Morsi, The Gaza Mediator Turned Dictator Faces Unprecedented Protest At Home
By Countercurrents.org
29 November 2012
Countercurrents.org
Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood leader turned the Gaza mediator has taken the role of sole guardian of Egyptian “revolution” and placed him above all institutions. Now, the neo-dictator faces unprecedented protest from the Egyptian people across the country. The progressive and secular forces are opposing Morsi. The Morsi-move initiated clashes that saw at least three dead. A number of Morsi’s advisors have resigned. And, the Egyptian Twitter users are questioning Muslim Brotherhood-US collaboration.
Media reports [1] said:
Over 100,000 defiant protesters occupied Cairo's Tahrir Square on November 27, 2012 to demand the cancellation of president Mohamed Morsi's controversial decree that places all power into him. Egypt’s ruling Islamists, however, showed no sign of backing down, suggesting that continued political deadlock is inevitable.
Facing his most serious domestic test since assuming power on 30 June, Morsi finds himself embroiled in a battle – with leftists, liberals, socialists, and several other influential political sectors – after issuing a decree that would shield his decisions from legal challenge until a new parliament is elected.
His decree also protects the Islamist-dominated Constituent Assembly (tasked with drafting the country's first post-revolution constitution) and the Shura Council (the upper house of Egypt's parliament) from dissolution. It also relieved Egyptian Prosecutor-General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud of his duties.
In rallies that remained largely peaceful, thousands took to the streets in Cairo, Alexandria, Assiut, Tanta, Mahalla, Mansoura, Luxor, Suez and Port Said, in scenes reminiscent of last year's 18-day uprising that unseated autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak.
The Nile Delta city of Mahalla, however, witnessed clashes between Morsi's supporters and opponents in front of the office of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).
"If the decree isn't undone, we will demand that Morsi himself leave. Then we can have new presidential elections," Khaled Metwali, a member of the leftist Democratic Revolutionary Coalition, told Ahram Online.
Morsi’s opponents have branded him Egypt's "new Pharaoh."
He has also incurred the wrath of Egypt's judges, many of whom vowed to challenge his decree by calling strikes. Many journalists and lawyers were similarly infuriated by the president's latest move, which they believe poses a threat to democracy.
Thousands of lawyers marched from their syndicate to Tahrir Square, the cradle of last year's revolt, chanting "The people want the fall of the regime" – a slogan frequently heard during Mubarak's final days in power.
The Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, launched an attack on Morsi's opponents, accusing them of "not caring about the country's national interests."
The Brotherhood had initially planned to hold parallel demonstrations on November 27, 2012, but backtracked at the last minute.
Morsi’s decree has nevertheless sparked violence in several governorates, which have left three dead so far.
According to Al-Ahram's Arabic-language news website, the Brotherhood’s authoritative Guidance Bureau is mulling measures to appease protesters, but the group has so far refrained from making any public statements to this effect.
A meeting on Monday between Morsi and Egypt's Supreme Judicial Council, the state's highest judicial authority, failed to bear fruit.
Several of the president's advisers, meanwhile, have resigned over the issue, ratcheting up even more pressure on Morsi.
Many of the protesters camping out in the flashpoint square compared Morsi to his autocratic predecessor, with some going so far as to demand he step down only five months after becoming Egypt's first-ever freely elected head of state.
"It's not my first time in Tahrir Square. I'm here to stand against the constitutional declaration and the 'Brotherhoodisation' of Egypt," Asmaa Salem, 40, a member of the Popular Current, told Ahram Online. "Either Morsi cancels the declaration, or we'll topple him like we did Mubarak."
Standing by protesters, several well-known politicians have established a new 'National Salvation Front' – including Nobel Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei and former presidential candidates Amr Moussa and Hamdeen Sabbahi – to oppose Morsi's divisive decree.
Protesters are planning to hold another million-man march on Friday, in hopes of exposing Morsi's and the Brotherhood's growing political isolation.
Delicate crisis
Hossam Khairallah, former deputy of Egypt’s General Intelligence apparatus and expert in national security affairs, believes the current crisis Egypt is witnessing is "very delicate". [2]
In an interview with Ahram Online, Khairallah made the observation.
Informed sources told Ahram Online that General Intelligence had given the president a political situation assessment asserting that the only way out of the current crisis "was for the president to defuse all reasons behind the anger in the street within the coming 48 hours at most."
The recommendation now, according to Khairallah and sources close to General Intelligence, is for the president to withdraw his constitutional declaration at the behest of the masses.
Informed sources told Ahram Online that intelligence had suggested non-embarrassing scenarios for the cancellation of the declaration by making changes to certain articles.
Khairallah, however, questioned the ability of the president's aides and advisors to read the situation.
US Embassy debates politics with Egyptians
"One of the revolution's ambitions is guaranteeing that power is neither concentrated in neither one hand nor one entity," a tweet [3] published in Arabic by the US Embassy Cairo Twitter account on November 27, 2012.
