"Our honor is a red line,” the women demonstrators shouted while gathering in the square, which has been the site of deadly clashes between Egyptian military forces and protesters since Friday. "They know that people who don't care about their own lives they care about their mother, wife and sister. So they wanted to humiliate the whole Egyptian people by humiliating women because they know it's very sensitive," said a demonstrator, referring to the humiliating conduct of security forces toward female protesters.They also chanted slogans against the Head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, calling him a traitor. "[The ruling generals] have to go, they are traitors,” the protesters said. ================'I feel wretched': Woman protester who was stripped and dragged through streets by Egyptian soldiers breaks her silenceWoman beaten, stamped on and had hijab virtually torn off her during horrific assaultElderly female protester filmed being kicked and hit with batons in CairoThree more demonstrators shot dead bringing death toll in four-day clashes to 14Egyptian general claims protesters are attempting to 'topple the state'By WIL LONGBOTTOMLast updated at 9:03 AM on 20th December 2011Comments (38)Share The woman who was dramatically photographed as she was beaten stripped and beaten senseless by Egyptian soldiers does not want to come forward because she is ashamed by her treatment.Footage and stills of the woman being beaten to the ground, kicked and stamped on as her hijab was torn off in Tahrir Square have made front page news around the world.Moments earlier, she had been struck countless times on the head and body with metal batons by a ten-strong mob before losing consciousness and slumping to the floor.Shocking: The defenceless woman had her hijab virtually torn off as she was kicked and stamped on by Egyptian military policeSoldiers then continued the assault, revealing her bra after her abaya was virtually pulled off during the assault.Hassan Mahmoud, a journalist for the newspaper Al Badeel, was near the woman as she stumbled and was then set upon by military police.He told The Guardian: 'They wanted to take her away from us but then a few brave protesters came in and started hurling stones and that was the one thing that saved her from their hands.'The unnamed woman was treated for hand and leg injuries, before she was taken home where she is said to have been left feeling wretched after her ordeal.Veteran: A soldier shoves a wooden baton towards the throat of Khadiga al-Hennawy during protests in the capitalViolence: She is then drag along by her arm before being kicked and beaten with the batonsMr Mahmoud said she told him: 'It doesn't matter if I talk [to the media] or not, their stripping me is enough to reveal them and tell enough to those who still believe them.'Mohamed Zeidan, who filmed the shocking beating from a balcony overlooking Tahrir Square, said he stopped recording out of fear of being discovered.'The army were like vultures who found a prey,' he said. 'The soldiers even beat an older couple who tried to help her up.'Another video shows soldiers assaulting an old woman as clashes erupted between protesters and security forces.Khadiga al-Hennawy can be seen being dragged by the hair by two officers, before being kicked and beaten around the arms and back with batons.Known as the 'mother of revolutionaries' because she has taken part in several protests against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.Crackdown: A young protesters receives treatment to a head wound near Tahrir Square, Cairo, yesterdayClashes: Protesters brave water cannons during a stand off in the square. A total of 14 people have been killed in four days of violent demonstrationsHundreds of soldiers wearing riot gear have today carried out further sweeps through Cairo's Tahrir Square and opened fire on protesters demanding an end to military rule.The Health Ministry said at least three people were killed - bringing the death toll for four days of violent clashes to 14.Clashes have been raging in the capital since Friday, when military forces guarding the Cabinet building near the square cracked down on a three-week sit-in to demand ruling generals immediately hand over power to a civilian authority.The raid may have been an attempt by the military to keep protesters away from key government buildings near the square, including parliament and the Interior Ministry - in charged of the police force.Uprising: Protesters are demanding the the military council in Egypt hands over power to a civilian authority amid concerns they could refuse to cede controlVictims: Two boys show ammunition, including bullets and tear gas canisters, used during the clashesA member of the ruling military council defended the use of force, and argued the events amounted to an attempt to 'topple the state'.Major General Adel Emara said: 'There is a methodical and prepared plot to topple the state, but Egypt will not fall.'What are we supposed to do when protesters break the law? Should we invite people from abroad to govern our nation?'The military council took power 10 months ago after the popular uprising forced longtime president Hosni Mubarak to step down.It has routinely denied the use of excessive force by its troops against protesters, including clashes last month that left more than 40 people dead.Islamist parties won the largest share of the vote in the first round of parliament elections.Stricken: A blood-soaked protesters is carried away by comrades during clashes. The military has been accused of brutally repressing unrestDamage: Officials try to save burnt and torn books from an 18th century research centre set up during the French occupation SharRead more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2076115/Egypt-protests-Woman-stripped-dragged-streets-soldiers-breaks-silence.html#ixzz1h8kEBPTY
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Egyptians support Brotherhood nominee
Fri, 06 Apr 2012 01:12:22 GMT
Thousands of Egyptians have voiced support for Muslim Brotherhood (MB) figure and presidential candidate Khairat El-Shater as he registered for the country’s upcoming election, Press TV reports.
