Egypt a coup for Islamic fundamentalists

[Psalm 51:17]

Problem-Reaction-Solution...

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/08/15776159-egypts-morsi-annuls-orders-giving-him-sweeping-powers-but-keeps-dec-15-constitution-vote?lite

12/8/12

Egypt's Morsi annuls orders giving him sweeping powers, but keeps Dec. 15 constitution vote

CAIRO -- Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on Saturday issued a decree annulling the most controversial parts of earlier orders that granted him sweeping powers, including the ability to make laws and decisions that are not subject to judicial reviews.

The earlier orders had led to three weeks of violent clashes between Morsi supporters and the political opposition.

The president no longer has absolute powers, however his government's draft constitution will stand in its form and will not be subject to change before a referendum set for Dec. 15, NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reported from Cairo.

The new declaration still calls for the referendum to go ahead as scheduled, but the new referendum will not be a simple "yes" or "no".

If the draft constitution is rejected, Morsi will ask the public to directly vote for a new 100-member constituent assembly to write a new constitution. The existing 100-member assembly was previously appointed by the dissolved parliament.

Earlier Saturday, Egypt's military warned of 'disastrous consequences' if the crisis that sent tens of thousands of protesters back into the streets was not resolved, signaling the army's return to an increasingly polarized and violent political scene.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The military said serious dialogue is the "best and only" way to overcome the nation's deepening conflict.

"Anything other than that (dialogue) will force us into a dark tunnel with disastrous consequences; something which we won't allow," the statement said.

Failing to reach a consensus, "is in the interest of neither side. The nation as a whole will pay the price," it added. The statement was read by an unnamed military official on state television.

Egypt's once all-powerful military, which temporarily took over governing the country after the revolution that ousted autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak, has largely been sidelined since handing over power to Morsi weeks after his election.

But it has begun asserting itself again, with soldiers sealing off the presidential palace with tanks and barbed wire, as rival protests and street battles between Morsi's supporters and his opponents turned increasingly violent.

The statement said the military "realizes its national responsibility in protecting the nation's higher interests" and state institutions.

At least six civilians have been killed and several offices of the president's Muslim Brotherhood set on fire since the crisis began on Nov. 22. The two sides also have staged a number of sit-ins around state institutions, including the presidential palace where some of the most violent clashes occurred.

Images of the military's elite Republican Guards unit surrounding the area around the palace showed one of the most high-profile troop deployment since the army handed over power to Morsi on June 30.

A sit-in by Morsi's opponents around the palace continued Saturday, with protesters setting up roadblocks with tanks behind them amid reports that the president's supporters planned rival protests. By midday Saturday, TV footage showed the military setting up a new wall of cement blocks around the palace.

Tensions have escalated since Morsi issued new decrees granting himself and an Islamist-dominated constitutional assembly immunity from oversight by the judiciary. The president's allies then rushed through a constitution and he announced a Dec. 15 nationwide referendum on the charter.

The president has insisted his decrees were meant to protect the country's transition to democracy from former regime figures trying to derail it.

[Kilika]

How stupid can those people in Washington be?

They claim Egypt is our partner, yet the current regime taking over are a bunch of terrorists. The former Egypt that the US traded with for decades is not the same country, nor are they the same people in power. Yet "business is business", no matter what thugs your doing business with!

What in the world are we doing giving Egypt any money or military hardware at US taxpayer cost? They need to pay for their own stuff, or get the Saudi royals to pay for it.

The US is impossibly in debt, yet we are giving out multi-BILLIONS of dollars to other countries. It's insane.

The US globalists playing both sides WILL come back to bite them, but they look like they are determined to destroy this country first.

US sending 20 more F-16s to Egypt, despite turmoil in Cairo

By Maxim Lott
Published December 10, 2012
FoxNews.com

Instability in Egypt, where a newly-elected Islamic government teeters over an angry population, isn't enough to stop the U.S. from sending more than 20 F-16 fighter jets, as part of a $1 billion foreign aid package.

The first four jets are to be delivered to Egypt beginning Jan. 22, a source at the naval air base in Fort Worth, where the planes have been undergoing testing, told FoxNews.com. The North African nation already has a fleet of more than 200 of the planes and the latest shipment merely fulfills an order placed two years ago. But given the uncertainty in Cairo, some critics wonder if it is wise to be sending more top gun planes.

“Should an overreaction [by Egypt] spiral into a broader conflict between Egypt and Israel, such a scenario would put U.S. officials in an embarrassing position of having supplied massive amounts of military hardware … to both belligerents,” said Malou Innocent, a foreign policy analyst at the Cato Institute. “Given Washington's fiscal woes, American taxpayers should no longer be Egypt’s major arms supplier.” (cont.)

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12/10/us-sending-20-more-f-16s-to-egypt-despite-turmoil-in-cairo/#ixzz2EjOmTK1F


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12/10/us-sending-20-more-f-16s-to-egypt-despite-turmoil-in-cairo/#ixzz2EjOVZXBq

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/polls-open-egypts-constitution-referendum-061411286.html

12/15/12

Polls open in Egypt's constitution referendum


CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians voted on Saturday in a referendum on a new constitution shaped by Islamist allies of Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi and which his liberal rivals say deepens divisions in the nation.
 
Soldiers joined police outside polling stations to secure the vote after deadly protests. Demonstrations erupted last month after Mursi issued a decree expanding his powers and then fast-tracked the draft constitution through an assembly dominated by his Muslim Brotherhood and its allies.
 
"The sheikhs told us to say 'yes' and I have read the constitution and I liked it," said Adel Imam, a 53-year-old queuing to vote in a Cairo suburb. "The president's authorities are less than before. He can't be a dictator."
 
A coalition of leftists, socialists, Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 83 million people, and more liberal-minded Muslims accuse Mursi of pushing through a document that does not reflect Egypt's diversity.
 