After, the launch of a hot debate started between Egyptian Twitter users and the embassy.
Many Twitter users expressed their anger towards the US stance on democracy, yet the state has supported the Morsi administration.
"Please stop supporting the fascist Muslim Brotherhood. We used to think the US were supporters of Democracy. Now prove it!" Osama ElBatrik @OBatrik tweeted in response to the US Embassy tweet.
The US Embassy Cairo tweeted in return: "We don’t support them."
"We want to see the constitutional process in #Egypt move forward in a way that does not overly concentrate power in one set of hands," the US Embassy Cairo also tweeted.
Another reaction was by Iaskmaie @maii who stated via Twitter, "Liar Liar pants (& ass) on fire."
Furthermore, the US Embassy Cairo account denied the accusation of being a liar, asking the Twitter user to open a dialogue if she wants.
Soon after, several US administration members came under scrutiny, such as an advisor to President Barack Obama who is claimed to be an outright Muslim Brotherhood member, Dalia Megahed, and Muslim deputy chief for Clinton accused for having links with Muslim Brotherhood, Homa Abdeen.
At the very end, @maii tweeted, "As I said b4, you are, by your own political naivety, held responsible for much. So don't expect open arms after all this is over."
This very small conversation mirrors some of the frustration voiced by many Egyptian Twitter users when the US tries to voice its support for democracy.
Last Wednesday, President Obama thanked his Egyptian counterpart President Mohamed Morsi for his role in negotiating a planned truce between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.
Morsi in difficult position
President Mohamed Morsi is in a difficult position – almost a week after the controversial constitutional declaration – according to aides, critics and even some members of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) [4].
Public dissatisfaction with Morsi might have been ignited by the new constitutional declaration, by which the president, who already holds executive and legislative powers, abruptly put himself beyond judiciary power. However, it is not only about this.
There is the growing apprehension among Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist quarters, over the drafting of the constitution and the recent withdrawal of close to one third of the drafting committee.
There is also displeasure among female and Coptic quarters, along with other minorities, at what amounts to, in the words of some feminists and Coptic activists, as a "condescending approach."
"The rights of Copts are mentioned in some of the speeches of the president, but very scarcely seen in his decisions," criticized Nader Shokri, a Coptic activist.
"Women’s rights are not at all a priority for President Morsi," said Inas Mekkawy, founder of the new women’s rights group 'Bahiya.'
"But over and above, he decided to make himself the sole owner of the country and the only decision-maker whose decrees can't be appealed," said Raniyah Husseini, a 33-year-old banker who participated in last Friday’s rallies against Morsi's constitutional decree.
Following an extended meeting between the president and Egypt's Supreme Judiciary Council, presidential spokesman Yasser Ali told the press that Morsi's controversial constitutional decree applied only to his "sovereign decisions."
Ali declined to offer any definition as to what would constitute a "sovereign" decision. He, however, added that, at the end of the day, the president was not introducing any amendments to his constitutional declaration.
This came as no shock to activists, who hadn't expected the president to be flexible. "On Tuesday we still plan to insist that this constitutional declaration be annulled," said activist Khaled Abdel-Hamid.
Morsi's next move will be based essentially on who is with him and who is against him. And to judge by the accounts of informed sources, Morsi does not have much support to back him now.
Already, some of Morsi’s key aides have resigned. According to sources, these aides include Vice President Mahmoud Mekki, key political Islamist and former presidential runner Selim El-Awa, and other aides, including Coptic writer Samir Morkos.
"Some of these aides and officials have announced their resignations, but others have chosen not to either out of courtesy to the president or to give him a chance to reverse what he did," said a presidential source.
Also standing divided on supporting Morsi is the Guidance Bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood. In a meeting on Sunday evening, much criticism was leveled against Morsi's administration of the crisis and the language and style of the constitutional declaration. Sources from within and without the Muslim Brotherhood speak of the "anger" of the Brotherhood's most powerful man, Khairat El-Shater.
"Some people think that this anger was prompted by the campaign launched on Facebook calling for the boycott of products sold at the stores owned by the Muslim Brotherhood, but financial losses are the least of their worries now. The main worry is about the image of the Muslim Brotherhood as aspiring dictators – it is not at all fair; the Muslim Brotherhood are not dictators," said a leading Muslim Brotherhood figure who declined to be named.
Also shrinking is the president's faith in the uncontested support that he would have from the army and police should the demonstrations against him expand or turn into a state of civil disobedience. An army general told Ahram Online that the army for the most part never really welcomed the idea of a civilian president, especially one from the Muslim Brotherhood, and that Morsi's constitutional declaration had only increased this sentiment.
According to presidential palace and ministry of interior sources, the president is not at all satisfied with the level of security that was accorded the offices of the Muslim Brotherhood and has complained to the interior minister about alleged deliberate negligence that allowed some of these offices to be recently attacked by anti-Morsi demonstrators.
Worse, Morsi, according to the same sources, received reports suggesting that some police and army officers had openly expressed support for the anti-Morsi demonstrators.