“The people want Shater for president,” the supporters chanted as Shater made his way to the election committee’s head office in the capital of Cairo on Thursday.
The 61-year-old was named as the Brotherhood’s candidate last week. He has called for an Islamic and democratic state in Egypt.
The election, which is the first since the ouster of former dictator Husni Mubarak, is to be held on May 23 and 24.
Moreover, the result of the election will be announced in June, at which point the military is expected to hand over power to the winner.
The military has ruled the country since Mubarak was ousted in February 2011.
Egypt's former vice-president, Omar Suleiman, has said he intends to be a candidate in Egypt's presidential elections next month.
He had previously ruled himself out of the race, but changed his mind after demonstrators urged him to run.
Mr Suleiman served as Hosni Mubarak's vice-president before Mr Mubarak was ousted last year.
Salafist candidate Hazem Abu Ismail, and Khairat al-Shater from the Muslim Brotherhood, are also in the race.
In a statement to supporters, Mr Suleiman said he would run if he could get the 30,000 signatures needed by Saturday.
Mr Suleiman is supported by those who say the country is descending into chaos and losing direction, says the BBC's Wyre Davies, in Cairo.
He had previously ruled himself out of the nominations, citing the administrative burden.
Prior to the Egyptian revolution, the former intelligence chief had often been mentioned as a possible successor to the 82-year-old Mr Mubarak.
A close ally of the former president, Mr Suleiman was seen as a pivotal figure in Mr Mubarak's 30-rule rule.
Ultra-conservative
Nominations for the presidential election are due to close this weekend.
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Omar Suleiman
Joined army in 1954
Mediated between Israel and the Palestinians
Appointed general intelligence director in 1993
Appointed vice-president 29 January
Profile: Omar Suleiman
The presidential vote is the first since Mr Mubarak was overthrown in February 2011 after a popular uprising.
The military-run caretaker government is due to hand over power in June.
Meanwhile, thousands of Egyptians have protested in Cairo's Tahrir Square in support of a conservative Islamist presidential candidate, Hazem Abu Ismail.
Mr Abu Ismail, who supports an ultra-conservative version of Islam, may be disqualified from May's presidential election on the grounds that his mother was a US citizen.
Muslim Brotherhood candidate Khairat al-Shater registered on Thursday; the party had previously said it would not field a presidential candidate.
Egypt's Revolution
Features and Analysis
Supporters of Khairat al-Shater - 5 AprilBrotherhood candidate steals show
As Egypt prepares for the presidential election next month, a late entry to the race, the Muslim Brotherhood's Khairat al-Shater, looks like he might steal the show entirely, Yolande Knell reports.
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2 April 2012 Last updated at 05:39 ET
Egypt candidate: Muslim Brotherhood's Khairat al-Shater
By Yolande Knell BBC News, Cairo
Khairat al-Shater (24 January 2012) Khairat al-Shater is a media-savvy engineer who became prosperous as a textile and furniture trader
Continue reading the main story
Egypt's Revolution
Brotherhood candidate steals show
'Moment of truth' for Brotherhood
On a mission to rebuild Egypt
US and Egypt mend fences
In just over a year, the fortunes of Khairat al-Shater have changed dramatically.
