, Egyptians went out against Mubarak for his inability to work for all Egyptians. The route SCAF, Supreme Council of Armed Forces, took was also flawed, and Egyptians faulted the killings of protestors in Mohammed Mahmoud and elsewhere and the clear route SCAF paved for the Muslim Brotherhood.

SCAF succeeded in one matter: aggravating Egyptians. They considered SCAF’s first prime minister, Dr. Essam Sharaf, though he was picked from the square itself, as an inept leader. Prime Minister Ganzouri was denounced even before he entered the premises. 

Dr. Mohammed Morsi faced even worse loathing. His tactics were clearly the works of someone altering the face of Egypt, to the worse; his Prime Minister Qandil faced the same ordeal.

June 30^th brought in an interim government led by Interim President Adly Mansour and Prime Minister Beblawy. Though Egyptians had high hopes, the ambience is quickly changing. Again Egyptians are back to doing what they know best: disgruntling. They find Beblawy incapable of handling the heavy task at hand, Adel Mansour a mere token figure.   

This is as far as the leaders of the country are concerned. But Egyptians’ disgruntlement doesn’t stop there. It touches every aspect of life in Egypt. Much needs work, true, but they have a bone to pick with every person, notion, and event.

Take the Committee of 50’s work on the constitution. Both liberals and Islamists are dissatisfied. One group after another threatened to walk out of the committee. True, none did walk out, but today, the dissatisfaction is flowing over to the man on the street. Egyptians are combing articles to find fault and disapprove. Trying civilians in military courts; not giving women, Copts, and other sects equal rights; and scrapping the quota for workers and farmers are some issues causing uproars in affected circles.

If a constitution doesn’t serve us all, then the constitution is not an Egyptian one. It cannot be tailored for one against the other. It needs to take us all as Egyptians into consideration.

Can any group, even the best of the best, come up with a constitution that would satisfy all Egyptians though? From another perspective, where will Egypt be if this constitution doesn’t pass? The boycotters and the nay voters will be horrified when they realize that they may have to survive under Morsi’s horrific 2012 one. Or an even more shameful stance: having to tweak Mubarak’s ’71 Charter of Rights as the best alternative, basically going back to square one.

But the constitution is one of many issues. Some are dissatisfied with the government’s meek retaliation against those who burn and destroy and its inability to abate terrorist attacks. While others dispute its tyranny against mere students and the ongoing detainments of all Brotherhood leaders. Copts are dissatisfied with the limited restorations to torched churches while Rabaa Mosque is squeaky clean; and all Egyptians are horrified at the governments’ inability to improve the forlorn gates controlling railroad traffic. This while the Brotherhood continues to call for the legitimacy of Morsi, and while the Islamist militants, whether encouraged by the Muslim Brotherhood or working out of mere sympathy to it, are killing, bombing, and sniping to their hearts’ content.

It seems that nothing will please everyone and nothing will get Egypt united. Officials are incompetent, Egyptians disappointed, and the country is in a pretty big mess.

And we are not done yet. A round of voting begins in January: constitution referendum, presidential elections with runoffs, and parliament elections with another round of runoffs. Tell me that Egypt can take all this.

My personal choice now is to quit my deep interest in political matters. Can Egyptians follow my suit and ignore the political scene, at least for the time being, while getting on with their lives? Can they continue to exist in a semi-rational ambience while the political scene is in such disarray??

It goes without saying that the political side of matters is of the essence in how stable a country is. However, change to the better may or may not happen, may come at a cost to some and not others, and, if positive, may take forever to implement. 

Where does this leave Egyptians? It leaves Egyptians sitting put, stagnantly awaiting the never-coming change. I suggest Egyptians focus on their personal lives, raise their kids, and find joy in the closed circles they live in. They had done so before for years during Mubarak’s reign. They watched dismayed, shrugged their shoulders, and went about their businesses.

However, can Egyptians, and I for that matter, forget three years of our lives? This is the unanswerable question.

Egypt takes aim at Brotherhood's foreign backers

Ahram Online

Tensions have risen in Egyptian diplomatic relations with Turkey and Qatar in recent months as a result of their condemnation of the current Egyptian governments' stance toward Brotherhood supporters

Supporters of Egypt's deposed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood wave Turkish and Egyptian flags during a rally in protest against violence in Egypt, outside of the Eminonu New mosque in Istanbul August 17, 2013. (Photo: Reuters)

Locked in a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood since president Mohamed Morsi's ouster, Egypt has launched a diplomatic offensive against the movement's foreign backers armed with funds from its old foes.