"I voted 'no' to the constitution out of patriotic duty. The constitution does not represent all Egyptians," said Michael Nour, a 45-year-old Christian school teacher in Alexandria, Egypt's second-biggest city.
 
Voters were allowed to cast "yes" or "no" ballots from 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) until 7 p.m. (1700 GMT), but the deadline could be extended depending on turnout.
 
The vote has been split into two rounds, each covering different regions with the second next week, because not enough judges agreed to oversee the ballot.
 
There were queues of several dozen people outside some polling stations in Cairo and elsewhere as voting began. The first round covers about 26 million of Egypt's 51 million eligible voters. The next round is on December 22.
 
(Reporting by Tamim Elyan and Marwa Awad; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Paul Simao and Lisa Shumaker)
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[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=296087

Official says Egypt 'narrowly' backs constitution

By REUTERS

12/16/2012 05:42

Muslim Brotherhood member cites unofficial tally stating Egyptians vote in favor of Islamist shaped constitution by 56.5 percent.

CAIRO - Egyptians voted narrowly in favor of a constitution shaped by Islamists but opposed by other groups who fear it will deepen divisions, officials in rival camps said on Sunday after the first round of a two-stage referendum.

Next week's second round is likely to give another "yes" vote as it includes districts seen as more sympathetic towards Islamists, analysts say, meaning the constitution would be approved.

But a close win, if confirmed, would give Islamist President Mohamed Morsi only limited cause for celebration as it would show a wide rift in a country where he needs to build consensus on tough measures to fix a fragile economy.

The Muslim Brotherhood's party, which propelled Morsi to office in a June election, said 56.5 percent backed the text. Official results are not expected till after the next round.

more

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12/19/intimidation-fear-keep-egypt-christians-away-from-polls-on-disputed-charter/

12/19/12

Egypt's Christians fear going to polls amid Islamist intimidation campaign

ASSIUT, Egypt –  A campaign of intimidation by Islamists left most Christians in this southern Egyptian province too afraid to participate in last week's referendum on an Islamist-drafted constitution they deeply oppose, residents say. The disenfranchisement is hiking Christians' worries over their future under empowered Muslim conservatives.
 
Around a week before the vote, some 50,000 Islamists marched through the provincial capital, Assiut, chanting that Egypt will be "Islamic, Islamic, despite the Christians." At their head rode several bearded men on horseback with swords in scabbards on their hips, evoking images of early Muslims conquering Christian Egypt in the 7th Century.
 
They made sure to go through mainly Christian districts of the city, where residents, fearing attacks, shuttered down their stores and stayed in their homes, witnesses said.
 
The day of the voting itself on Saturday, Christian voting was minimal — as low as seven percent in some areas, according to church officials. Some of those who did try to head to polling stations in some villages were pelted by stones, forcing them to turn back without casting ballots, Christian activists and residents told The Associated Press this week.
 
The activists now see what happened in Assuit as a barometer for what Christians' status will be under a constitution that enshrines a greater role for Shariah, or Islamic law, in government and daily life. Even under the secular regime of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's Christians complained of discrimination and government failure to protect them and their rights. They fear it will be worse with the Islamists who have dominated Egypt's political landscape since Mubarak's ouster in February 2011.
 
"When all issues become religious and all the talk is about championing Islam and its prophet, then, as a Christian, I am excluded from societal participation," said Shady Magdy Tobia, a Christian activist in Assiut. "If this does not change, things will only get worse for Christians."
 
But some of the Christians of Assiut are pushing back against the emboldened Islamists. In recent weeks, young Christians joined growing street protests to demand that the charter is shelved, casting aside decades of political apathy.
 
Assiut province is significant because it is home to one of Egypt's largest Christian communities — they make up about 35 percent of the population of 4.5 million, perhaps three times the nationwide percentage. At the same time, it is a major stronghold of Egypt's Islamists, who now dominate its local government. The province was the birthplace of some of the country's most radical Islamist groups and was the main battlefield of an insurgency by Muslim militants in the 1990s.
 
It was one of 10 provinces that voted in the first round of Egypt's referendum. Nationwide, around 56 percent voted in favor of the draft charter, according to preliminary results. Assiut had one of the strongest "yes" votes at more than 77 percent. It also had a turnout of only 28 percent — one of the lowest in a round marred by a low participation of only 32 percent nationwide.
 
The second and final round will held the coming Saturday in 17 provinces, including in Minya, which has the country's highest proportion of Christians, at 36 percent.
 
Rights groups reported attempts at suppression of the "no" vote in many parts of the country. But Christians say intimidation and suppression are more effective in this smaller, largely rural province.
 
"In Assiut, we face more danger than in Cairo," said businessman Emad Awny Ramzy, a key organizer of local protests against Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and his ruling Muslim Brotherhood. "Here they can easily identify, monitor and attack us."
 
A senior figure of the Gamaa Islamiya — which was once one of the main groups waging the Islamic militant insurgency in Assiut but has since renounced violence and is allied to Morsi's government — dismissed the Christians' allegations of intimidation in the province.
 
The claims are "just lies and rumors that surface every time we have an election," Assem Abdel-Magued said. The Brotherhood and officials in Morsi's government have similarly dismissed claims of violations around the country.
 
The draft constitution, finalized by Islamists on a Constituent Assembly despite a boycott by liberals and Christians, has polarized Egypt, bringing out huge rival street rallies by both camps in the past four weeks. Opponents of Morsi accuse him of ramming the document through and, more broadly, of imposing a Brotherhood domination of power. Morsi supporters, in turn, accuse his opponents of seeking to thwart a right to bring Islamic law they say they earned with election victories the past year.
 
Egypt's main Coptic Orthodox Church and smaller ones have taken an uncharacteristically assertive approach in the constitutional struggle. They withdrew their six members from the Constituent Assembly to protest Islamist domination of the process and later refused to send representatives to a "national dialogue" called for by Morsi.
 