Meanwhile, Morsi appears to know that the volume of support that he has within the judiciary cannot in and of itself spare him from an otherwise angry judiciary, which feels that it is being openly marginalized for the first time in its history.
According to a judicial source, one of the members of the Supreme Judicial Council openly told Morsi on Monday evening that his constitutional declaration amounted to a vote of no-confidence in the entire judiciary.
Worse still, Morsi has to worry about resentment against the "dictatorial content" of his constitutional declaration from within the Islamist camp. Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fottouh, a former presidential runner who spent four decades in the Brotherhood, clearly rejected the constitutional declaration.
Judicial figure Tarek El-Bishri, associated with the Islamist camp, openly attacked the constitutional declaration. Mohamed Abdel-Qodous, a leading figure of Egypt's Press Syndicate and long-time Muslim Brotherhood member, openly rejected the constitutional declaration. Ibrahim El-Hodeibi, a political activist and researcher with an affinity for political Islam, whose family gave the Muslim Brotherhood two out of its seven supreme guides, also protested against the constitutional declaration.
The joke on Facebook and Twitter today is that Morsi has nobody left to support him except his spouse – an exaggeration of the declining support that political activists hope will convince the president to withdraw his constitutional declaration.
Artists protest
Hundreds of people and a wide range of chants filled the streets in front of the Cairo Opera House earlier on November 27, 2012. The crowd included members of the music and film syndicates, among many others [5].
Their slogans included “leave, leave” and “the people demand the downfall of the regime.”
Artists in the march even had their own rendition of one of the most popular revolutionary chants, “bread, freedom, and social justice” became “bread, freedom, and cancellation of the constitutional declaration.”
Poet and actor, Mahmoud Gomaa, believes that "the Muslim Brotherhood feels like they are losing support, so they are trying to grab power."
The march entered Tahrir Square around 4.30pm and was greeted with cheers by the protesters.
Actor Farouk El-Fishawy said, "Down with Muslim Brotherhood dominance and down with Morsi," to cheers from the audience. [6]
The Egyptian Cinema Syndicate announced its rejection of Morsi's constitutional declaration saying that it "resembles the dictatorship that was toppled by the January revolution and it destroys dreams that the glorious martyrs died for." [7]
The syndicate also requested from the organizers of the Cairo Film Festival to avoid celebratory tones, to abide by the revolutionaries' demands and show respect for the protests that will coincide with the opening of the film festival.
Judges protest
Egypt's Judges' Club denounced the president's Constitutional Declaration and assert they will continue escalating their strike and work to press for the executive to retract his decree.[8]
In a statement released on November 27, 2012 the Judges' Club assert they are struggling to preserve the judicial branch's independence.
Meanwhile, many courts in several governorates have continued their strike for the third day, demanding the decree be retracted.
More incidents
The Muslim Brotherhood in Alexandria has ordered members to evacuate its HQ after it came under attack by protestors, according to the brotherhood's official Twitter feed.
"Today's protests are to overthrow oppression and stand up to the new dictatorship of Morsi, his decree and a constitution far removed from the revolution," said Haytham Mohamedeen of the Egyptian Revolutionary Socialists movement.
"He has to back down. The revolution and the streets will dictate what he will do. If he stands in the way of the revolution he will share the same fate as Mubarak."
The Muslim Brotherhood has tweeted more criticism of the protesters, including disparaging some of them as felouls (remnants of the Mubarak regime) and accusing demonstrators of being motivated by political interests, as opposed to national ones.
Clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents of the president have left 15 injured in the Nile delta city of Mahalla Al-Kubra.
The Judges Club claims that 99% of courts and prosecutors have suspended their work and joined a strike against Morsi's decree, the Egypt Independent reports.
A protester in Cairo has died of teargas inhalation, according to the Egypt Independent.
Fathy Gharib, a member of the Socialist Popular Alliance party, has reportedly passed away due to tear gas suffocation, bringing the death count up to four since clashes erupted in protest of Morsi's declaration.
Source:
[2] Ahmed Eleiba, “Egypt's current political situation 'very delicate': Intelligence expert”, Nov. 27, 2012,
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/59313/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-current-political-situation-very-delicate-I.aspx
[3] Ekram Ibrahim, Nov 27, 2012, http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/59307/Egypt/Politics-/US-Embassy-Twitter-account-debates-politics-with-E.aspx
[4] Dina Ezzat, “Constitutional declaration leaves Egypt's Morsi with declining support”, Nov. 27 2012,
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/59302/Egypt/Politics-/Constitutional-declaration-leaves-Egypts-Morsi-wit.aspx
[5] “Hundreds of artists march from Cairo Opera House to Tahrir”,
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/35/59305/Arts--Culture/Stage--Street/Hundreds-of-artists-march-from-Cairo-Opera-House-t.aspx
[8] “Judges maintain strike, unsatisfied with Morsi's 'clarification'”, MENA and Ahram Online, Nov. 27, 2012,
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