In their first salvo soon after Morsi was toppled, Egypt's interim rulers took aim at Qatar -- the only Gulf monarchy that openly supported the Brotherhood -- by closing the Egyptian channel of Al-Jazeera television.

The authorities also detained some journalists working in Cairo for the Doha-based network.

In addition, officials said Cairo was willing to return to Qatar funds given to Egypt during the Morsi presidency.

But the main confrontation for the new Egyptian authorities is a diplomatic one that has developed with Turkey.

On Sunday, Cairo expelled Ankara's ambassador after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the repression of Morsi's supporters.

The tussle began soon after Egyptian security forces broke up two camps of Morsi supporters on 14 August in Cairo, leaving hundreds dead.

The following day both Cairo and Ankara recalled their respective ambassadors, but while Ankara later sent its envoy back to Egypt, Cairo's ambassador to Turkey stayed at home.

On Sunday, the two countries went a step further by reducing their diplomatic ties to the level of charges d'affaires.

Karim Bitar, a Paris-based analyst, said the row stems from "increasing Egyptian nationalism and bitter regional setbacks for Turkey, including in Syria, which has seen it lose influence" in the region.

For Shadi Hamid, research director at the Brookings Doha Center, "Egypt's ruling military leaders are clearly not tolerating any backing to the Muslim Brotherhood, either inside the country or outside."

"Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE have provided billions in aid to Egypt, which is giving it the degree of latitude" in its diplomatic tactics that has even seen Cairo returning part of Qatari funds, he said.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait announced they would give $9 billion to Egypt just days after Morsi's ouster on 3 July.

They even promised to make up for any shortage of military assistance Cairo normally gets from the United States.

In October, Washington suspended its annual $1.3 billion military aid to Cairo amid repeated criticisms of Egypt's deadly crackdown on Islamists. US officials, however, have refused to term Morsi's ouster as a "coup".

The United Arab Emirates, which strongly backs Egypt's new rulers, also announced it would provide Cairo 

with $4.9 billion.

Hamid said Cairo's public position on the United States or Europe was purely "rhetoric," with both Washington and Brussels "unwilling to push for any confrontation with Egypt."

"They don't have that political will," he said.

Bitar said many countries had already accepted what has happened in Egypt.

"Most other countries, apart from traditional supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood like Turkey and Qatar, have taken note of the new Egyptian situation and acknowledged the coup in the name of realism and due to their basic hostility towards political Islam," he said.

Washington too is slowly stepping back from its earlier stance, with US Secretary of State John Kerry recently accusing the Brotherhood of "stealing the revolution" of 2011 that ousted long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak.

For Bitar, the real challenge to Egypt is not any diplomatic isolation but the gradual loss of funds from abroad as "some Gulf countries have warned that the economic aid given to Egypt was emergency assistance and not intended to be a steady financial backing."

"Going forward, the challenges for Egypt will probably be more economic rather than making the legitimacy of the new authorities acceptable internationally."

Cairo University professor Mustafa Kamel al-Sayyed said it was this that made him feel diplomatic tensions with Ankara were only temporary.

Sayyed said Cairo was unlikely to aggravate ties with Qatar "where hundreds of thousands of Egyptians are working as expatriates, because ultimately it could be those employees who pay the price.

via english.ahram.org.eg

Egypt referendum on constitution 'set for January'

BBC

Interim PM Beblawi called the referendum the "most critical moment

A referendum on Egypt's amended constitution is likely to take place in January, the interim PM has said.

Hazem Beblawi said the referendum would take place in the "second half of January" - later than expected.

It is a key first step in the political transition after Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was ousted in July.

A committee of 50 members, few of whom are Islamists, began work in September on amending the constitution that was pushed through by Mr Morsi.

Parliamentary and presidential elections are expected to follow after the constitution is passed.

The army had given the committee a 60-day deadline to finish the draft.

Mr Beblawi called the referendum the "most critical moment" for Egypt.

Supporters of Mr Morsi have been protesting against the interim authorities and demanding his reinstatement.

They refuse to recognise the current government and are expected to campaign against the referendum.

via www.bbc.co.uk

Egypt’s 'Muslim Sisterhood' moves from social work to politics

Muslim Village.com, By: Enas Hamed

Source: http://www.al-monitor.com/

The Muslim Sisterhood, which remains under-reported, is a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. But is it an organization that has a weight similar to that of the Brotherhood, or does it merely support the Brotherhood in times of need?

