Just over two years ago I remember watching Al Jazeera with complete and utter amazement as for days upon days countless millions flocked to Tahir square and dozens of other public squares and streets across the country to demand the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the end of political repression, corruption and the implementation of a fair and equal democratic system. In the aftermath of this revolution I was quite optimistic, as despite the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) tight control over the country in the immediate aftermath, a suitable road map for elections had been planned and the will of the people would've easily toppled any attempt to establish military control of the country in the long-term.
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| Protesters in 2011 |
Personally I am naturally biased against any role of organised religion in the political sphere, so what concerned me more was the rise of politicised religion under the newly formed Al-Nour and the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP). It was these parties who aided by their prevalence in the revolution or foreign support came to quickly sweep the 2011 Parliamentary elections with Mohamed Morsi and the FJP winning the 2012 Presidential Election. It was from this point that concern over the future of Egypt and the integrity of the revolution started to form in my head. On the 12th of August 2012 President Morsi announced that he would annul a constitutional amendment made by SCAF that limited the power of the Presidents office and made him liable to judicial oversight. It was this declarations that initiated the first of many protests against his regime and led to the President going back on his decree.[1] [2]. In addition to these decrees the President also authorised a declaration that authorised him to "take any measures necessary to protect the revolution." with Mohammed ElBaradei tweeting that Morsi had "usurped all powers and appointed himself Egypt's new Pharaoh. [3]
Despite waves of popular protest against his leadership in 2012 President Morsi continued approving a number of decisions that made him increasingly unpopular with the opposition, judiciary and military. One of these acts was the appointment of Gamaa Islmiya as governor of Luxor, a hard-liner with connections with the terrorist organisation that was responsible for the death of 56 tourists in 1997 something that sparked fears it could negatively affect tourism in the region.[4]. President Morsi was then seen on Egyptian State TV taking part in prayers with a cleric who spoke of "dealing with the jews and their supporters."[4]
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| Egyptian helicopters fly over anti-government protesters |
It was these attempts to subvert the revolution, corruption, fuel shortages and the continued poor state of the Egyptian economy that led to the recent protests that caused the eventual downfall of President Morsi. It has been said by supporters of the now deposed President that this movement is a coup against the legitimate government of Egypt and that because Morsi was elected with the support of 51% of the electorate he should remain in power and actually be reinstated by the military. Sadly for the deposed Presidents supporters democracy does not cease to exist afer the ballot box and the deadline that was carried out by the armed forces several weeks ago was on the behest of the 22 million Egyptians that signed the petition calling for the President to step down.[6] As for the concerns and complaints of the Muslim Brotherhood and their political wing the Freedom and Justice Party, a 'legitimate' leader loses legitimacy when he cannot guarantee the confidence and support of his/her population, something that Morsi no longer commands in abundance.
In my opinion what Egpyt needs is a period of calm interim rule followed by a stable democratically elected government that listens to the concerns of all the citizens, even those who voted against him/her. Any future government needs to be mindful of its populace and ensure that aims of the revolution, free speech, democracy and anti-corruption are taken into account. I'll wait and see what Egypt has in store in the coming months however this time I hope my optimism is well placed
1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/08/morsi-annuls-decree_n_2264623.html
2. http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/12/09/254059.html
3. https://twitter.com/ElBaradei/status/271656968341581824
4. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/17/morsi-appoints-islamist-governor-luxor
5. http://www.jewishpress.com/news/morsi-appears-religiously-fervent-in-prayer-to-destroy-jews/2012/10/22/
6. http://www.france24.com/en/20130629-22-million-sign-anti-morsi-petition-egypt