The new Coptic pope, Tawadros II, enthroned last month, publicly called some of the charter's articles "disastrous."
 
In response, the Muslim Brotherhood — which usually keeps a moderate tone toward Christians — has turned toward more inflammatory rhetoric.
 
Senior Brotherhood figure Mohammed el-Beltagi in a newspaper interview this week depicted mass anti-Morsi rallies outside the presidential palace in Cairo this month as mainly made up of Christians, hinting at a Christian conspiracy against the president.
 
In a recent speech, Safwat Hegazi, a famous Islamist preacher linked to the Brotherhood, warned Christians against joining forces with former Mubarak regime figures to topple Morsi.
 
"I tell the church, yes, you are our brothers in Egypt, but there are red lines. Our red line is Morsi's legitimacy. Whoever dares splash it with water, we will splash him with blood," he said, using an Arabic saying.
 
In Assiut, Tobia, Ramzy and other Christian activists spoke of an atmosphere of intimidation ahead of the vote, including the large Islamist march.
 
They said threatening messages were sent on mobile phones and on social networking sites. During an opposition demonstration on Dec. 7 outside the offices of the Brotherhood's political party in Assiut, suspected Morsi supporters seized six protesters — five Muslims and one Christian — beating them and shaving the head of one.
 
With tension building up over the last four weeks, many Christian voters registered at polling centers located in predominantly Muslim areas did not vote, fearing violence, they said.
 
Those who made it to polling centers in districts with significant Christian populations were soon frustrated by the long lines or delays, which activists said was intentional. In some cases, they said, Islamists who had voted elsewhere then went to stand in lines in mainly Christian areas to make them longer, increase delays and prompt Christians to give up and leave.
 
Two Christian clerics said that outside the province's main cities, only about 12 percent of registered Christian voters left their homes on Saturday to vote and that no more than seven percent were able to cast their ballots. They based the figures on statistics gathered by members of the Coptic Church's youth group who monitored voting across the province. The two clerics spoke on condition of anonymity because of sensitivities over the church role in political issues.
 
In the Christian village of el-Aziyah, only 2,350 of the village's 12,100 registered voters cast ballots on Saturday, according to acting mayor Montaser Malek Yacoub.
 
Yacoub is among the growing number of Christians who are pushing back against persecution.
 
He has taken advantage of the tenuous security situation of the past two years and built two churches without permits and reclaimed a large area of state-owned desert that lies outside the village's boundaries toward a rock mountain. Under Mubarak's rule, Christians rarely received permits to build or renovate churches.
 
"Let me just tell you this: As far as I am concerned, this is our country and everyone else are guests," he said. But "we're ready to cooperate with anyone who shares Egypt with us."

[Mark]

Yep, Obama is spreading democracy, NOT setting up dictators!!!

Egypt's new constitution eliminates the vice president post; Mekki to quit once charter adopted - @AP
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/polls-open-egypt-second-phase-referendum-disputed-islamist-backed-constitution

Egypt's vice president resigns from his post, presidential source says - @Reuters
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50278106#.UNXXXbabOIc

[Kilika]

See, here's the problem I'm seeing...

If Obama is a practicing Christian, which he claims he is, then how can he take a stance supporting Islam in any way? Especially in a place like Egypt. Yet that has been the case, and apparently the gap between the US and Israel is seemingly wider than ever.

Is he politically obligated? Then that means he has to compromise his Christian faith to do so. But then you listen to his speeches and comments, his fruits. I'm not seeing any good fruit.

Personally, I believe the guy to be a fraud, and the form of government he's spreading is socialism with a new coat of paint.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.timesofisrael.com/early-tally-shows-islamist-constitution-winning-64-percent-of-vote-in-egypt/


Egypt’s draft charter gets ‘yes’ majority in vote

Factoring in both rounds of voting, new Islamist constitution approved by rate of about 63%; turnout only around 30%

By Sarah El DeebDecember 23, 2012, 4:30 am

AIRO (AP) — Egypt’s Islamist-backed constitution received a “yes” majority in a final round of voting on a referendum that saw a low voter turnout, but the deep divisions it has opened up threaten to fuel continued turmoil.
 
Passage is a victory for Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, but a costly one. The bruising battle over the past month stripped away hope that the long-awaited constitution would bring a national consensus on the path Egypt will take after shedding its autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak nearly two years ago.
 
Instead, Morsi disillusioned many non-Islamists who had once backed him and has become more reliant on his core support in the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists. Hard-liners in his camp are determined to implement provisions for stricter rule by Islamic law in the charter, which is likely to further fuel divisions.
 
Saturday’s voting in 17 of Egypt’s 27 provinces was the second and final round of the referendum. Preliminary results released early Sunday by Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood showed that 71.4 percent of those who voted Saturday said “yes” after 95.5 percent of the ballots were counted. Only about eight million of the 25 million Egyptians eligible to vote — a turnout of about 30 percent — cast their ballots. The Brotherhood has accurately predicted election results in the past by tallying results provided by its representatives at polling centers.
 
In the first round of voting, about 56 percent said “yes” to the charter. The turnout then was about 32 percent.
 
The results of the two rounds mean the referendum was approved by about 63 percent.
 
Morsi’s liberal and secular opposition now faces the task of trying to organize the significant portion of the population angered by what it sees as attempts by Morsi and the Brotherhood to gain a lock on political power. The main opposition group, the National Salvation Front, said it would now start rallying for elections for the lawmaking, lower house of parliament, expected early next year.

more

[Mark]

And now?? IRAQ!!!

Mass protests against government spread in Iraq

Tens of thousands of protesters rallied across Iraq on Friday, charging that Sunni Muslims had been disenfranchised under the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and pressing for detainees to be freed.

