Egypt PM dispute stalls government, Islamists call more protests

Yasmin Mogahed I ask you to bare with me and read through until the end and really reflect: It's mind blowing to realize that for every physical, seen reality, there is a complimentary spiritual, unseen reality. And we will fail if we only recognize the physical realities. We will fail if we don't look through the illusion of what we can 'see' with our eyes (Quran 2:3-5). For example, if someone's body is sick or dies, we mourn. But we feel no sadness for the walking bodies, with sick or dead hearts. If we see someone whose eyes are blinded, we feel sorry for them and label them 'handicapped'. But what of those whose eyes can see, but whose hearts are blind? We fight hard to feed the starving bodies--as we should. But who’s fighting to feed the starving souls? We wage war on physical poverty--as we should. But who’s waging war on the spiritual and moral impoverishment that's eating away at our community? We fight hard against physical oppression—as we should. But we continue to oppress our own selves by our sins and alienation from God. We look at the captives, and think that is imprisonment. And then we look at the people living for their desires, and we think that is freedom. We fail to recognize that true freedom and captivity is on the inside. As you read through the Quran, you begin to see that in the hereafter, these ‘spiritual realities’ take on a physical form. The ones who were spiritually blind in this life, become physically blind in the next (20:125-126). The ones whose hearts were veiled from God in this life, become physically veiled from God in the next (83:15). The ones who were chained by their nafs and desires in this life, become physically chained in the next (69:32). The ones who were spiritually at the forefront and nearest to God in this life, become physically at the forefront and nearest to God in the next (56:10-11). The ones who had spiritual light in this life, will have physical light in the next (57:12).

Meera Masr To all the people,it's not a military COUP.We as Egyptians didn't have democracy for choosing Morsi from the beginning.The brotherhood group made forgery in the elections& there r cases against Morsi for elections' forgery.They prevented most of christians in Miniaa TO VOTE.They bought votting by oil bottles& sugar bags for poor people,whom are a lot,They also manipulated religion in a fake way not real to convince people that they r Muslims who will achieve Sharia.This not true, they didn't achieve one thing of their promises.Morsi said in his election program"we have 200 million pouds for projects.He said"in 100 days,I'll achieve safety,organize traffic&we'll present for Egyptians El Nahda Islamic project" which they themselves do not know what it is ,till now.They r terrorists came by the will of Mr. Obama.Obama spent over them 1.5 billion dollars for theire elections&8 billion for dividing Egypt like Sudan & Irak and aslo for the sake of protecting Israel from terrorism.But we not going to be the goat of this transaction.Besides,Morsi ran awy from jail in 28 January 2011& became a president.It'a a black comedy isn't it?!!!!.Morsi made a dictator conistitutional declaration giving him allllllllllll rights without sergeant from anyyyyy one.What political stupidity!!!!!we r the Egyptians who went out 33 millions to ask our great army to ousted Morsi, thank our army for their respond of our demand to ousted the facist dictator terrorist Morsi. NO COUP had 33.5 Million signed petitions and a set date three months before it happened.THE ARMY GAVE MORSI ONE WEEK TO SOLVE PROBLEMS.THEN 48 HOURS THEN ACCORDING TO THE PEOPLE'S WILL,THEY SAID OUTTT MORSI.300 EGYPTIAN PEOPLE WERE KILLED BY HAMASS,EL KA3DA&MBH'S SUPPORTERS NO COUP had millions of people waiting for it in the squares.MBH KILLED 300 EGYPTIAN PEOPLE from 30-6 till now By Mike Collett-White and Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's political transition after President Mohamed Mursi was ousted by the military stumbled at the first hurdle, after the choice of liberal politician Mohamed ElBaradei as interim prime minister was thrown into doubt by Islamist objections. ElBaradei's nomination had been confirmed by several sources and state media on Saturday, but just before midnight a presidential spokesman told reporters that the prime minister had not in fact been chosen. The abrupt U-turn came amid opposition to the appointment by the Nour Party, Egypt's second Islamist force after Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood movement, highlighting the challenge the military faces in finding consensus among liberals and conservatives on who should run the country. Clashes between tens of thousands of pro- and anti-Mursi protesters swept the Arab world's most populous nation on Friday and at least 35 people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded. The violence, which saw rival factions