Morsy angers worshippers in mosque

Magdy Samaan
Egypt Independent

Worshippers at Hassan al-Sharbatly Mosque in New Cairo protested against President Mohamed Morsy while he was attending prayers there Friday, when the imam of the mosque tried to justify the president’s recent decisions.

“Prophet Mohamed and the Caliphs used to dismiss and appoint judges, and there is no problem with Morsy doing that,” the imam said, according to an eyewitness. The imam was referring to Morsy’s dismissal of the prosecutor general, which was deemed a staggering interference of the president in judicial matters.  

But worshippers stopped the imam and protested his likening Morsy to the Prophet.

The atmosphere was charged following the prayers, with some worshippers chanting, “Down with the rule of the supreme guide,” referring to the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsy hails.

Meanwhile, Morsy supporters in the crowd chanted the president’s name.

“The imam made a mistake and the president is to be blamed,” retired professor Hassan Abdel Kader, who was praying close to the president, told Egypt Independent.

“What the imam said angered the people and created a hubbub,” he added. “His sermon was immediately interrupted by angry worshippers.”

The ensuing chaos remained for a few minutes following the prayer. The imam asked people to calm down, saying, “No voice should be louder than the chant of ‘There is no God but Allah.’”

To end the chaos, some people called for prayer. As soon as the prayer ended, “the hubbub returned again, even more strongly,” said Hassan Awad, a retired army general, who attended the prayer.

After the end of the prayer, Morsy took the microphone and talked to the worshippers, assuring them of the independence of the judiciary.

“Morsy contained the protesters smartly, and acknowledged the judges’ rights, but at the same time his decisions are not in line with what he said in the mosque,” said Awad.

Abdel Kader said Morsy asked to talk with some of the protesters, and four young men went to talk with him for about 15 minutes.

“The protesters were more than the supporters," Abdel Kader said.

Adel Ibrahim, a journalist at Al-Ahram state daily, who attended the prayer, said four buses carrying pro-Morsy people came to attend the prayer. A security guard confirmed that. Ibrahim added that worshippers were annoyed before the start of the prayer because of the tight security measures.

الخوف والغضب والاحباط يوحد القوى المدنية

مجدي سمعان

دشنت مليونية "للثورة شعب يحميها" لتوحد القوة السياسية المدنية وأعادت التوازن للمشهد السياسي المنقسم بين التيارين الإسلامي والمدني. وأثمرت الدعوة للاحتجاج على الإعلان الدستوري المكمل الذي أصدره الرئيس الإخواني محمد مرسي عن خروج مئات الآف في ميدان التحرير وميادين معظم المحافظات.

امتلأ ميدان التحرير والشوارع المحيطة بأنصار الدولة المدنية، الذي جمعهم الخوف من اختطاف التيارات الدينية للثورة، والغضب على إعلان مرسي الدستوري، الإحباط من فشل الرئيس في الوفاء بوعوده، واستمرار الخطوط العريضة للنظام العسكري ذو الخطاب الديني.

 كان المشاركون في مليونية الثلاثاء من مختلف الطبقات الإجتماعية، والأعمار، هتف المشاركون: "ياللي بتسال احنا مين، أحنا كل المصريين. رجعنا تاني ومش خايفيين. واللي فاكر نفسه كبير لسه الثورة في التحرير"

شارك تامر القاضي، صاحب شركة انتاج فني، وشريف زكي، ممثل، في المظاهرات منذ يوم الجمعة الماضية، واعتصموا بالميدان الثلاث أيام السابقة على المظاهرة. عادا إلى منزلهما للاستراحة وعندما عاد مساء الثلاثاء، ذهلوا من العدد المشارك: قال القاضي"كنا نخشى بسبب انخفاض عدد المشاركين في الميدان اليومين الماضيين. الوجوه التي أراها اليوم هي نفس الوجوه التي كنا نراه في 25 و و28 يناير"

قال زكي: "سعيد جدا إن الناس لازالت واعية. مبقاش يضحك عليها باسم الإستقرار وعجلة الانتاج" وأضاف: "كانوا يعتقدون أنهم الأغلبية، ويعتقدون أن الأغلبية تعطيهم الحق في أن يفعلوا أي شيء، لكن هذا العدد الضخم الذي خرج اليوم سيعيد التوازن إلى المشهد السياسي"

انطق المتظاهرون من ثلاث نقاط تجمع في تمام الساعة 5 مساءا، حيث شارك في المسيرة التي انطلقت من أمام مسجد مصطفى محمود عشرات الآلاف في مسيرة امتدت لنحو 500 متر، وغلب على المشاركين أعضاء التيار الشعبي الذي يقوده حمدين صباحي، الذي لم يتواجد في بداية المسيرة، وانضم لها لاحقا. بينما تركز أعضاء حزب الدستور في المسيرة التي انطلقت من دوران شبرا، بقيادة الدكتور محمد البرادعي. أما المسيرة الثالثة فقد انطلقت من أمام مسجد الفتح بميدان رمسيس. إلى جانب ذلك صب في ميدان التحرير العديد من المظاهرات الأخري وأهمها مظاهرة المحامين والصحفيين والفنانين.