The Muslim Sisterhood was established six years after the Brotherhood’s formation, on April 26, 1933, in the Egyptian city of Ismailiya. The founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al-Banna, came up with the idea and wanted to call it the “Muslim Sisters Group.” According to the Brotherhood’s official website, Banna wrote a letter to the members of the Muslim Women’s Association and discussed the importance of women’s role in society, and the leeway that Islam gave them to serve their community. Labiba Ahmed was appointed as head of the Sisterhood.

However, the Sisterhood’s fight over the leadership of the branch pushed Banna to go back on the idea of a separate leadership for the Sisterhood. Thus, the Muslim Sisterhood came under the command of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Muslim Sisterhood’s role limited to charity work and preaching

Wafaa Mashour, a Freedom and Justice Party member of parliament in Egypt’s former Shura Council and a prominent leader in the Muslim Sisterhood, told Al-Monitor that the aim behind forming the branch was to raise girls on the values of Islam to be good wives and mothers in their community. The role of women was limited to social work and preaching. They would organize religious lectures for girls and participate in community service work such as sheltering poor families and contributing to the eradication of illiteracy.

However, women in the Sisterhood had to integrate into political work due to the conditions that Egypt was undergoing. Although the Sisterhood did not turn into an organization as weighty as the Muslim Brotherhood, the work of women was organized, well-planned and far from erratic. They participated in many demonstrations organized by the Brotherhood to protest against the internal situation in the country or express their rejection of foreign policy matters on issues such as the war in Iraq and the war on Palestinians. Moreover, they ran in the 2005 and 2010 parliamentary elections on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The post-Jan. 25 phase

Mashour noted that the Jan. 25 Revolution [2011] was considered a new phase in the course of women’s work. The role of the Sisters appeared on a larger scale in the Brotherhood when they gathered in Tahrir Square just like men to demand the fall of the regime of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Afterward, the role of the Sisters was further highlighted when they ran for parliamentary elections under the umbrella of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. Many Sisters such as Azza El Garf won seats in parliament.

According to Ibrahim al-Hudaybi, an Islamist researcher and former member of the Brotherhood, the preoccupation of the Sisters in political work holds another meaning. He believes that the female political participation that followed the Jan. 25 Revolution did not emanate from a shift in the mind-set of the Muslim Brotherhood. This is because the role played by women was limited to doing the work they were asked to do. Women do not participate in decision-making within the organization, as shown by their inability to be members of the Guidance Office. According to Hudaybi, the Brotherhood is still a closed-minded organization. If it were not for the current situation, the organization would not have allowed their female members to protest in squares, take to the streets and be subject to beatings, arrests and sometimes killings at the hand of security forces.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Hudaybi attributed the female predominance on the current political scene within the organization shown by the fact that women are staging protests and forming popular anti-coup movements to the political situation, which compelled women to take on the role of men since the majority of the organization leaders are in prisons.

Rasmiya, the former chairwoman of the Women’s Committee in the Freedom and Justice Party, spoke to Al-Monitor and asserted that decision-making among the Muslim Sisters is highly independent of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Guidance Office and the Supreme Guide. The Sisters refer to them merely for advising purposes. In addition, the organization did not ban its female members from political participation.

She added that the ideology of the organization has not changed, since it is derived from Islam, which allows women the freedom to take decisions according to the priorities of the situation.

“Prior to Jan. 25, we used to take to the streets on our own, as an [independent] organization. Women’s participation was not needed as it is now. Back then, women participated as much as the political situation in Egypt allowed. They supported the parliamentary and Shura candidates and the elections of student unions. Following the revolution, Egyptian society changed and was at high boil. Protests were ongoing, which aroused the need for the participation of women in this change,” Rasmiya noted.

In addition, she pointed out that the Brotherhood has increasingly relied on women following the June 30 protests and the arrests of a large number of Muslim Brotherhood leaders. It has become a duty for the Sisters to lead the protests. This is why they formed many movements such as “Women against the Coup” in protest of the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi and “Girls Ultras Azhari” against the way security forces dealt with university students.

via muslimvillage.com

Egypt: Final vote on constitution to begin Wednesday

Written by : Asharq Al-Awsat

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—The 50-member committee drafting Egypt’s constitution has denied that a final draft of the constitution is ready, in addition to rejecting claims that the Salafist Al-Nour Party representatives had walked out of deliberations over Article 2.