Protests have raged for weeks and continued even after the Iraqi justice ministry freed nearly a dozen female prisoners and said it would transfer others to jails closer to their homes. The unrest has spread from Anbar province, where infuriated protesters have blocked a key highway, to other Sunni strongholds across northern and western Iraq.

"How much longer will our children stay in prisons for no other reason than being Sunni," a man who gave his name as Abu Abdullah told Agence France-Presse at one demonstration in Baghdad, where protesters hoisted banners calling for anti-terror laws to be repealed.

Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, one of Maliki's chief opponents, called for him to step down in a statement read on Iraqi television, Bloomberg reported Friday. The push against Maliki has also been bolstered by powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr, who reached out to the protesters Friday by joining in prayer at a Sunni mosque, according to the Associated Press.

Maliki and his government have their “last chance for reconciliation,” Alaa Makki, who leads the Sunni Iraqiya bloc in parliament, told Al Jazeera. Protesters “are waiting for the government to send somebody there, representing the governmental concerns."

The prime minister appears to be trying to head off clashes that could escalate the situation. In a statement Friday (link in Arabic), Maliki called on the armed forces and police to “exercise the utmost restraint” in dealing with protesters. He also asked demonstrators to stop “sectarian and terrorist groups" from infiltrating and sowing sectarian strife, “which if returned, God forbid, it will burn us all.” 

Kurdish and Sunni sources told Reuters that Sunni Islamists are driving the protests in the hopes of creating their own semi-autonomous region akin to Kurdistan, emboldened by the belief that the ongoing uprising in Syria will ultimately tip the regional balance of power toward Sunnis.

The unrest comes ahead of elections slated for this spring. Sadr is believed to be making gestures to the Sunni protesters and religious minorities in order to style himself as a unifying figure ahead of the provincial vote.

http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-iraq-mass-protests-20130104,0,1775270.story

[Mark]

Update: Death toll in Egypt city of Port Said reaches 16, including 2 policemen - @AJEnglish's @RawyaRageh

http://twitter.com/AJEnglish

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/riots-over-egyptian-death-sentences-kill-least-32-005245042.html

1/27/13

Egypt's leader declares emergency after clashes

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi declared a month-long state of emergency in three cities along the Suez Canal where dozens of people have been killed over the past four days in protests his allies say are designed to overthrow him.

Seven people were shot dead and hundreds were injured in Port Said on Sunday during the funerals of 33 people killed there when locals angered by a court decision went on the rampage as anti-government protests spread around the country.

A total of 49 people have been killed since Thursday and Mursi's opponents, who accuse his Islamist Muslim Brotherhood of betraying the revolution that ousted long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak, have called for more demonstrations on Monday.

"Down, down Mursi, down down the regime that killed and tortured us!" people in Port Said chanted as the coffins of those killed on Saturday were carried through the streets.

Mursi, who was elected in June, is trying to fix a beleaguered economy and cool tempers before a parliamentary poll in the next few months which is supposed to cement Egypt's transition to democracy. Repeated eruptions of violence have weighed heavily on the Egyptian pound.

more

[Mark]

Egypt army chief warns state could collapse

Thousands of mourners chanting for the downfall of Egypt's president marched in funerals again Tuesday in the restive city of Port Said as the army chief warned the state could collapse if the latest political crisis drags on.

Troops in Port Said and Suez, two riot-torn cities along the strategic Suez Canal, stood by and watched Monday night as thousands took to the streets in direct defiance of a night curfew and a state of emergency declared by President Mohammed Morsi a day earlier. Residents of the two cities and Ismailiya, a third city also under the emergency, marched just as the curfew came into force at 9 p.m.

The display of contempt for Morsi's decision was tantamount to an outright rebellion that many worried could spread to other parts of the country. Already, protesters across much of Egypt are battling police, cutting off roads and railway lines, and besieging government offices and police stations as part of a growing revolt against Morsi and his Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood group.

At least 60 people have been killed since Friday.

"As long as the president's hands are stained in blood, he must leave," said Port Said lawyer Mohammed el-Assfouri as he stood outside the city's Mariam mosque where mourners prayed for the dead.

Morsi's opponents accuse Islamists of monopolizing power and failing to live up to the ideals of the pro-democracy uprising that ousted authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak two years ago.

In Cairo, intense fighting for days around central Tahrir Square engulfed two landmark hotels and forced the U.S. Embassy to suspend public services on Tuesday. The lobby of the five-star Semiramis along the Nile was trashed after clashes on the street outside spilled into the hotel early Tuesday morning, when armed, masked men attempted to rob it.

In Port Said, where most of the deadly violence has been centered, tanks were fanned out on the streets of the city of some 600,000 located 140 miles northeast of Cairo on the Mediterranean coast and at the tip of the Suez Canal. New funerals were held for six more of those killed in clashes, with thousands marching and chanting against Morsi. Similar scenes have replayed over the past few days.

"Erhal! Erhal!" or "Leave, leave!" they screamed, reviving the iconic chant of the 2011 uprising.

The chant is now turned against Morsi. A sign carried by one mourner said: "The independent state of Port Said." Another had the image of a young and slim man in dark sunglasses posing next to a red car. Relatives said he was shot dead while walking home on Saturday.

"The continuation of the conflict between the different political forces and their differences over how the country should be run could lead to the collapse of the state and threaten future generations," said army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who is both head of the military and defense minister.

At the same time he defended the right of Egyptians to protest, while acknowledging the difficult challenges facing his troops in Port Said and Suez.

"The deployment of the armed forces poses a grave predicament for us insofar as how we balance avoiding confrontations with Egyptian citizens, their right to protest and the protection and security of vital facilities that impact Egypt's national security," he said.

He also spoke of a "realistic threat" facing the nation as a result of what he called the political, economic and social challenges.