الهتاف الرئيسي في ميدان التحرير كان ينادي بإسقاط الرئيس، وعاد الهتاف "الشعب يريد اسقاط النظام" وأيضا: "ارحل ارحل" و"بيع بيع .. بيع الثورة يا بديع" إلا أن المطالب التي تتبناها القوى السياسية لم تصل بعد إلى السعي نحو اسقاط الرئيس، وإنما تحقيق المطالب التي تنادي بها القوى المدنية، وعلى رأسها حل الجمعية التأسيسية وتشكيل جمعية متوازنة، ومحاكمة قتلة الشهداء، من بعد الاستجابة للمطلب الرئيسي وهو إلغاء الإعلان الدستوري المكمل، وكل ما ترتب عليه.

وساهمت أزمة الإعلان الدستوري في توحيد قيادة التيار المدني بزعامة محمد البرادعي، رئيس حزب الدستور، ومعه عمرو موسى، رئيس حزب المؤتمر، وحمدين صباحي، زعيم "التيار الشعبي" فقد تم تشكل ما يسمى "جبهة الإنقاذ الوطني" كممثل لحركة التيار المدني وانضمت إليها معظم الأحزاب المدنية الرئيسية.

وانتهى يوم الثلاثاء دون حدوث أي بوادر لإنفراج الأزمة أو مبادرات لحلها، فقد صرح السفير محمد رفاعة الطهطاوي لبرنامج الحياة اليوم" إنه "لا تراجع عن الإعلان الدستوري قيد أنملة" و أعلن حمدين صباحي في المؤتمر الصحفي الذي عقد عقب الاجتماعي الذي عقدته "جبهة الانقاذ الوطني" الإثنين الماضي إنه "لا حوار مع الرئيس إلا بعد إلغاء الإعلان الدستوري". في حين رفض محمد البرادعي في مقابلة نشرتها الاثنين صحيفة المصري اليوم "لا لأي حل وسط" لهذه الازمة.

كانت بوادر الدعوة للانتفاضة ضد مرسي قد بدأت بالفعل وعادت هتافات "يسقط حكم المرشد" لكن مرسي لم ينتظر وأعطى مبررا لانتفاضة الثلاثاء بالإعلان الدستوري الذي كان مفجرا لغضب متراكم. وقد وصف محمود حسين، عضو مكتب الإرشاد لجماعة الإخوان المسلمين، عقب محاضرة ألقاها عن الربيع العربي بمسجد فنسبري بارك، أن مرسي: "تغذي بمعارضية قبل أن يتعشوا به" في حين وصف الدكتور معتز بالله عبد الفتاح، استاذ العلوم السياسية،بأنه "الدكتور مرسى أحرز هدفا فى نفسه"

قالت جميلة محمود، تعمل في مجال الإعلام: "هناك غضب ناتج عن ضياع حقوق الشهداء، يضاف إليها فشل الإدارة، وقمع الحريات، تضاف إلى الأسباب التي قامت الثورة بسببها. كل هذه اسباب للثورة ضد مرسي ومكتب الإرشاد"

لم يكن عصام حنفي، سايس في الساحة المقابلة لمسجد مصطفي محمود، راضيا على المظاهرة، ويرى أنه لا مشكلة في قرارات الرئيس، ويعتبرها "قرارات عادية" "عندما أراد السادات اتخاذ قرار الحرب قام بسجن بعض المعارضين ممن يعطلونه، وبالمثل حينما قرر عمل السلام" وأضاف: "كيف نجري انتخابات مجلس شعب وشورى ثم يأتي قاضي بجرة قلم ويلغي الانتخابات" وتابع"من يتظاهرون يحبون التظاهر ويعترضون على أي شيء، والرئيس يحق له أن يحصن قراراته من راغبي الشهرة الذين يعطلون أي شيء"

وفي ظل الضغوط المتزايدة قررت جماعة الإخوان المسلمين تأجيل المظاهرة التي دعت إليها أمام جامعة القاهرة لتأييد الإعلان الدستوري "حقنا للدماء" كما أعلنت الجماعة في بيان لها، وبالرغم من أن هذا القرار قد لاقى ارتياحا من قبل الكثيرون في ظل تكهنات باحتمال خروج الوضع عن السيطرة وحدوث تصادم بين الطرفين. إلا أن القيادي السابق بجماعة الإخوان المسلمين ثروت الخرباوي رأي أن "تأجيل مليونية الإخوان ليس هدفه حقن الدماء، لكن بسبب عدم قدرتهم على الحشد، إخوان المحافظات رفضوا المشاركة حتى لا يتركوا محافظاتهم فيتم حرق مقراتهم "

قال الدكتور عصام العريان، نائب رئيس الحرية والعدالة، لشبكة سي إن إن، إن الإعلان الدستوري الصادر عن الرئاسة مؤخراً لم ينتج عن حسابات خاطئة، وإنما يهدف إلى «منع إجهاض الثورة»، مشيرا إلى أن عددا كبيرا من الذين يشاركون في الاحتجاجات حالياً من شخصيات «تنتمي لفلول النظام السابق وهي معادية للثورة»، على حد قوله.