fighting street battles in central Cairo and many others cities and towns, underlined the pressing need for a swift political solution seen as inclusive to all. "We extend our hand to everyone, everyone is a part of this nation," the spokesman told reporters. "The Muslim Brotherhood has plenty of opportunities to run for all elections including the coming presidential elections or the ones to follow." Minutes after he spoke, state media reported that the public prosecutor ordered that four top Brotherhood leaders held this week be detained for a further 15 days on accusations that they incited violence against protesters. The four included Saad el-Katatni, head of the group's political wing, and Khairat El-Shater, its political strategist. ISLAMIST SUPPORT CRUCIAL The Brotherhood has said it wants nothing to do with the military's plans for a new interim government. It believes Mursi should be reinstated, and has pledged to keep protesting until he is. The Nour Party, however, had agreed to the army-backed transition plan leading to new elections. Its withdrawal from the process would strip that plan of vital Islamist support. And following the Nour rejection, the interim administration headed by Adli Mansour delayed naming the new prime minister. On Sunday, people were still reeling from one of the bloodiest days in over two years of tumultuous upheaval since autocrat Hosni Mubarak, who ruled for 30 years, was toppled in a popular uprising that was part of the 2011 "Arab Spring". The Brotherhood called for another day of protest on Sunday, meaning that relative calm on Saturday may prove to be only a temporary lull. Huge protests were staged on June 30 to pressure Mursi into resigning amid growing anger at economic stagnation and the perception among many that the Brotherhood was seeking to take control of every part of the state - a charge it fiercely denies. Millions took to the streets to cheer his ouster on Wednesday, but for many Islamists it was a bitter reversal that raised fears of a return to the suppression they endured for decades under autocratic rulers. The military said it had not carried out a coup, but merely enforced the will of the people. ALARM OVERSEAS The events of the last week have raised alarm among Egypt's allies in the West, including main aid donors the United States and the European Union, and in Israel, with which Egypt has had a U.S.-backed peace treaty since 1979. On Saturday, President Barack Obama condemned the violence, and said the United States was not working with any particular party or group in Egypt. Washington has not condemned the military takeover or called it a coup, prompting suspicion within the Brotherhood that it tacitly supports the overthrow of the country's first freely elected president. Obama has ordered a review to determine whether annual U.S. assistance of $1.5 billion, most which goes to the Egyptian military, should be cut off as required by law if a country's military ousts a democratically elected leader. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel held three conversations with the head of Egypt's armed forces on Friday and Saturday, emphasizing the need for "a peaceful civilian transition in Egypt," the Pentagon said on Saturday. "He also noted the importance of security for the Egyptian people, Egypt's neighbors, and the region," Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement, without characterizing the reaction of Egyptian General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt can ill afford to lose foreign aid. The country appears headed for a looming funding crunch unless it can quickly access money from overseas. The local currency has lost 11 percent of its value since late last year. Newspapers on Saturday quoted ElBaradei as saying he expected Gulf Arab monarchies that were hostile to the Brotherhood's rule to offer financial support to the new authorities. Only gas-rich Qatar provided substantial funds to Mursi's government, totaling $7 billion in loans and grants. Turkey and Libya also provided smaller loans and deposits. (Additional reporting by Mike Collett-White, Maggie Fick, Sarah McFarlane, Tom Perry, Paul Taylor, Patrick Werr in Cairo and Steve Holland in Washington; Writing by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Eric Walsh) ============ Healing Egypt: Three steps to unify a divided nation The uprising of millions of Egyptians since June 30 has led to sharp polarization. Growing up in Egypt, I never saw the country as divided as it is today. Efforts to rebuild the nation must focus on justice, reconciliation, and inclusiveness. By Ahmed Zewail, Op-ed contributor / July 11, 2013 Supporters of Egypt's ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, protest before breaking their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan, in Nasr City, Cairo, July 10. Op-ed contributor Ahmed Zewail writes: 'No civil, liberal government can succeed, even after