A member of the constitutional panel speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity said: “The final version of the constitution will be discussed during public sessions of the 50-member committee starting from Wednesday.” The source added that all constitutional committee members would attend the final vote.

Prominent Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed Abu El-Ghar affirmed that the final vote on the draft constitution will take place later this week, with voting ending before the December 3 deadline.

In exclusive comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Abu El-Ghar added that he expects the new constitution—when it is finalized—to pass the nationwide referendum with more than 75 percent of the vote, adding that even the majority of Egypt’s Salafists will vote yes on the new constitution.

Mohamed Abu El-Ghar, leader of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and a member of the 50-member panel tasked with drafting the constitution, confirmed that the majority of constitutional articles have already been finalized and agreed on, with only a few articles left to be considered.

Abu El-Ghar confirmed that the draft constitution will be very different to the 2012 constitution drawn up by a Muslim Brotherhood-dominated panel. He stressed that the new constitution will seek to highlight the position of the civil state, while also preserving Islamic Shari’a law as the basis for laws in the country. He added that the draft constitution will include unprecedented budgetary restrictions.

“For the first time ever, an Egyptian constitution will reserve a certain amount of percentage of national income to be spent on education, healthcare and scientific research. This is something that has never happened before, and will achieve huge changes in Egypt’s future,” Abu El-Ghar said.

Commenting on the possibility of Egypt imposing an electoral quota system, Abu El-Ghar said: “There are consultations currently underway to develop an electoral quota for Copts, women and workers in order to guarantee their participation in parliament, but there has yet to be a final agreement on this.”

“We will base our position according to the shape of this [quota] system,” he added.

A constitutional sub-committee had been formed to discuss the issue of parliamentary quotes before presenting it to the 50-member committee for vote. However the latest to come out of the committee was that the draft article had been abolished, despite some members arguing in favor of a quota. A constitutional article mandating that 50 percent of parliamentarians should be either workers or farmers has been in place since the 1960s, but has become the subject of increasing controversy in recent years. A new or amended article could see Copts, women, and youth included in a quota system.

As for abolishing controversial Article 219 of the 2012 constitution, which is an article that the Salafists, and to a lesser extent Al-Azhar, have committed to, Abu El-Ghar informed Asharq Al-Awsat that this will be replaced by amended language in Egypt’s constitutional preface.

“Instead of this [Article 219], text based on the Supreme Constitutional Court’s interpretation of Islamic Sharia law will be included in the constitution’s preface,” he said.

“This is clear and there is no problem or issue over this,” he added.

Article 219 states: “The principles of Islamic Shari’a include its commonly accepted interpretations, its fundamental and jurisprudential rules, and its widely considered sources, as stated by the schools of Sunna and Gamaa.”’

Commenting on objections regarding a perceived lack of constitutional language explicitly highlighting the “civil” nature of the Egyptian state, Abu El-Ghar said: “The constitution itself is based on the principle of the civil state and so does not need to explicitly reference this.”

As for the issue of civilians being tried in military court, he said that the Egyptian Social Democratic Party completely rejects this, and that he personally voted against this measure but was overruled by a majority vote.

 

via www.aawsat.net

Egypt to start fuel cuts in 2014

Via GlobalPost, Agence France-Presse

Egypt's government will start cutting fuel subsidies before it leaves office next year, prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi said Sunday, but the ambitious reform hinges on an end to the country's turmoil.

Beblawi's government, installed by the military after it overthrew president Mohamed Morsi in July, contends with a determined Islamist protest movement that the prime minister accused in an interview with AFP of trying to create a "crisis" in Egypt.

According to the government's timetable, a referendum is to be held on a new constitution within the next two months to be followed by parliamentary elections in mid-2014 and then presidential polls.

Although long a demand of international lenders, no Egyptian government has sought to aggressively tackle the bloated fuel subsidy programme for fear of igniting unrest.

"It is unsustainable, the kind of subsidies we are incurring," said Beblawi of the programme that eats up a fifth of the budget just on energy support.

"It is not only high but it is increasing. We have to face it squarely and make drastic decisions," he said in the interview.

"I would imagine that this government before its mandate in the last two months should arrive to a programme for the coming five or seven years and try to implement the first phase," he said.