He has gone from being a political prisoner to a frontrunner in Egypt's presidential race as the Muslim Brotherhood's chosen candidate.
Even behind bars - where he served 12 years for his association with the previously banned Islamist group - Mr Shater was an influential figure. He was known as its key financier.
Since his release after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, his importance has grown.
Serving as one of the group's three deputy leaders, he has played a key strategic role and is said to have been involved in negotiations with the ruling military council.
In recent months, the millionaire businessman has developed the Brotherhood's economic policy and met the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team that is negotiating a $3.2bn loan facility with the government.
He has also represented the Muslim Brotherhood at meetings with ambassadors, visiting foreign officials and international investors.
He articulates its moderate Islamist vision - its commitment to democracy, the rights of religious minorities and a free market.
However, he has also said that the recent election results - which led to a parliament dominated by Islamists - indicate that the Egyptian people support an Islamic state.
"There is a current within the Brotherhood that is closer to the [conservative] Salafists," says Mustafa al-Zahran, an expert on Islamist political movements. "Khairat al-Shatar is leading this."
Mr Zahran believes he will be a popular candidate within the wider organisation.
"The nomination of Khairat al-Shater is a smart choice because he has mass popularity among the grassroots membership and a long history of struggle," he adds.
U-turn
In its official statement on Saturday, the Muslim Brotherhood said it had reversed its decision not to nominate a presidential candidate after reviewing the alternatives.
Khairat al-Shater addresses a crowd in Cairo's Tahrir Square (4 March 2011) Since the fall of Hosni Mubarak, Mr Shater's importance has grown
In a thinly-veiled reference to its ongoing power struggle with the ruling military, it also complained that parliament - where its Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) controls the biggest bloc - had been unable to meet "the demands of the revolution".
Yet there was evidently a heated debated among Brotherhood leaders about whether to back Mr Shater. The vote that finally decided his nomination is understood to have been very close.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
Although I never thought of occupying any executive position in the state or running for it, I can't help but comply with the decision of the group”
Khairat al-Shater
A former deputy leader of the Brotherhood, Mohammad Habib, was quoted on the Masrawy news website describing the outcome as "a fatal mistake" that would "make the group lose its credibility and widen the gap between the Brotherhood and public opinion".
Many younger reformist members of the group have also voiced disappointment. They believe it is Mr Shater who has continued to enforce a hierarchical and insular culture in the group since last year's uprising.
He led efforts to prevent Brotherhood members from dissenting from support of the FJP and sought the expulsion of those who pursued more liberal Islamist politics such as the popular former leader, Abdul Moneim Abu al-Futuh.
"He may be a good person, a good Muslim or a good businessman, but I don't feel comfortable with the choice of Shater," says Islam Lutfi, who was thrown out of the Brotherhood last year after he set up the Egyptian Current party with other activists.
"He plays the role of second man but manages everything from the shadows. These are not the actions of a president."
Into the limelight
For his part, Mr Shater, who is 62, has previously insisted that he does not seek personal power.
He was not present at Saturday's news conference, but the Brotherhood's General Guide, Mohammed Badi, read out a letter in which he resigned from his post in the organisation to run for presidential office.
Khairat al-Shater arrives at a court in Cairo (10 December 2007) Mr Shater was jailed in 2007 by a military court on charges including supplying students with weapons
"Although I never thought of occupying any executive position in the state or running for it, I can't help but comply with the decision of the group," he is said to have written.
Mr Shater is expected to hold a news conference in the coming days to give more details of his plans. It will also give him a chance to begin to raise his public profile.
While many Egyptians already know him as a successful businessman - with furniture and textile stores, a computer firm and chain of supermarkets - he can also stress his image as a family man - he has 10 children.
His supporters think that his reputation for seriousness and as a straight-talker will stand him in good stead.
In the past, Mr Shater has paid a high price for political activism.