new elections, if the Islamists are forced to work underground as a foe and the country remains divided.' Manu Brabo The uprising of millions of Egyptians since June 30 has led to sharp polarization. Some consider the removal of Mohamed Morsi a coup by the army against an elected president. Others treat it as the second revolution, or the continuation of the January 25, 2011, revolution. The media, especially in the West, is mainly concerned with the definition of a coup and whether the military should be punished by stopping US aid to Egypt. Gallery: Monitor Political Cartoons.Related stories The Monitor's View: Why Egypt now deserves world's help Opinion: Halting aid to Egypt over military 'coup' would hurt US interests Opinion: Don't view Egypt's coup with a Western lens The Monitor's View: After military ouster of Egypt's Morsi, a chance to get it right Global Viewpoint: With Morsi ouster, Egypt fails democracy test Opinion: Muslim women of today – not just the past – must be respected in Egypt, Syria .Ads by Google خطة لخطف الرئيس المصري الاخوان: مؤامرة عربية لخطف محمد مرسي www.nuqudy.com The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition The picture is not this simple, and the current situation is more than a coup definition; it is the healing of a country that has enormous potential and strategic position in the already troubled Middle East. The real question is: What can be done for Egypt in its democratic transition, with Egyptians being strongly polarized? The proposed immediate action plan presented here can change the current situation and make the country move forward. OPINION: Halting aid to Egypt over military 'coup' would hurt US interests Growing up in Egypt, I never saw the country as divided as it is today. We now have two main political groupings: the Islamist parties and the civil, or liberal, political parties. What is also new is the youth movement – more powerful than present liberal parties – that uses the latest in technological tools to lead these street uprisings (millionea) because they want to live in a developed and prosperous Egypt. On the one hand, the liberals in the country believe that the Muslim Brotherhood failed the democratic process because, although Mr. Morsi won the popular vote, he did not succeed in uniting the nation and serving as president of all Egyptians. Morsi's appointment of Muslim Brotherhood members in leading positions of the county (so-called “Akhwanet Egypt”), his unexpected constitutional decrees, and his insistence on keeping a government seen by many as incompetent all were issues that led the youthful “rebel movement” to collect more than 20 million signatures calling for early presidential elections to remove him. On the other hand, supporters of Morsi believe that he came to power democratically as the first elected civilian president in Egypt’s history. As such, he should only have been able to be removed after completing his term in office. Only such a course, in their view, would protect the constitution (hematite el-sharia) that was passed by a national referendum with two-thirds majority. The Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party was a majority in the elected parliament. The Egyptian army had one of two options: either defend Morsi’s claim to power, leaving millions on the streets and the country as a whole sinking economically, and having national security being threatened with chaos; or interfere and put the country on a new course without being directly involved in governance. So far, the latter is what the army has chosen to do. Unlike the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in the January 25 revolution, First General Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi remains without a political title. The chief justice of Egypt has been sworn in as the new president. ======================== But the central question is how this predicament of division can be solved. I propose a plan of three specific points: First, and immediately, a council should be formed to consider the latest constitution and the articles of disagreement. Within three months, the constitution should be amended and approved by the people in a referendum vote so the country can be united on future binding principles of society and the election processes that follow. Second, the parliamentary election should precede the presidential election. Again, within another three months, Egyptians will know the political identity and spectrum of their parliament, and from this new election will emerge the majority and minority parties, inclusive of civil and Islamic parties. Third, and most important to end the current polarization and violence, is the formation of a supreme presidential council, a board of trustees, made up of three groups. This council should have one-third representation by the civil parties, one-third representation by the Islamist parties, and one-third representation by wise men