The warning was the military's first public comment since the latest crisis erupted last week around the second anniversary of the uprising on Friday. El-Sissi was speaking to military academy cadets and the comments were posted on the armed forces' official Facebook page.

He also warned of what he described as attempts to influence the "stability" of state institutions.

"It is a grave matter that hurts national security and the nation's future."

He did not elaborate, but critics of Morsi complain he has been trying to bring state institutions under Brotherhood control to tighten the Islamists' grip on power.

The military and Islamists led by the Brotherhood struggled over power in the transition following Mubarak's rule. The Brotherhood dominated every election since the uprising, winning control of parliament, the presidency and pushing through a constitution that could pave the way for imposing more strict Islamic law in Egypt.

The army had long defended the secular nature of Egypt before the Brotherhood came to power and is seen as wary of letting Islamists have too much power.

Morsi has ordered the army to restore order in Port Said and Suez. On Sunday, he slapped a 30-day state of emergency and night curfew on the two cities as well as Ismailiya. The army has not deployed in Ismailiya, however, which has seen little of the deadly violence flaring in the other two cities.

The military, Egypt's most powerful institution, was the de facto ruler since army officers seized power in 1952 and toppled the monarchy. Generals forced Mubarak from power at the end of the uprising and then a ruling military council took over from him.

The military's nearly 17 months in power tainted its reputation, with critics charging the ruling generals of mismanaging the transition to democratic rule, human rights violations and hauling thousands of civilians before military tribunals.

Morsi became the first freely elected president in June and was immediately plunged into a power struggle with the military when it tried to curtail his powers. In August, he ordered the retirement of the army's top two generals, regained powers they had taken away from him and handpicked el-Sissi as defense minister and army chief.

The timing of el-Sissi's warning is particularly significant because it came at a time of growing opposition to Morsi and when he appeared to be failing to stem the latest bout of political violence, sinking the country deeper into chaos and lawlessness.

Some of the demonstrators in Port Said on Monday night waved white-and-green flags they said were the colors of a new and independent state. Such secession would be unthinkable, but the move underlined the depth of frustration in the city.

Since coming to office, Morsi has failed to tackle the country's massive problems, which range from an economy in free fall to surging crime, chaos on the streets and lack of political consensus. His woes deepened when the main opposition coalition turned down his offer for a dialogue to resolve the crisis, insisting he meets their conditions first.

The wave of unrest has touched cities across much of Egypt since Thursday, including Cairo, the three Suez Canal cities, Alexandria on the Mediterranean in the north and a string of cities in the Nile Delta.

The violence accelerated Friday, the second anniversary of the uprising, with protests to mark the event turning to clashes that left 11 dead, most of them in Suez.

The next day, riots exploded in Port Said after a court convicted and sentenced to death 21 defendants - mostly locals - for a mass soccer riot in the city's main stadium a year ago. Rioters attacked police stations, clashed with security forces in the streets and shots and tear gas were fired at protester funerals in mayhem that left 44 people dead over the weekend.

The violence in Port Said was fueled in part by the anger and sense of betrayal that have been simmering in the city following last year's riot, the worst ever in Egyptian soccer.

Protesters and activists, meanwhile, are accusing the police of excessive use of force in dealing with demonstrators. Morsi, in their view, endorsed their tactics when he commended them in a short, televised speech on Sunday night when he declared the state of emergency and curfew.

The U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, took note of the high death toll in the latest unrest.

She urged Morsi's government "to take urgent measures to ensure that law enforcement personnel never again use disproportionate or excessive force against protesters" because it is both illegal and likely to make the situation more explosive. Pillay called for immediate investigations into the wave of violence and a review of police tactics used to clamp down on demonstrations.

The police, hated for their brutality in the Mubarak years, have been calling for better and more sophisticated weapons to defend themselves when their facilities come under attack, which happened in Port Said as well as Suez.

In Cairo on Tuesday, the area around central Tahrir Square was relatively quiet, with only intermittent clashes between police and rock-throwing protesters. On Monday, protesters and police battled each other in area all day and into the night in scenes reminiscent of the early days of the 2011 uprising.

Early Tuesday morning, police foiled an attempted robbery by 12 masked gunmen at the Semiramis Intercontinental. The luxury hotel is one of the two caught up in clashes around Tahrir Square.

Security officials say the attackers looted shops in small hotel mall and smashed glass. They suspect the culprits are criminals who used the rioting outside on the street as cover. AP television footage shows protesters trying to arrest some of the thieves. By Tuesday, the shattered glass facade of the lobby was boarded up and only a few guests remained.

The nearby U.S. Embassy said on its website that it was closing public services on Tuesday because of the security situation.

but Obama did such a great job??
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_EGYPT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-01-29-05-25-35

[Kilika]

Well, Obama and company wanted a democracy, but it looks like that wasn't the wishes of a large part of Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood want a strict Muslim government without interference from the outside apparently. For obvious reasons, the US and others have been trying to get some kind of democracy in the Middle East to buffer between the Arab world and Israel.

The US may show themselves as friends to Israel by certain actions and a lot of diplomatic talk, but that doesn't mean that's their position behind closed doors. Recently, the US has been not so friendly, or rather more friendly with the Arab countries.

So yeah, depending on your perspective, he did what he was told.

[Mark]

Egypt’s Divisions Deepen as Protests Rage Outside Presidential Palace

During an anti-government demonstration on Friday, protesters hurled fire bombs over the wall of Egypt’s presidential palace, setting fire to a gatehouse in a symbolically potent show of disregard for the country’s leader.

Riot police responded by firing tear gas and birdshot at demonstrators, and television cameras captured officers near the palace stripping and beating a man. By midnight, the Health Ministry reported that one protester was killed in the violence. A day after Egypt’s new Islamist leaders held talks with their political opponents for the first time about solving the crisis, each side blamed the other for the conflagration outside the palace, apparently extinguishing any hope they might quickly resolve their differences.