"But this phase should be reasonably moderate, acceptable."

In a country with an unemployment rate of 13 percent, mostly men aged between 15 and 29 years, and where 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, reducing government support for basic goods could lead to further turmoil.

"You need to go very carefully, because the success of such a programme will depend to a great extent on the implementation of the first phase," said Beblawi.

"So the first phase must be real, but also acceptable. Because if it fails, no one will dare to do it again," he added.

The initial phase would not affect fuel subsidies and "not hit the lower strata of the population," Beblawi said.

Beblawi's government is scheduled to leave office after a new president is elected, with polls to take place sometime around June.

"If we have a very smooth referendum, a successful one, and then parliamentary (elections), it will encourage the government to be bold enough."

Egypt's economy has seen weak growth since the 2011 uprising that ousted longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak, and has been pushed to the edge with Morsi's overthrow.

At least 1,000 people, mostly Islamists, have died in clashes with police and soldiers and thousands arrested since Morsi was toppled in July.

Beblawi said Egypt, which is heavily dependent on tourism, has lost around $20 billion in tourism revenues and investment due to political instability and unrest.

The Islamists have meanwhile continued their protests, which often turn violent in clashes with police or rival protesters.

"This will continue for some time, but there is always an end when they see that it is not working," he said.

Morsi's government, which lasted only a year in power, was deep in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a crucial $4.8 billion loan before the Islamist's overthrow.

Beblawi's government halted the talks for now, partly to avoid the aggressive reforms demanded by the IMF, and opted for a Gulf-funded economic stimulus package of almost $3.7 billion.

via www.globalpost.com

Egypt imposes media ban on Morsi's espionage charges

World Bulletin / News Desk

Ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi

Egypt's Prosecutor-General Hisham Barakat on Saturday ordered a ban on media coverage of investigations into alleged espionage charges against ousted president Mohamed Morsi, who is accused of onspiring with the Gaza-based Hamas group to launch hostile acts in Egypt.

The ban will remain in place until the end of investigations into the charges, the Prosecutor-General said in a statement.

Any violation of the ban will be subject to accountability, the statement warned.

Prosecutors accuse Morsi of conspiring with the Gaza-based Hamas group to launch hostile acts in Egypt.

The ousted president also faces charges of attacking police facilities and personnel and break jails to free jailed Muslim Brotherhood members – including himself – by force during Egypt's 2011 revolution, which toppled President Hosni Mubarak.

On November 4, Morsi appeared in court to answer charges of inciting the murder of demonstrators outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace late last year.

Morsi supporters say that the charges against the Islamist leader are "politically motivated".

Morsi, Egypt's first civilian president, was removed from power by the military establishment on July 3 following mass protests against his presidency.

via www.worldbulletin.net

Letter from Cairo: Egyptian government scores PR win with Morsi trial

The National, by Youssef Hamza

It was supposed to be fraught with trouble.

From street protests and condemnation by foreign and domestic human-rights groups to a rousing speech by the deposed Islamist president that would ignite the streets.

It never happened.

Instead, the appearance of Mohammed Morsi in court this month proved to be a public-relations victory for the military-backed government.

The start of his trial, along with 14 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders, on charges of incitement of murder, has so far proven true the promises by authorities that Mr Morsi would receive due process.

He appeared in good health, maybe he had even put on some weight, which ended rumours that his detention since he was overthrown following mass protests on July 3 had hurt his health or that he had gone on a hunger strike.

Mr Morsi had been held in detention at an undisclosed military facility, which had been a source of concern for Egypt’s western allies.

However, when the November 4 hearing was over, he was taken to a state prison near Alexandria, which strengthened the argument that his legal case would be transparent.

His defence lawyers, including his son Osama, were allowed to speak with him on the day of his trial and visited him in the Bourg El Arab prison. They said Mr Morsi had his own cell, with a refrigerator and a television.

Mr Morsi was later moved to solitary confinement for his safety, officials said.

His next hearing is on January 8, a two-month adjournment to allow defence lawyers time to review the case.

Mr Morsi is treated by the law and there is no justification to take any measures against him that are outside the law,” said the prime minister, Hazem El Biblawy.

“Until this point, Morsi stands accused – and not convicted – and the court will look at the charges levelled against him and decide whatever it sees fit.”

Mr Morsi faces charges other than incitement to murder, which include conspiring with foreign powers against Egypt and enlisting the help of Hamas to break out of prison during the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak.