and women who are independent and not politically associated with any party. Perhaps five to a maximum of 10 people from each group would be sufficient. This body would have the authority to discuss in depth the upcoming proposed changes to the Constitution and the proposed election process, and to vote on them. This way they are part of shaping the future; from the beginning they are included in the political process at the highest level. Disagreement may occur, but in the end, a vote among the members will be binding for all. It is critical that during this transitional period the leadership does not repeat the past, and must deal with the Islamists fairly and inclusively. Also, Morsi must be treated justly in accordance with the law. Finally, the media must live up to the occasion. It must stop “reverse polarization” and work toward convergence, not divergence. The Muslim Brotherhood and the Salifist parties are a real force in the Egyptian society. No civil, liberal government can succeed, even after new elections, if the Islamists are forced to work underground as a foe and the country remains divided. In fact, this is evident even after the June 30 event, when the Salifist al Nour party had a final say on who became the prime minister for the translational period. THE MONITOR'S VIEW: Why Egypt now deserves world's help Reducing Egypt’s predicament only to the issue of a coup without realizing the central issues of division and violence in today’s Egypt is too simplistic and dangerous. Every effort should be made to help build the new democratic nation with reconciliation and forgiveness, for the sake of Egypt and not for the benefit of one party or one group. Ahmed Zewail is the 1999 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry and is a former US envoy to the Middle East. ALSO BY THIS WRITER: Islam is not the problem in Egypt ================================= Egyptian forces kill dozens of supporters of ousted Islamist Sat, Jul 27 18:03 PM EDT 1 of 8 By Tom Perry and Shadia Nasralla CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces shot dead dozens of supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on Saturday, witnesses said, days after the army chief called for a popular mandate to wipe out "violence and terrorism". The bloodshed, near the military parade ground where President Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981, plunged the Arab world's most populous country deeper into turmoil following two turbulent years of transition to democracy since veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak was swept from power. Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, braced for a military crackdown, said men in helmets and black police fatigues had fired on crowds gathered before dawn on the fringes of a round-the-clock sit-in near a mosque in northeast Cairo. Activists rushed blood-spattered casualties into a makeshift hospital. Some were carried in on planks or blankets. One ashen teenager was laid out on the floor, a bullet hole in his head. The United States, treading a fine line with an important Arab ally and recipient of over $1 billion a year in U.S. military aid, urged respect for the right to peaceful protest, and warned that Egypt was at a "pivotal moment". Brotherhood spokesman Ahmed Aref said 66 people had been killed and another 61 were "brain dead" on life support machines. More than 4,000 were treated for the effects of tear gas and gunshot or birdshot wounds, he told reporters. "Innocent blood was spilled," Aref said. "We have gone back 10 years." The Health Ministry reported a total of 65 dead, while the head of the ambulance service, Mohamed Sultanm, said later that 72 had died. "They are not shooting to wound, they are shooting to kill," another Brotherhood spokesman, Gehad El-Haddad, told Reuters early on Saturday. "The bullet wounds are in the head and chest." Egypt's Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim denied that police had opened fire, saying local residents living close to the Rabaa al-Adawia mosque vigil had clashed with protesters in the early hours after they had blocked off a major bridge road. He said police had used teargas to try to break up the fighting. Well over 200 people have been killed in violence since the army toppled Mursi on July 3, following huge protests against his year in power. The army denies accusations it staged a coup, saying it intervened to prevent national chaos. SISI'S CHALLENGE Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians had poured onto the streets on Friday in response to a call by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for nationwide demonstrations to give him backing to confront the weeks-long wave of violence. His appeal was seen as a challenge to the Brotherhood, which organized its own rallies on Friday calling for the return of Mursi, who has been held in an undisclosed location since his ousting and faces a raft of