بينما يتهم المتظاهرون في ميدان التحرير الإخوان المسلمين بأنهم امتدادا للنظام السابق، ويستشهدون على ذلك بتكريم المشير حسين طنطاوي، وقيادات المجلس العسكري، وتعين وزير داخلية كان مسئولا عن قتل المتظاهرين في شارع محمد محمود. هتف المتظاهرون: "أحلق دقنك بين عارك تلقى وشك وش مبارك"

قال سامر مهدي، رئيس نقابة جمارك السويس، "القرار الأول الذي اتخذه مرسي عقب إصداره للإعلان الدستوري تعديل مادتين في القانون 35  لسنة 1976م المرفوض من النقابات العمالية،" وأضاف: "هذا يشير إلى مسلسل سيطرة الإخوان على كل مرافق مصر، مرسي عدل قانون مرفوض من العمال، ليمكنه من السيطرة على الاتحاد، بينما ضرب بعرض الحائط بمطالب العمال في الحريات النقابية"

القضاة هم أكثر الجهات المضارة من الإعلان الدستوري، حيث كانت غالبية بنودة تتعلق بما يمكن وصفه بالنزاع ما بين السلطة التنفيذية والسلطة التشريعية. وقد أضرب القضاة بنسبة 90% والنيابات بنسبة 100%، وسط تمسك بالموقف الرافض للإعلان الدستوري، الذي يراه القضاة أنه انتهاك صارخ لاستقلال القضاة. الذي يغل يد القضاة في نظر قرارات الرئيس،

وقد فشل اجتماع مرسي بمجلس القضاء الأعلى في التوصل لحل للأزمة، وخرج المتحدث باسم الرئاسة عقب الاجتماع الذي استمر لساعات يوم الاثنين الماضي ليعلن أنه لا تغيير في الإعلان الدستوري. ومن جانبها ترفض التيارات السياسية المدنية الحوار مع الرئيس قبل إلغاء الإعلان الدستوري، ثم التفاوض على صيغة توافقية لحل المشاكل الخلافية التي تدور حول الدستور الجديد.

ويتواصل الإعتصام بميدان التحرير في ظل دعوة لمليونية جديدة يوم الجمعة الماضية. بينما عادت جماعة الإخوان المسلمين إلى الدعوة إلى مظاهرة يوم السبت لتأييد الإعلان الدستوري، وفي ظل اعتصام القوى المدنية بالميدان، فالوضع مرشح لصدام ما لم تتراجع جماعة الإخوان المسلمين عن قرارها أو تغير مكان التظاهرة.

Opposition unites in 'state of fury'

Virginie Nguyen

Magdy Samaan

Egypt Independent

Wed, 28/11/2012

Tens of thousands converged in Tahrir Square Tuesday for a show of force that promised to unite secular political powers and restore some of the balance recently lost to Islamists. The call to protest against President Mohamed Morsy's constitutional declaration was clear: "The revolution has a nation to protect. "

Cries of "The people want to bring down the regime" echoed once again throughout the square, although the most commonly voiced demands were more practical. Participants want a new, more balanced Constituent Assembly, the trial of those responsible for protester deaths and, most importantly, the abrogation of the declaration.

Morsy provoked outrage Thursday when he put himself above judicial review until a new Parliament is in place, extended the Constituent Assembly's mandate two additional months and protected it and the Shura Council from dissolution.   

Following initial protests against the decision Friday, protesters of all ages came together again Tuesday. Motivated by fear for the revolution and their rights, they pushed back against Morsy's autocratic decision and inaction on campaign promises, as well as military and religious domination of political affairs.

"A state of fury has been provoked by the loss of the rights of the martyrs, the failure to manage state affairs and the suppression of freedoms," said Gamila Mahmoud, who works in media.

Tamer al-Qady, the owner of an art production company, and actor Sherif Zaki had been in Tahrir since Friday. When they went home for a break and returned Tuesday afternoon, they said they were surprised and encouraged by the turnout.

"I am very happy that the people are still showing awareness. They no longer buy into the talk about stability and the [economic] production wheel," says Zaki. "They thought they were the majority and they believe that having the support of the majority gives them the right to do anything."

Zaki says protester numbers are proof balance is being restored.

Those numbers were aided by marches pouring into the square in the evening. Thousands of mostly Popular Current members marched from Mostafa Mahmoud Mosque and were later joined by Hamdeen Sabbahi, the group's leader.  Activist Mohamed ElBaradei led the Constitution Party from Dawaran Shubra. A third group of protesters came from Al-Fateh Mosque in Ramses Square and lawyers, journalists and actors also staged other marches.

Opposition forces have been fractured and disorganized since presidential elections, but there is evidence they are beginning to reunite. Civilian leaders such as ElBaradei, Sabbahi and former presidential candidate Amr Moussa have joined forces with their respective parties to form the National Salvation Front.

 "We will not have a dialogue with the president until he cancels the constitutional declaration," Sabbahi said Monday during a press conference for the front.  