As clashes raged on a broad avenue outside the presidential palace and thousands of demonstrators marched in cities along the Suez Canal, the warring parties reverted to the recriminations that Egypt’s defense minister recently warned had brought the country to the brink of collapse. The feuds have fed an atmosphere of growing polarization that many Egyptians blame for a rising tide of violence. The actions by some protesters on Friday — and the officers’ response — seemed to confirm another fear: neither the opposition parties nor the government exercises firm control over the confrontations in the streets.

In a statement, President Mohamed Morsi blamed unnamed “political forces” for inciting what he said was an attempt to “storm the gates of the palace.”

rest: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/world/middleeast/clashes-in-egypt.html?_r=0

[Psalm 51:17]

Iran's Ahmadenijad entices Egypt into alliance

2/7/13

http://news.yahoo.com/irans-ahmadenijad-entices-egypt-alliance-215541325.html

CAIRO (AP) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tried Thursday to entice Egypt into a new alliance that could reshape the turbulent Middle East, speaking of forging "comprehensive" and "unfettered" relations after decades of distrust.
 
A warming of ties between the two regional heavyweights could have uncomfortable repercussions for the U.S. and its wealthy Gulf allies, giving Iran a foothold to spread its influence in Egypt. In turn, Egypt could gain an avenue to influence the fate of Syria, a key ally of Iran, as well as economic benefits.
 
The Iranian president arrived in Egypt on Tuesday to attend a two-day Islamic summit hosted by Egypt's president, Islamist Mohammed Morsi.
 
Ahmadinejad's visit is the first by an Iranian president in 30 years and he used it to launch a charm offensive to woo Egyptians and their leadership. He offered to extend cash-strapped Egypt a credit line and investments. He said his government intended to lift visa requirements for Egyptian tourists and businessmen and he gave a lengthy interview to state television.

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[Psalm 51:17]

Egypt court orders YouTube blocked for a month

2/9/13

http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-court-orders-youtube-blocked-month-140531389.html

CAIRO (AP) — A Cairo court on Saturday ordered the government to block access to the video-sharing website YouTube for 30 days for carrying an anti-Islam film that caused deadly riots across the world, but the ruling can be appealed and based on precedent may not be enforced.
 
Judge Hassouna Tawfiq ordered YouTube blocked for carrying the film, which he described as "offensive to Islam and the Prophet (Muhammad)." He made the ruling in the Egyptian capital where the first protests against the film erupted last September before spreading to more than 20 countries, killing more than 50 people.
 
The 14-minute trailer for the movie "Innocence of Muslims" portrays Muhammad, chief prophet and central figure of Islam, as a religious fraud, womanizer and ****. It was produced in the United States by an Egyptian-born Christian who's now a U.S. citizen.
 
Egypt's new constitution includes a ban on insulting "religious messengers and prophets." Broadly worded, blasphemy laws also were in effect under former President Hosni Mubarak prior to his ouster in a popular revolt two years ago.

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[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/muslim-brotherhood-want-aide-top-egypt-cleric-151354529.html

Muslim Brotherhood want aide as top Egypt cleric

2/10/13

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood has nominated one of its senior leaders for the influential position of grand mufti, the nation's top cleric, defying critics who accuse the Islamist group of seeking to dominate all institutions.
 
Islamic scholars chaired by the head of the ancient seat of learning, Al-Azhar, are due to pick a new mufti on Monday from a shortlist of three candidates and send their choice to President Mohamed Mursi to approve.
 
The mufti is empowered to issue opinions (fatwas) on any matter, influencing legislation on social and cultural issues, public behavior and court rulings.
 
The selection falls on the second anniversary of the resignation of veteran President Hosni Mubarak, ousted by a pro-democracy uprising. Several organizations have called anti-Mursi protests on the same day.

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[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-islamists-clerics-must-approve-imf-loan-185419887--sector.html

2/12/13

Egypt Islamists say clerics must approve IMF loan

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's main hardline Islamist party says an IMF loan agreement requires the approval of a body of Muslim scholars under the new constitution and it is considering legal action to make sure the government sticks to the law.
 
The case could set a marker on the extent to which clerics will have a say over state affairs according to the Islamist-tinged constitution that was signed into law in December following its approval in a referendum.
 
The Salafist Nour Party says the loan agreement, seen as vital to easing a deep economic crisis, must be approved by a body of senior scholars at Al-Azhar, a religious institution whose new role is embedded in the constitution.
 
Such a challenge could complicate the Muslim Brotherhood-led administration's effort to finalize the International Monetary Fund deal that was tentatively agreed last year but shelved following political unrest in Cairo.

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[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/officials-defend-hiring-egyptian-leaders-son-160857557.html

2/15/13

Officials defend hiring Egyptian leader's son

CAIRO (AP) — The appointment of the Egyptian president's son to a high-paying job at a state-owned company raised accusations on Thursday of nepotism in the country where the unemployment rate hovers at 13 percent and many university graduates are out of work.
 
Egypt's Aviation Minister Wael el-Maadai said hiring newly elected President Mohammed Morsi's son, Omar, was justified, and dismissed accusations of nepotism. The country reeled from pervasive nepotism under the country's former autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak, who was widely believed to be grooming his son for the presidency.

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[Psalm 51:17]

2/18/13

As vote nears, tensions flare among Egypt Islamists

CAIRO (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi's decision to fire a hardline Islamist as an adviser has laid bare rivalries between Egypt's two biggest Islamist groups as parliamentary elections approach.

The sacking of Khaled Alameddin of the Salafi Nour Party on Sunday has led his movement to step up criticism of the Muslim Brotherhood that propelled Mursi to power, narrowing the already slim chances of the two movements working together in the election.