charges, including murder. Ibrahim said Mursi was likely to be transferred shortly to the same Cairo prison where former leader Mubarak is now held. Leaders of the Brotherhood, a highly organized movement with grassroots support across Egypt, appealed for calm on Saturday, but activists at the vigil voiced fury. "The people want the execution of Sisi," a cleric shouted to the crowd from a stage by the mosque. "The people want the execution of the butcher." Interior Minister Ibrahim said the pro-Mursi sit-ins would "God willing, soon ... be dealt with" based on a decision by a public prosecutor, who is reviewing complaints from local residents unhappy with the huge encampment on their doorstep. The European Union and major European powers deplored the violence. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged dialogue and restraint. "At this critical juncture, it is essential that the security forces and the interim government respect the right of peaceful protest," he said. "This is a pivotal moment for Egypt." The Pentagon said U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had spoken by phone with Egyptian army chief Sisi and urged steps "to prevent further bloodshed and loss of life." Washington has delayed delivery of four F-16 fighters, part of the $1.5 billion in aid it provides every year, mainly in military hardware, but says it does not intend to cut off aid to a country seen as a vital ally and which has a peace deal with neighboring Israel. Turkey, a vocal supporter of Mursi, accused the West of turning a blind eye. "Those who were silent when Egypt's national will was massacred are silent again when people are massacred," Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who has faced down large protests against his own government this year, said in televised comments. "What happened to the EU (and) European values, where are those who go around giving lessons in democracy?" "BULLETS WHIZZING" Witnesses said police first fired rounds of teargas at Brotherhood protesters gathered on a boulevard leading away from the Rabaa mosque, with live shots ringing out soon afterwards. "There were snipers on the rooftops, I could hear the bullets whizzing past me," said Ahmed el Nashar, 34, a business consultant, choking back his tears. "Man, people were just dropping." Dr. Ibtisam Zein, overseeing the Brotherhood morgue, said most of the dead were hit in the head, some between the eyes. The bodies were wrapped in white sheets and laid on the floor, their names scrawled on the shrouds. A cleaner busily mopped the floor, washing away pools of blood. Haddad said the Brotherhood remained committed to pursuing peaceful protests, despite Saturday's deaths - the second mass shooting of its supporters this month by security forces, who killed 53 people on July 8. Brotherhood activists at Rabaa said they would not be cowed and warned of worse bloodshed if the security forces did not back down. "We will stay here until we die, one by one," said Ahmed Ali, 24, helping treat casualties at the field hospital. Egyptian-born Youssef al-Qaradawi, one of the most prominent Sunni clerics in the Middle East, urged Egyptians to join the Brotherhood vigil, according to a statement on his website. "People must come out of their homes to stand in the face of the criminal murderers with all bravery," he said. (Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla, Yasmine Saleh, Tom Finn, Maggie Fick, Omar Fahmy, Edmund Blair, Michael Georgy, Noah Browning and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo, Abdel Rahman Youssef in Alexandria, Arshad Mohammed in Washington, Sami Aboudi in Dubai and Ayla Jean Yackley in Istanbul; Writing by Crispian Balmer and Matt Robinson; Editing by David Evans and Sonya Hepinstall) ================================ Millions take to the streets of Egypt in an ever-growing media fantasy If that many were demonstrating, who was driving the trains, buses, underground, operating the airports, manning the police and army, the factories, and hotels? 1 / 1Getty ImagesShare2K 215 4 2K Ads by Google British Expat In Qatar? Discover Your £80k+ Pension Options Free, Clear & Honest Expert Advice! Your.QROPSchoices.com/Free-Guide5 Signs of Alzheimer's Doctor: 5 Warning Signs You're About to Get Alzheimer's Disease www.newsmax.comExpatriate Savings Advice £50k-£1m Or £250+ Regular Savings? Find The Best Interest Rates Today! www.OffshoreSavingsDesigner.comWhy does the Egyptian crisis appear so simple to our political leaders yet so complicated when you actually turn up in Cairo? Let’s start with the Egyptian press. Flowering after the 2011 revolution, the Egyptian media moved into lockstep the moment General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and the lads chucked President Mohamed Morsi out of power on 3 July. Indeed, one popular television group – upon whose airwaves I occasionally spoke in the post-Mubarak era – appeared after the military