Elbaradei, in an interview published Monday in Al-Masry al-Youm, said, "I lived my whole life believing in the importance of dialogue and working to find middle ground in diplomatic crises, but there are no compromises on principles."

He called on the international community to take action over Morsy's power play.

Standing their ground

With the chief public prosecutor removed and judges on strike to protect the judiciary's independence, the president's office initially signaled it would work toward compromise.

After a failed meeting with judges earlier in the week, however,  its rhetoric lately has suggested an unwillingness to backtrack.

The political leadership is not retreating "one iota" on the declaration, the president's chief of staff, Mohamed Refaa al-Tahtawi, told Al-Hayat 2 satellite channel Tuesday evening. 

Morsy's supporters have been equally firm in their stance.

"Morsy has pre-empted the opposition," Mahmoud Hussein, a member of the Brotherhood's Guidance Bureau, said after delivering a lecture at the Finsbury Park Mosque in London.

Parking attendant Essam Hanafy says Morsy's decisions are "normal," and that previous presidents have imprisoned their opponents to protect their decisions.

"Those protesting love revolt and will oppose anything. The president has the right to immunize his decisions against those who want fame and hamper everything."

Essam al-Erian, vice president of the Freedom and Justice Party, told CNN that the constitutional declaration was not a miscalculated step. It is intended to protect the revolution, he said,  claiming that many of those taking part in ongoing protests are “counter-revolutionary feloul.”

Civilian political powers says the abolition of the constitutional declaration is a precondition for engaging in dialogue with Morsy. They also say a consensus needs to be reached on controversial items in the new constitution. 

Amid calls for another mass protest Friday and the ongoing Tahrir sit-in, neither side appears ready for appeasement.

Egypt’s hopes betrayed

 By Telegraph View

7:34AM BST 25 Jun 2012

Telegraph View: the liberal, secularist dream of Egypt's revolution has been betrayed by the army and Islamists.

Pity those liberal, secularist Egyptians who drove the revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak 16 months ago. Like a nut, they have been cracked between the military, who have dominated the country for the past 60 years, and the Muslim Brotherhood, who claim to be moderate, but whose ultimate goal remains the imposition of sharia.

Yesterday’s announcement of Mohammed Morsi’s victory in the presidential election results from a deal between the Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood’s political arm, and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Under it, the military will control internal security, defence and foreign policy, leaving domestic matters largely in Mr Morsi’s hands. For the moderates, this means the threat of repression on one hand and Islamicisation on the other.

At least the Brotherhood have a legitimate claim to power, after winning both parliamentary and presidential elections. By contrast, the military – in conjunction with the supreme court – has done all it can to retain its authority. On June 14, the court ruled that the electoral law was unconstitutional and that parliament, elected last year, should be dissolved. The SCAF then arrogated to themselves the right to legislate, and to select the body producing the new constitution.

The best that can be expected is that the rival ambitions of the two sides will ensure mutual constraint. But the reversal of the timetable for democratic transition by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is more likely to produce bitter frustration and possibly chaos, with competing centres of power strangling desperately needed attempts to revive Egypt’s economy. Whatever happens, the hopes raised by those heady weeks in Tahrir Square have been cruelly betrayed.

Update: Tahrir full as protesters reject Morsy declaration

Egypt Independent

Al-Masry Al-Youm

Heba Afify

Magdy Samaan

Wed, 28/11/2012

Tahrir Square was full after marches arrived from different Cairo neighborhoods Tuesday for a demonstration against President Mohamed Morsy’s 22 November constitutional declaration.

Dozens of parties and civil society groups had called for the protests after Morsy’s declaration last Thursday significantly expanded his powers and declared the Constituent Assembly and Shura Council immune from judicial review.

A march organized by the Tagammu Party arrived in Tahrir from Talaat Harb Street. Party members as well as members of the Socialist Youth Union and other revolutionary forces raised party flags and photos of martyrs. The march was led by Sayed Abdel Aal, the Tagammu Party secretary general, and party leaders Salah Saad and Nabil Atrees.

“We came today for Egypt and its future, as [the declaration] is a violation against citizens. We tell the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt will not be yours and you will not be able to control it,” Abdel Aal told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

A march from Cairo University consisting of hundreds of students arrived in the square on Tuesday evening.

Protesters from Helwan and Ain Shams universities had gathered at Cairo University, chanting against Morsy, the Brotherhood, the Constituent Assembly and the recently-issued constitutional declaration. They formed a human chain along the side of the road in an effort to keep traffic moving smootly.

“Students say: we do not want remnants,” “Gaber Jika is dead and the president is responsible,” and “Kill us, no matter what, your tyranny will not affect us,” they chanted. They also carried banners reading, “No to the Brothers’ thuggery” and “Down with the supreme guide’s rule.”

Former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi led a march of thousands from Mostafa Mahmoud Mosque in Mohandiseen to the square earlier Tuesday evening.