Alameddin broke down in tears during a news conference on Monday, saying he had been accused of abusing power. The presidency has yet to issue a statement on why Alameddin was dismissed.

"I formally demand an apology from the president. I won't accept an apology less than that," Alameddin said. Another of Mursi's advisers from the Nour Party, Bassam El-Zarka, announced his resignation at the news conference, apparently in solidarity with Alameddin.

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[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-passes-electoral-law-paves-way-elections-142332180.html

2/21/13

Egypt passes electoral law, paves way for elections

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Shura Council, the upper house of parliament, adopted on Thursday an electoral law as amended by the Constitutional Court, clearing the way for President Mohamed Mursi to set a date for lower house elections.
 
Mursi is expected to ratify the electoral law by February 25 and announce voting will be held in about two months' time to choose the lower house, which was dissolved last year after the court ruled the original law used to elect it was unfair.
 
The new chamber is likely to have to decide on tough economic measures that the International Monetary Fund is demanding in return for a $4.8 billion loan which Egypt needs to tackle an economic crisis.
 
On Monday the Constitutional Court demanded changes to five articles of the revised electoral law. The Shura Council accepted this ruling and adopted the legislation without a vote.

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[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/divided-egypt-opposition-attacks-mursi-election-call-033353602.html;_ylt=AsAVOcvNOdU4yG5LcZi3WCjNt.d_;_ylu=X3oDMTVxb2c1ZGwwBGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDEwMDBwb29sd2lraXVwcmVzdARtaXQDQXJ0aWNsZSBNaXhlZCBMaXN0IE5ld3MgZm9yIFlvdSB3aXRoIE1vcmUgTGluawRwa2cDYjRkZmIxYTYtMjg2ZS0zNjIzLWIxOWQtYmJhODIxMWM5MGNiBHBvcwMzBHNlYwNuZXdzX2Zvcl95b3UEdmVyAzY1OTQ0ZWQwLTdkZTQtMTFlMi1iY2Y5LWEyMjM0NWRhNGE4YQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNhbWp1MjExBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDODFhZjUwZDgtYmJmOS0zYzVmLWE3N2MtYzAxNzgxMjc3YzBkBHBzdGNhdANwb2xpdGljc3x1LXMtZ292ZXJubWVudARwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2U-;_ylv=3

Egypt parliament election start moved to April 22
Reuters – Sat, Feb 23, 2013.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's parliamentary elections, previously scheduled to begin on April 27, have been brought forward to start on April 22, the presidential spokesman said on his Facebook page on Saturday.
 
Members of Egypt's Coptic Christian minority had criticized the planned timing of the elections because some voting would take place during their Easter holiday.
 
(Reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; editing by David Stamp)

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/court-suspends-egypts-parliament-election-141658081.html

Court suspends Egypt's parliament election
3/6/13

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian administrative court on Wednesday ordered the suspension of parliamentary elections scheduled to begin next month, throwing the country's politics deeper into confusion.
 
The verdict followed over a dozen complaints questioning the legality of the law organizing the elections.
 
Abdel-Meguid el-Muqanen, presiding judge of the administrative court, said that the law must be reviewed by the Supreme Constitutional Court to determine its conformity to the constitution. Meanwhile, he ordered the suspension and annulment of the presidential decree calling for elections.
 
Details of the ruling were not immediately available.
 
The government can appeal the administrative court ruling, but at the least the ruling may cause a delay in the vote. The multi-phase election is due to begin in April 22 and last for nearly two months. The period for candidates to apply was to begin on Saturday, but that likely cannot take place until the legalities are worked out, possibly pushing back the whole process.
 
The ruling further snarls Egypt's political crisis over the divisions between Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and the mainly liberal and secular opposition. Protests against Morsi and his ruling Muslim Brotherhood have shaken the country for months, and the opposition had called for a boycott of the parliamentary vote.
 
"As it stands, we don't have elections, even if temporarily," said Negad Borai, a rights activist. "This reinforces the political crisis."
 
The opposition had opposed the election law, expressing concerns over gerrymandering by the Brotherhood, which dominates the parliament, and complaining it was not consulted before it was drafted.

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[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-cancels-parliamentary-vote-dates-court-ruling-tv-195759218.html
3/7/13
Egypt cancels parliamentary vote dates after court ruling

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's election committee has scrapped a timetable under which voting for the lower house of parliament should have begun next month, state media reported on Thursday, following a court ruling that threw the entire polling process into confusion.
 
Egypt now lies in limbo, with no election dates at a time when uncertainty is taking a heavy toll on the economy - the Egyptian pound is falling, foreign currency reserves are sliding and the budget deficit is soaring to an unmanageable level.
 
The political crisis deepened on Wednesday when the Administrative Court canceled a decree issued by President Mohamed Mursi calling the election.
 
It also returned the electoral law, the subject of feuding between the opposition and Mursi's ruling Islamists, to the Constitutional Court for review.

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[Mark]

Egypt protesters torch buildings, target Suez Canal...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/09/us-egypt-riot-idUSBRE92805G20130309

...headquarters of Muslim Brotherhood defaced
http://www.france24.com/en/20130309-egypts-port-said-simmers-against-ruling-islamists

Protesters burn Christian homes in Pakistan...
http://www.france24.com/en/20130309-protesters-burn-christian-homes-pakistan

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-parliament-draft-law-avoid-election-delay-182640579.html
3/11/13
Egypt parliament to draft new law to avoid election delay

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian parliamentary panel decided on Monday to draw up a new election law, aiming to avoid delays after a court canceled President Mohamed Mursi's decree calling for parliamentary elections in April.
 
The prospect of an election delay raised by the court ruling is something Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist parties wish to avoid as they seek to draw a line under the transition from Hosni Mubarak's rule.
 
The Administrative Court referred the election law to the Supreme Constitutional Court for review, putting the April 22 start date for the four-stage vote into doubt.
 