takeover with their reporters and presenters all praising the new regime. And here’s the rub – they all appeared on screen in military uniform! Of course, fantasies had to be created. The first of these was not the perfidious, undemocratic, terroristic nature of the Brotherhood – this idea had been fostered at least a week before the coup. No, it was the demonstration scoreboard that fed into the dreams of the world. “Millions” were on the streets calling for Morsi’s overthrow. These millions were essential for the supreme fantasy: that General al-Sisi was merely following the will of the people. But then Tony Blair – whose accuracy over weapons of mass destruction in Iraq is well known – told us that there were “17 million Egyptians on the streets”! This was worthy of an exclamation mark. Then the US State Department told us there were 22 million on the streets of Egypt. Then just three days ago, the Democracy Index informed us that there were 30 million taking part in demonstrations against Morsi and only one million Morsi supporters on the streets! This is truly incredible. The population of Egypt is around 89 million. Stripped of its babies, children, pensioners of advanced age, this suggests that more than half the active population of Egypt was demonstrating against Morsi. Yet unlike Egypt in 2011, the country kept running. So who, during what the Egyptian Writers Union now called “the largest political demonstration in history”, was driving the trains and buses, the Cairo underground system, operating the airports, manning the ranks of the police and army, the factories, hotels and the Suez Canal? Al-Jazeera, thank heavens, brought in an American expert on crowds to demonstrate that these figures emerged from a dream world in which both sides eagerly subscribed, one that physically could not exist. Around Tahrir Square, it was impossible to gather more than a million and a half people. In Nasr City – a Morsi demonstration point – far fewer. But the groundwork had been laid. So last week, the US Secretary of State John Kerry was able to tell us that the Egyptian military “was asked to intervene by millions and millions [sic] of people, all of whom were afraid of a [descent] into chaos, into violence. And the military did not take over, to the best of our judgement – so far – to run the country. There’s a civilian government. In effect [sic], they were restoring democracy.” All Kerry failed to mention was that General al-Sisi chose the “civilian” government, reappointed himself defence minister, then appointed himself deputy prime minister of the “civilian” government – and remained commander of the Egyptian army. And that General al-Sisi was never elected. But that’s OK. He was anointed by those “millions and millions” of people. And what did the military spokesman say when asked how the world would react to the “excessive use of force” that killed 50 Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators on 8 July? Without reservation, he replied: “What excessive force? It would have been excessive if we had killed 300 people.” That speaks for itself. But when you’re up there among the 17 million, 22 million, 30 million, the “millions of millions”, who cares? Now to the Department of Plain Speaking. Let me quote here the best commentator on the Middle East, Alain Gresh, whose work in Le Monde diplomatique, is – or should be – essential reading for all politicians, generals, “intelligence” officers, torturers, and every Arab in the entire region. The Muslim Brotherhood, he writes this month, proved itself “fundamentally incapable of adapting to the pluralist political deal, to emerge from its culture of clandestinity, to transform itself into a political party, to make alliances. Sure, they created the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), but this remained totally under the control of the Brotherhood.” And what was al-Sisi’s real role in all this? He gave us an intriguing clue in his infamous 25 July call on Egyptians to authorise the army to “confront violence and terrorism”. He said he told two Brotherhood leaders prior to the overthrow that the situation was “dangerous”, that reconciliation talks must begin at once. The two leaders, al-Sisi said, replied that “armed groups” would solve any problem that arose. The general was outraged. He said he gave Morsi a week before 30 June to try to end the crisis. On 3 July, he sent Morsi’s Prime Minister, Hisham Qandil, and two others “to former President Morsi to convince him to be proactive and call for a referendum on his remaining in power… His answer was ‘no’.” Al-Sisi told Morsi that “political pride dictates that if the people reject you, you should either step down, or re-establish confidence through a referendum. Some people want to either rule the country or destroy it.” Of course, we can’t hear Morsi’s point of view. He has been publicly silenced. Thank God for the Egyptian army. And all those millions.