A number of public figures including director Khaled Youssef, actress Athar al-Hakeem and producer Gamal al-Adl participated in the march, along with liberal political parties. Former MP Kamal Abu Eita, head of the independent Tax Authority workers union, also took part.

“The Muslim Brotherhood claim that they are the majority, but today we have learned that they are a minority,” protester Gamal Ahmed Ali said.

A military officer participating in the demonstrations, Brigadier General Helmy Farag, commented, “The president succeeded in one thing — he unified the divided civilian powers for the first time.”

“The people paid the price, and we are not accepting dictatorship again,” Enas Youssef, a professor at Cairo University’s faculty of mass communications, said. “The Brotherhood wants the same benefits as the formerly ruling National Democratic Party.”  

Tareq Heikel, a researcher with the National Research Center, said he was against the protest, but went to the square to watch. “If they want the fall of the president, then I assure you that Egypt will never have a president, whether he is elected or not.”

“If the opposition doesn’t like the elected president’s policies or decisions so they call for his fall, then the other side will do the same,” he explained.

A march that began in the Shubra neighborhood north of Cairo, led by former presidential candidate Khaled Ali, arrived in the square late Tuesday afternoon. Earlier news reports had said that Constitution Party leader Mohamed ElBaradei would lead the march.

The classic chants of the revolution came in loud roars, with protesters shouting, “The people want to bring down the regime,” as well as newer slogans such as, “Bread, freedom, down with Constituent Assembly.”

Several political parties also participated in the Shubra march, including the Free Egyptians party, the Social Democratic Party, the Adl Party, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, and the Revolutionary Socialists Movement.

As he watched the march pass, one passer-by said, “It’s over. Tahrir is already full; Morsy will fall tonight.”

Protesters stressed that their large numbers prove false the Brotherhood’s claim that they represent the majority, chanting, “They said we’re a minority, we showed them a million-man march.”

Dozens of engineers belonging to the independent engineers union also marched from the union’s headquarters to Tahrir, demanding the cancellation of Morsy’s decree and the withdrawal of engineering sector representatives from the Constituent Assembly.

The engineers chanted against the Muslim Brotherhood and its Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie, while raising banners supporting the judiciary and rejecting the declaration.

Former Engineers Syndicate head candidate Tareq al-Nabarawy told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Egyptian engineers reject the declaration. He added that the Brotherhood-majority Engineers Syndicate council statement supporting the declaration was “a lie and forgery of the engineers’ will.”

Another march against the declaration composed of hundreds of Tourism Support Coalition members headed to Tahrir from the Hilton Ramses Hotel, with protesters chanting, “Bread, freedom, bringing down the Constituent Assembly.”

Coalition coordinator Ehab Moussa said, “Morsy’s latest decisions harm the tourism sector and investments in Egypt. Investors will run away after their trust in the Egyptian judiciary is shaken.”

Hundreds of political forces including the April 6 Youth Movement, the Constitution Party and the Tagammu Party gathered Tuesday evening outside the Fatah Mosque to begin marching to Tahrir. Protesters raised flags for their political parties and banners rejecting the constitutional declaration.

Free Egyptians Party secretary general in Ain Shams Mohamed al-Koumy said the march calls on Morsy to cancel the declaration. “We will bring down the regime if he does not respond. We will stage a sit-in, then announce a general strike.”

"We brought Mubarak's regime down in 18 days and we will knock Morsy and his group over in less than that."

Meanwhile, a protester was reported dead Tuesday. Talaat Fahmy said Fatehy Gharib, 60, from Matareya, died in a downtown hospital of teargas exposure.

“The security forces threw tear gas near the Socialist Popular Alliance Party’s tent in front of the Mugamma, after which Fatehy fainted,” Fahmy told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

“Fatehy was transferred to the intensive care unit at Helal Hospital where his death was announced 15 minutes later,” Fahmy said. “They killed him with tear gas. I am on my way to the hospital and lawyers are on their way to submit a complaint about the incident.”

The marches from neighborhoods throughout Cairo join thousands of protesters already in the square, chanting, “The people demand the fall of the regime,” “Down with the [Brotherhood] Supreme Guide’s rule” and “Mohamed Morsy is Mubarak.”

University students and retired officers were also present in the square, and a Wafd Party march led by party head Al-Sayed al-Badawy had set off from its headquarters towards Tahrir.

“The constitutional declaration is an assault on statehood and the rule of law,” said Mohamed Shaaban, a lawyer. “The president is seeking seize all powers, but the people will not remain silent until he moves back.”

Dozens of students affiliated with political parties also marched from Ain Shams University to the Tahrir protests, raising banners reading, “No to the new constitutional declaration.” Some students said they would take the metro to join a march staged from Cairo University.

Meanwhile, dozens of Muslim Brotherhood students distributed statements at Ain Shams University reading, “The main goal of the recent constitutional declaration is Egyptians’ interests, in order to hold retrials of protesters’ killers and allocate pensions to the injured and martyrs, as part of their rights.”