Originally a leftist, he was first jailed as an engineering student at Alexandria University when he joined anti-government protests.
As he rose through the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1980s and 90s he was targeted increasingly frequently.
In 2006, he was arrested along with other senior members, and jailed in 2007 by a military court on charges that included supplying students with weapons and military training.
While prison terms can bar access to elected office, his lawyers maintain that they will not derail his candidacy.
With that obstacle removed, the extensive network of Brotherhood supporters across Egypt can be expected to translate to huge support for him when the first round of presidential voting takes place in May.
==============
Al-Qaeda/ Salafist Leader
Thousands rally for Salafist in Egypt vote
AFPBy AFP | AFP – 4 hours ago
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Egyptian supporters of Islamist presidential candidate sheikh Hazem Abu Ismail protest outside a Cairo mosque last month. Thousands of people rallied in central Cairo on Friday in support of a Salafist candidate who could be ruled out of Egypt's presidential election because his mother reportedly held US nationality
View Photo
Egyptian supporters of Islamist presidential candidate sheikh Hazem Abu Ismail protest outside a Cairo mosque last month. Thousands of people rallied in central Cairo on Friday in support of a Salafist candidate who could be ruled out of Egypt's presidential election because his mother reportedly held US nationality
Thousands of people rallied in central Cairo on Friday in support of a Salafist candidate who could be ruled out of Egypt's presidential election because his mother reportedly held US nationality.
Under the country's electoral law, all candidates for the presidency, their parents and their wives must have only Egyptian citizenship.
"The people want Hazem Abu Ismail! No to manipulation!" the demonstrators shouted after making their way through central Cairo to Tahrir Square, epicentre of last year's revolt which toppled president Hosni Mubarak.
The protesters, including women in full Islamic veil, carried portraits of Abu Ismail and waved their fists, angrily condemning any attempt to disqualify their candidate.
Abu Ismail launched his candidacy on March 30 with a large motorcade that took him to electoral commission headquarters in Cairo.
Commission chief Hatem Begato said on Thursday that the agency had received information according to which Ismail's mother had "used an American passport for travel to and from Egypt" before her death.
Files will be examined on April 12-13 and any candidate not meeting the requirements informed, the commission said. Those rejected would then have 48 hours to appeal before the final list of candidates is announced on April 26.
Abu Ismail advocates a strict interpretation of Islam similar to the one practised in Saudi Arabia and has become a familiar sight in Cairo, with his posters adorning many cars and micro buses.
The May election will mark the beginning of a handover of power by the ruling military to an elected civilian leader, following the popular uprising against Mubarak.
Abu Ismail would compete with more moderate Islamist candidates such as senior Muslim Brotherhood figure Khairat El-Shater as well as former regime figures such as Amr Mussa, an ex-foreign minister.
Islamists have made big strides since Mubarak's ouster, winning majorities in elections to both houses of parliament.
The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party won the most seats in parliamentary elections earlier this year, but the Salafists captured nearly a quarter themselves.
==========
Exclusive: Mubarak aide presidency bid an "insult": Islamist rival
Sun, Apr 08 15:35 PM EDT
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1 of 10
By Marwa Awad and Abdel Rahman Youssef
CAIRO (Reuters) - A bid for power by Hosni Mubarak's former intelligence chief is an insult to Egypt's revolution that, if successful, would trigger a second nationwide revolt, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate for Egypt's presidency said.
In his first public comments since being nominated by the Brotherhood on March 31, Khairat al-Shater played down fears of a clash between the powerful Islamist movement and the army generals who have ruled Egypt since Mubarak was ousted last year.
But he warned the Brotherhood would not back a $3.2 billion emergency IMF loan requested by the army-backed government unless the terms are changed or the government steps down and lets a new administration oversee how the funds are spent.
In an interview with Reuters on Sunday, the 61-year-old millionaire businessman denounced former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman's eleventh-hour decision to seek his former boss's job. Mubarak made Suleiman vice president just before losing power.