The decision to write an entirely new law appeared aimed at avoiding a protracted hold-up while the legality of the existing law is examined by the constitutional court.

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[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-stops-screening-film-jewish-community-212238511.html
3/12/13
Egypt stops screening of film on Jewish community

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian security agencies have stopped the screening of a documentary on the Egyptian Jewish community a day before it was due to debut in local cinemas, the film producer said in a statement Tuesday. He said no reasons were given. The "Jews of Egypt", a documentary that follows the lives of the Egyptian Jewish community in the first half of the 20th century until they left under duress in large numbers in the late 1950s, was screened in Egypt last year in a private film festival and had been approved by censorship, a regular procedure in Egypt. Film producer Haytham el-Khamissy said he heard from the chief of the censorship authority that a security agency asked to view the movie before granting it a license to be shown in theaters. "I was shocked when he told me this and when I learned that this had already happened" before the 2012 festival screening, el-Khamissy said in a statement posted on the film's official Facebook page.

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[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/egyptian-laws-arrests-worry-liberals-west-092649447.html
Egyptian laws, arrests worry liberals and the West
4/7/13

CAIRO (Reuters) - The Arab Spring was supposed to bring freedom to Egypt. Instead, concern is growing inside and outside the country that an illiberal wind is blowing the transition from autocracy off course.

Arrest warrants issued by the prosecutor general against activists and a comedian accused of insulting President Mohamed Mursi have hardened opposition fears of a crackdown on dissent by the Muslim Brotherhood-led authorities.

In parliament, Islamist lawmakers are debating draft laws seen by liberals as a threat to civil society and the right to demonstrate - vital elements of a modern democracy.

The United States, which gives Egypt about $1.5 billion in annual aid, directed its sharpest criticism so far at the Islamist-led authorities this week, citing a "disturbing trend of growing restrictions on freedom of expression".

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[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/muslim-brotherhood-leader-pens-bizarre-boston-bombing-note-141823775.html
Muslim Brotherhood Leader Pens Bizarre Boston Bombing Note Pointing to Widespread Conspiracy
4/16/13

Dr. Essam el-Erian, a representative of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, has apparently turned to his Facebook page to put out some confounding commentary about Monday's tragic bombing at the Boston Marathon.

According to an English translation, el-Erian expressed sympathy for the American people, but then purportedly connected the bombings to other incidents that have unfolded in the Middle East of late.

The tone was conspiratorial in nature, as the note connected global events and wondered who is planting Islamophobia. Here's how Foreign Policy's Passport blog frames the message:

A common criticism of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has always been that it delivers one message in English to an international audience, and another message entirely in Arabic to its domestic audience. If anyone is ever looking for an example of this, they need to look no further than the Islamist organization's reaction to the bombing of the Boston Marathon.

In English, the Brotherhood's political party released a statement "categorically reject[ing] as intolerable the bombings committed in the U.S. city of Boston," and "offer[ing] heartfelt sympathies and solemn condolences to the American people and the families of the victims."

In Arabic, senior Brotherhood leader and the vice chairman of the group's political party Essam el-Erian took a different tack. In a post on his Facebook page, he condemned the Boston attack -- but also linked it to the French war in Mali, the destruction in Syria and Iraq, and faltering rapprochement between the Turkish government and Kurdish rebels.

While el-Erian's post starts with condolences, most of its contents are devoted to posing odd questions and pondering who is behind attacks on Islamic states.

"Our sympathy with the families of the victims, and the American people do not stop us from reading into the grave incident," he wrote, launching into a recap of recent violence. "This series of events began with the sending of French battalions to Mali in a war against organisations that are said to belong to Al-Qaeda."


A screen shot from el-Erian's Facebook post

After referencing Mali, the note goes on to discuss Syria, claiming that "bombings intensified" there "in a suspicious manner." And violence, too, it charges, has returned to Iraq.

"Violent explosions returned, rearing their ugly heads again in Iraq, targeting peaceful movements aiming for needed reform," the Muslim Brotherhood leader continued. "After a reasonable calm in Somalia, the capital Mogadishu shook again, leading to lowered confidence in the new president and government."

And he didn't end there. While one might be confused as to what he is alluding to throughout the Facebook post, at the end of his writings it becomes clear: He's looking for someone -- mainly a group -- to blame for what he sees as potentially-coordinated unrest in the Middle East.

"Who disturbed democratic transformations, despite the difficult transition from despotism, corruption, poverty, hatred, and intolerance to freedom, justice tolerance, development, human dignity, and social justice?," el-Erian asked. "Who planted Islamophobia through research, the press, and the media? Who funded the violence?"

It's difficult to tell who the Muslim Brotherhood official is blaming for the unrest. But his claims also caught the attention of The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, who called them "bizarre."

[Kilika]

at the end of his writings it becomes clear: He's looking for someone -- mainly a group -- to blame for what he sees as potentially-coordinated unrest in the Middle East.

"Who disturbed democratic transformations, despite the difficult transition from despotism, corruption, poverty, hatred, and intolerance to freedom, justice tolerance, development, human dignity, and social justice?," el-Erian asked. "Who planted Islamophobia through research, the press, and the media? Who funded the violence?"

Well, this may be an "in your face" type thing, with him knowing "who" is ultimately responsible, or he may be seeing a tad of truth in the matter that there are "other forces" at work in all of this, and it goes far beyond some local political struggle.

Of course he's obliged to support the cause of Islam, as his group sees it anyway, so naturally he'd question why all the resistance to their push in all those countries he named to take over their governments and turn them to total Sharia-enforced Islamic states. So yeah, in that sense, there is a conspiracy when he mentioned, and it's to put a leash on radical Muslims that think they are bigger than who really runs the world. The Father of Lies has no problem with smacking around anybody in the world that gets out of line. That's how the world rolls, eye for an eye.