الإخوان المرتبكون

مش هنترشح للانتخابات الرئاسية # اترشحوا

مش هنافس على الأغلبية في مجلس الشعب # نافسوا على الأغلبية

يعارضوا وثيقة السلمي بسبب المادة التاسعة اللي بتدي صلاحيات للمجلس العسكري # حطوا هما المادة بإيدهم في الدستور، وطلعوا قوانين وهما في مجلس الشعب وسعت من صلاحيات العسكر.

يؤيدون حكومة الجنزوري ثم يطالبون بعد شهر واحد بإقالتها، وبعد كدة يكرموا الجنزوري

يروحوا يقعدوا مع عمر سليمان بعد كدة يطلعوا قانون مخصوص علشان ميقدرش إنه يرشح نفسه 

ويجي مرسي ويستمر الارتباك

يقعد مع مثقفين أمن الدولة والمخابرات "مجموعة فيرمونت" ويوعدهم إنه هيعيد تشكيل التأسيسية ويشكل حكومة ائتلافية، و ، و ، ويقولهم أنا موعدتش بحاجة

مشروع النهضة دة برنامج متكامل ، في 200 مليار موجودة على الرف وطائر النهضة سيحلق  # طلع إن مفيش برنامج ولا ديولو

يقيل طنطاوي ويديه وسام النيل أعلى وسام شرف وهو مجرم زي مبارك

يصدر قرار بعودة مجلس الشعب بعد كدة يتراجع قدام القضاء

يحاول يمشي النائب العام وبعد كدة يتراجع

ممكن نشارك في مليونية تطبيق الشريعة، طيب أجلوها اسبوع، خلاص هنشارك أهو أهو، ولا أقولكم ضحكنا عليكم مش هنشارك، ويطلع أنهم شاركوا متخفيين

هنظم مليونية في ميدان عابدين لا قدام جامعة القاهرة ولا نقولكم بلااااااش الطيب أحسن

في السياسة ممكن المناورة والمرونة في القرارات بس اللي سبق دة ارتباك، ورعونة لا يؤمتن صاحبها على مسئولية قيادة شعب

War over Nile River water between Egypt and Ethiopia?

Mohammad Awad | 26 November 2012

ADDIS ABABA: War over the Nile River? It seems that every few weeks, commentary is published suggesting that Egypt and Ethiopia are ready for military battles over the future of the Nile River.

This week, Robele Ababya wrote a piece titled “Likely war over the Blue Nile River?” that highlighted the growing concern in Ethiopia over the future of Egypt’s tenuous democracy that has seen massive unrest in recent days.

Ababya wrote: “The matter is so serious that I gave it a rather scary title after a lot of soul-searching, but the arrogant stance of prominent Egyptian leaders begged for it as mentioned in the paragraph below – notwithstanding my long held dream that democratic Ethiopia and Egypt will one day emerge as powerful allies working together as keepers of stability and engines of economic growth in the region and beyond in the African continent.”

Ababya added that with the ongoing turmoil in Egypt and the uncertainty over their ability to reach compromises, the future relations with Ethiopia, despite an optimistic tinge, are not looking positive.

“But the new Egyptian regime appears to have dimmed any hope of engendering a secular democratic state given that liberal democratic political forces that have spearheaded the Egyptian revolution have withdrawn from drafting the constitution. It seems the government is bent on following in the footsteps of its predecessors,” Ababya continued.

That precedent does not engender a warm feeling in many Ethiopians, who have seen decades of Egyptian obstinate behavior over Nile water. Now, with the government in Cairo teetering on collapse, Ethiopia remains concerned over the future of what the government and its people believe is a right to water resources.

Ethiopia and Egypt have been butting heads for some time over water resources and who has a right to the Nile River.

With the first-ever Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) report on the status of the Nile River published last month, the situation between Egypt and Ethiopia and the angst between the two foes finally has some statistics and analysis to deal with. However, it is unlikely to see any changes in the current policies that have both countries eying future water resources along the world’s longest river.

Top Ethiopia government officials have told Bikyamasr.com that they are looking at jumpstarting the massive Renaissance Dam project along the Nile River in an effort to increase water resources and energy for the East African country.

The moves could threaten the regional stability after the Egyptian government said it remained “concerned” over Ethiopia’s actions along the Nile River.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also called on Addis Ababa to push the dam project to the backburner in order to focus on other economic initiatives.

While Cairo has denied any intention of attacking the dam, as reported by whistleblower website Wikileaks, the country’s Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Bahaa el-Din said last month that his country was maintaining its concerns about the construction of the Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia.

He did say that officials at the Ethiopia foreign ministry “assured Egypt and Sudan that in case there was any impact on their water quota to the dam, other projects will be carried out to collect lost water and cover shortages.”

It is the latest in the ongoing battle for the world’s largest river’s water, with Egypt and Sudan continuing to remain obstinate in amending any of the colonial treaties that guarantee their countries with a lion’s share of water from the Nile.

Wikileaks released documents this month that revealed Egypt and Sudan had been planning to attack an Ethiopian dam project to “protect” their rights over Nile water based on colonial era treaties.

In documents revealed by Wikileaks, the Egyptian and Sudanese government appeared ready to develop a launching pad for an attack by Egypt against the dam.