"I consider his entry an insult to the revolution and the Egyptian people," said Shater, who said he spent 12 years in jail during the Mubarak era. "Omar Suleiman has made a big mistake. He will only win through forgery and, if this happens, the revolution will kick off again."
The military council, which took over from Mubarak in February last year, has said it will hand power to civilians after a presidential election due to be held in May and June. More than 20 candidates completed the formalities to run for head of state and the top contenders are all Islamists or Mubarak-era politicians.
Support from the Brotherhood's formidable campaign machine makes Shater an immediate front-runner in the vote. Suleiman is a dark horse who proved he still wields political clout by quickly collecting the 30,000 signatures of eligible voters that he needed to run.
Violent protests and sectarian clashes have prolonged an economic crisis since Mubarak's overthrow but the streets have returned to relative calm after a parliamentary election as the country's political forces maneuver for influence and the army prepares to step aside.
The Brotherhood, which built support for its project of an Islamic state through decades of preaching and charity work, was suppressed by Mubarak but shifted to the centre-stage of politics after the January 2011 popular uprising begun by liberal and left-wing revolutionaries.
It promised not to monopolize power in the style of Mubarak and his associates but its Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) now has almost half the seats in parliament and dominates an assembly tasked with drawing up a new constitution. Now it has reversed a pledge not to field a candidate for the presidency.
AVOID CLASH
Shater, who stepped down as Brotherhood deputy leader to run for the presidency, said the decision was motivated by fear that the army-backed government was failing to cooperate with the Brotherhood-dominated parliament and the movement needed an executive post in case the assembly lacked teeth.
But he said a clash with the military - backbone of national security - must be avoided.
"Even if there are issues with the military council's handling of the transitional period, such issues must be resolved in a way that does not lead to a real clash with the armed forces," he said. "We must, in fact, work to strengthen and develop the army."
Egypt's new government would exercise civilian oversight over the armed forces' budget and their business interests, said Shater.
The military makes substantial profits from an extensive and tax-exempt business empire that ranges from real estate and heavy industry to home cleaning services and gasoline stations.
"It is not just taxing the military that is an issue. There is the problem of conscripts who are forced to work in army economic projects without payment. What about the land that the army controls for free? All these issues will be addressed by the new government," Shater added.
Should he reach the presidency, Shater said he would seek to reform government institutions and society on the basis of Islamic teachings. "Our foremost aim is achieving progress based on Islamic principles".
Egypt's military-appointed government began negotiating a loan with the International Monetary Fund in January to help it avert a balance of payments crisis.
The IMF has said broad political support in Egypt is a pre-requisite for the loan deal and the Brotherhood has yet to provide its backing. The government now says the talks might not conclude before June.
"We told them (the government), you have two choices. Either postpone this issue of borrowing and come up with any other way of dealing with it without our approval, or speed up the formation of a government," Shater said.
The Brotherhood could also accept a loan if the size of the initial disbursement is reduced so that most of the funds are paid out after a new government takes power following the completion of a presidential vote in June, he added.
(Additional reporting by Yasmine Saleh and Patrick Werr; Writing by Marwa Awad; Editing by Tom Pfeiffer and Giles Elgood)
==============
Egypt clashes over army rule leave up to 11 dead
Wed, May 02 15:11 PM EDT
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By Tamim Elyan and Sherine El Madany
CAIRO (Reuters) - Eleven people were killed in Cairo on Wednesday, medics said, when armed men attacked protesters demanding an end to army rule, prompting several candidates to suspend presidential campaigns and heightening doubts on the transition to democracy.
Leaders from Islamist and secular camps blamed the trouble on hired "thugs" doing the bidding of entrenched interests behind military rule and warned the generals not to use it as a pretext to delay their departure; the army reaffirmed its stated commitment to handing power to civilians by July.
Unidentified men armed with guns and batons attacked demonstrators who included hundreds of ultraconservative Salafi Islamists protesting at their candidate's exclusion from the ballot for a first-round presidential vote on May 23 and 24.