The strength of the case against him is rooted in complaints filed against him and other Brotherhood members during a riot on December 5 last year.

The riot was allegedly started when Brotherhood supporters set upon peaceful opposition protesters camped outside the presidential palace. The violence killed at least 10 people and left hundreds injured.

The Brotherhood said most of the people killed were its supporters, an assertion hotly contested by the opposition.

An important aspect of the case is that Mr Morsi’s supporters, at the behest of Brotherhood officials, set up detention centres where they tortured protesters before handing them over to the police.

The Anti-Coup Alliance, an umbrella organisation of Islamists, had called for massive protests on the first day of the trial. However, only small pockets of people turned out, lending legitimacy to the interim government.

The failure by the Brotherhood and its Islamist allies to bring out large numbers has been the topic of much debate in Egypt.

Some are speculating that, after four months of near daily protests, fatigue may have set in. Others said the relatively small protests may be an indication that the Brotherhood has moved beyond the reinstatement of Mr Morsi as the focus of its opposition campaign and may be seeking inclusion in the political process.

Others believe the Brotherhood, whose decades as an outlawed group has allowed it to hone its underground tactics, may be saving its energy and resources for another day.

[email protected]

via www.thenational.ae

Egypt Official: Muslim Brotherhood Backs Unrest

Via ABVC News, Associated Press, by Mariam Rizk

Egypt's interior minister said Saturday his forces have foiled several attempted terror attacks and arrested militant leaders, accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of mobilizing and financing some of them to cause unrest.

Mohammed Ibrahim's comments were the first detailed account offered by a senior Egyptian official to back claims that the Brotherhood, the group of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, is responsible for attacks against security, government institutions and the country's Coptic minority. However, he didn't provide proof to back up his claims.

The wave of violence intensified after the government carried out a bloody crackdown on Morsi supporters that killed hundreds in August.

"The security forces, in coordination and cooperation with the armed forces, has faced in the past period one of the most dangerous waves of terror witnessed by the nation that aimed to spread chaos and instability," Ibrahim told journalists. "The Muslim Brotherhood, in cooperation and with finances from the international branch of the group, has mobilized a number of terrorist extremist elements ... and spurred them to carry out villainous terrorist act to terrorize" Egyptians.

Ibrahim accused the Brotherhood of enlisting the help of militant groups linked to al-Qaida and Palestinian extremist groups operating in the Gaza Strip following the popular protests against Morsi that started on June 30. The military forced Morsi out of office days later.

The Brotherhood repeatedly has denied government claims that it uses or condones violence. Instead, they accuse the government of trying to stymie the group as part of its crackdown against it.

Ibrahim Elsayed, a member of the Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, dismissed the accusations by Ibrahim as "security illusions."

"He didn't prove the involvement of any member of the Brotherhood — in particular in any of the attacks he mentioned," Elsayed said. "This is an immature attempt to embellish the image of the interior ministry at a time it is shedding the blood of Egyptians."

Ibrahim said five senior militants were detained from two pro-Morsi sit-ins which authorities broke up violently in August, including senior members of Islamic Jihad and Gamaa Islamiyya.

The two groups were responsible for some of the worst attacks in Egypt in the 1980s and 1990s, but many of their leaders have since given up violence and formed political parties after the ouster of longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The groups were allies of Morsi and the Brotherhood.

Ibrahim accused sit-in participants of stockpiling weapons. He said other militants arrested were released from prison by Morsi's government. He said his forces have arrested more than 60 militants accused of various attacks, including the assassination of a senior security official who was in charge of monitoring Islamist groups. He said the forces also seized weapons and ammunitions intended for use in operations his forces foiled.

Also among those arrested was an Egyptian who coordinated operations and finances between a Libyan militant group and others in Egypt, Ibrahim said. A wanted militant that plotted a foiled assassination attempt on Ibrahim in September had trained in Syria, the minister said.

Ibrahim said the government was working to freeze Brotherhood assets to stop money from sponsoring violence or further protests.

He also warned that his forces will deal "firmly and with force" with any protests they deem not peaceful or which block main streets — "regardless of the losses for me or for them."

Morsi allies refuse to recognize Egypt's military-backed interim authorities and organize near-daily protests against them. Some demonstrations descend into violence. They plan mass demonstrations Sunday to remember the day police violently cleared the sit-ins.

via abcnews.go.com