Wikileaks has leaked files allegedly from the Texas-based global intelligence company, Stratfor, which quote an anonymous “high-level Egyptian source,” which reported that the Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon said in 2010 that Egypt “would do anything to prevent the secession of South Sudan because of the political implications it will have for Egypt’s access to the Nile.”

Ethiopia’s massive dam project has seen much concern from Cairo and Khartoum, who fear the establishment of Africa’s largest dam would affect previous colonial deals on Nile water-sharing.

It is to be built some 40 kilometers upstream from Sudan on the Blue Nile.

But even before the official announcement of Ethiopia’s prime minister’s passing on August 20, Egyptian officials told Bikyamasr.com that they believed a post-Meles region could bring forth new negotiations and compromise over Nile water.

An Egyptian ministry of water and irrigation told Bikyamasr.com last month, two weeks before Zenawi was pronounced dead, that with the combination of Egypt’s new President Morsi and the potential of seeing a new leader in Ethiopia, they hoped the tension over Nile River water could be resolved.

“While this can in no way be official policy at this point, I believe that there would be more maneuvering with a new leadership in Ethiopia because there would be the ability to communicate and not be seen as antagonistic,” the official said, adding that they were not authorized to speak to the media.

“Let us be frank about the situation between Egypt and other Nile countries,” the official continued. “We in Egypt have not been the best at compromise so I think overall, there is so much that can be done to help bring countries together, and Ethiopia has been a leader in its criticism of Egypt so starting there would be good.”

With the Nile comes a new set of issues, and with Egypt holding onto a lion’s share of water from the world’s largest river, upstream countries such as Ethiopia have taken it on their own to begin building dams and other water related endeavors, much to the anger of Cairo.

However, officials hope that solutions can be had in the new post-revolution Egypt that could see the growing tension between countries along the Nile reduce.

“While Egypt never wants to mingle in another country’s affairs, a new leadership in Ethiopia would go a long way to changing how things are run, just like it has in Egypt,” the official added.

رسالة إلى الجبهة الوطنية للانقاذ

العامل الحاسم في مليونيات الثلاثاء المقبل سيكون في قدرة كل تيار على الحشد. الغاضبين من حكم الإخوان يمكن أن يملؤا ليس فقط ميدان التحرير وإنما كل ميادين مصر. وما اتخوف منه هو عدم تركيز الداعين لمليونية "الانقاذ الوطني" الثلاثاء المقبل على عنصر التنظيم، وخروج اليوم بشكل فوضوي كالعادة، وتشتت المطالب، والاعتماد فقط على الهتافات، ومع أن الهتاف مهم لكن من الضروري التركيز الشديد على عنصر التنظيم وتوظيف الإمكانيات حتى يكون التباين بين الفصيلين واضح، فيعرض كلا خطابه وما يملك.. من يريدون تأميم مصر وتحويلها إلى دولة تستمد من الماضي نموذجا، ومن يحلمون بأن تلحق مصر بالمستقبل!

إن من تصدوا للدعوة للمليونية "جبهة الأنقاذ الوطني" عليهم مسئولية، وعدم خروج اليوم بشكل منظم سيخذل ملايين من الذين يضعون يدهم على قلوبهم خوفا من فشل الحركة وابتلاع طيور الظلام للبلد.

ومن خلال معرفتنا بسلبيات المليونيات السابقة أقدم بعض المقترحات للقائمين على تنظيم المليونية، أرجو أن تصل إليها ويضعوها في الحسبان.

·        انشاء منصة واحدة، وشاشات عرض ضخمة تغطي كل الميدان. (يمكن الاستعانة بأحد الشركات المتخصصة في انشاء منصات مجهزة)

·        تحديد موعد لإلقاء الكلمات الرئيسية حتى يتم تركيز أكبر حشد في تلك الفترة، ولتكن لمدة ساعتين.

·        أن تعطي الكلمة فقط لشخصيات ممن يمكن تسميتهم وكلاء شعبيين أي يعبرون عن أكبر عدد ممكن، ويمكن اقتصار كلمة السياسيين على البرادعي، عمرو موسى، حمدين صباحي، كممثلين للتيار المدني، إضافة إلى شخصيات أخرى بحكم منصبها مثل نقيب المحامين، وممثلا عن الصحفيين، وممثل عن القضاة، وليكن المستشار أشرف زهران، ممثل تيار الإستقلال، وممثلا عن العمال وممثل عن الفلاحين، وممثل عن الشباب والمرأة والأقباط.

·        دعوة عدد من مشاهير المجتمع المدني، مثل الفنانين والأدباء، فهم رصيد التيار المدني في مواجهة فاشية الدولة الدينية وإن لم يتكلموا الآن ويساندوا الحركة السياسية فمتى يتحدثون، وأقترح دعوة محمد منير وأحمد حلمي.