For hours after the dawn raid, the security forces seemed unable or unwilling to put an end to the violence. As fighting raged near the Defence Ministry in the Abbasiya district of central Cairo, Reuters reporters saw men carrying guns, even a sword, while protesters threw rocks, bottles and petrol bombs.
Only in the afternoon did riot police arrive in large numbers to break up the bloody melee and the clashes abated.
Democracy campaigners blasted the military rulers of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which took over 15 months ago as veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak was brought down by mass street protests during the Arab Spring of uprisings.
"SCAF and the government unable to protect civilians or in cahoots with thugs. Egypt going down the drain," tweeted Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Prize-winning former U.N. official.
ARMY PLEDGE
Members of the SCAF met representatives of political parties and repeated a pledge to hold elections on time. Politicians who were present said they even offered to return to barracks over a month before the July deadline - in the albeit unlikely event that one of the 13 first-round candidates wins outright in May.
A runoff between the top two contenders would be in June.
However, the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's biggest Islamist group which dominates a parliament elected in December, refused to join talks with the generals, saying Wednesday's violence showed the army was trying to "obstruct the handover of power".
The Brotherhood's presidential candidate Mohamed Mursi suspended campaigning for two days, saying they would be mourning the dead. Several political groups said they would call on followers to mass in central Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday.
"I think it will be the practical response to all of what is happening now, be it the blood being spilt or the foot-dragging in the defined date for handing over power," said senior Brotherhood official Essam el-Erian.
The other leading Islamist candidate, Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, suspended campaigning indefinitely in protest at the way the authorities had handled the clashes, a spokesman said.
Abol Fotouh and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, the frontrunner among those with past ties to Mubarak, are seen as the most likely candidates to contest a head-to-head runoff.
On Twitter, Abol Fotouh said he could not now take part in an unprecedented televised debate with Moussa planned for Thursday "when today our youths are drowning in their blood".
The hosting TV channel also said the event was delayed.
Moussa said: "The number of dead and injured foreshadows a disaster and it is unacceptable for security agencies to stand and watch as clashes continue and blood is shed."
STREET BATTLE
Medical and judicial sources gave a toll of 11 dead and over 160 wounded. The Interior Ministry said seven had died.
Ahmed Shahir, 24, a pharmacology student working at a makeshift clinic set up the scene, said men he described as thugs fired shots at an encampment of protesters including supporters of Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, the Salafi cleric barred from the election, and members of pro-democracy youth movements.
Local residents joined in the attack on the protesters.
Among the protesters were hardcore soccer fans and diehard secular revolutionaries skilled in street combat who dashed back and forth across debris-scattered streets, hurling rocks.
Wounded men were hauled away and others filled bottles with gasoline to throw at their opponents. Shots rang out and a Reuters journalist saw at least one attacker wielding a sword.
"Where is the army? Why are they not stopping these people?" cried a bystander.
The army, hailed as national savior when it rallied behind protesters last year to oust fellow military man Mubarak, sent troops to the scene. But some armored vehicles then beat a retreat when protesters attacked an officer who was taking video footage. Riot police later arrived in larger numbers and separated the two sides. The violence subsided by the afternoon.
Days of street violence also preceded the start of a staggered parliamentary election in November. That vote, Egypt's first democratic election after six decades of rule by a succession of military autocrats, was mostly smooth.
Official campaigning for the presidential election began this week under a cloud, with the Brotherhood demanding that the army sack the cabinet of Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri.
Parliament suspended its work for several days, saying the government was failing to respect its decisions.
Many Egyptians suspect the generals, who have built up vast economic and business interests over the years, will seek a strong influence even after the new president assumes power.
The latest unrest, limited to Cairo, was on too small a scale so far to influence the election, said Mustapha Kamel Al-Sayyid, a political science professor at Cairo University.
"These are small groups," he said, adding that the violence could harden public attitudes against continued military rule.
(Additional reporting by Edmund Blair, Shaimaa Fayed, Tom Perry, Ahmed Tolba, Marwa Awad and Dina Zayed; Writing by Tom Pfeiffer; Editing by Alistair Lyon and Alastair Macdonald)
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