·        سيراهن الإخوان على إشاعة جو من الخوف بين الناس العاديين لتقليل العدد، لذا فمن المهم طمأنة الناس، فمن المستبعد نهائيا أن يقدم الإخوان على الاحتكاك بالمتظاهرين، فهم أضعف من ذلك بمراحل. ونحتاج إلى أن يتم التوجه إلى الشباب في شارع محمد محمود لإيقاف الاشتباك مع الشرطة أثناء المليونية حتى لا يكون هناك أي زريعة للعنف، ولطمأنة المواطنين العاديين للمشاركة.

إن من تصدى لتمثيل التيار المدني سياسيا يحمل أمانة أحلام ومخاوف شعب، وهذه مسئولية، والتقصير في بذل كل جهد فيه خيانة للأمانة.

مجدي سمعان

A politicized papacy: Analysts look at new pope's political agenda

By Magdy Samaan 

Egypt Independent

Newly ordained Pope Tawadros II's first meeting took place on Tuesday with figures from the leftist Popular Current led by former presidential candidateHamdeen Sabbahi.

The meeting lasted approximately 90 minutes, a sign that relations may be developing and further fuelling speculation about the Church's political position under its new leadership. 

Among the subjects the pope discussed with Sabbahi were normalization with Israel and Coptic visits to Jerusalem. The answers the new pope gave the delegation showed him to be following in the footsteps of former Pope Shenouda, who banned Copts from visiting Jerusalem as long as it remained under Israeli occupation.

On several occasions, Tawadros — like Shenouda — has said he would only allow Copts to visit Jerusalem with their fellow Egyptian Muslims when the land is liberated.

Tawadros said that Coptic visits to Jerusalem would constitute treachery to the nation, even though the Palestinian Fatah movement which controls the West Bank appeals to Arabs to visit Jerusalem and the West Bank. The radical Islamist Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, on the other hand, applauded the pope’s position, describing it as “patriotic and honorable.”

Abdallah al-Sennawi, editor-in-chief of the independent al-Arabi al-Nasseri newspaper, who was also part of the Popular Current delegation who met with the pope, confirmed Tawadros' opposition to normalization with Israel.

“I am sure that Pope Tawadros will follow in the footsteps of Shenouda with regards to rejecting normalization," he says.

Sennawy had just written a column for the privately-owned Al-Shorouk newspaper explaining the possible pan-Arab political inclinations of the new pope, basing his analysis on Tawadros' activities while a university student.

While the anti-normalization stance is popular in Egypt, Kamal Zakher Moussa, coordinator for the Secular Copts Current, believes that the pope’s opinion on normalization represents a political rather than a patriotic stance, since there are others who do not object to normalization, he says.

Priest Ikram Lamie, spokesperson for the Evangelical Church, says the pope should have emphasized that his opinion on Copts visits to Jerusalem is that of the Coptic Church and that other figures are free to have different views.

“We’re not a herd of cattle. Each of us has an opinion, particularly when it comes to politics,” he goes on. “If people are free to choose their faith, how come they’re not allowed to have political freedom?”

Lamie explains that a number of Copts had been critical of Shenouda's anti-normalization position, which is being upheld by Tawadros.

But beyond his anti-normalization rhetoric and even though he has portrayed it as a spiritual choice rather than a political one, Tawadros' appointment is loaded with politics.

For one, his ordination ceremony on Sunday was an illustration of the on-going political polarization between religious and civil camps in Egypt.

Some Salafis issued a fatwa prohibiting attendance of the Coptic ceremony, leading to only nominal representation of Islamists.

Meanwhile, most leading civil and secular leadership figures were present. They were received with a warm welcome and greeted with enthusiastic applause. President Mohamed Morsy’s name did not get as much applause from the predominantly Coptic audience, nor did Prime Minister Hesham Qandil, who arrived late and left before the end of the ceremony.

Pro-democracy leader Mohamed ElBaradei earned the most animated applause, followed by former presidential candidates Amr Moussa and Sabbahi.

The figures who were so warmly received by Church officials are the very same opposition figures who were given a rather cold shoulder by the Church under the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak, out of fear that associating with them would antagonize the regime.

Morsy did not attend the ceremony, although he had said that he would come if invited. The Coptic Church says it invited Morsy but Sennawy thinks he chose not to go in order to appease Salafis.

“Morsy should have attended the ceremony because he is a Muslim Brotherhood member. He wasted an opportunity,” Sennawy says.

The presence of Abdel Rahman Abdel Barr, a member of the Brotherhood’s Guidance Bureau, failed to leave a positive impression on Copts. Abdel Barr remained seated while the remaining audience stood up during the prayers. In response to Salafi fatwas that prohibited participation in the event, he had issued a fatwa in which he said that attending Coptic celebrations is a gesture of compassion that Islam advocates.

The ordination of the new pope came one day ahead of the withdrawal of representatives of Egypt’s churches and other civil powers from the Constituent Assembly.

The new pope described Article 220 of the new constitution stating that “The principles of Islamic Sharia shall include full evidence, orthodox and jurisprudent rules, and sources approved by schools of the Sunnis and the community” as “catastrophic.”

Ameen Iskandar, Karama Party chief and a member of the Popular Current, said the coming stage of the relationship between the Coptic Church and the Brotherhood leadership will be characterized by what he termed “rough diplomacy.”