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  1. #1
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    17 dead, hundreds wounded as post-coup violence erupts in Egypt

    17 dead, hundreds wounded as post-coup violence erupts in Egypt

    By Ben Wedeman. Chelsea J. Carter and Tom Watkins, CNN
    updated 5:24 PM EDT, Fri July 5, 2013

    Supporters and opponents of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy clash in Cairo near Maspero, where Egypt's state TV and radio station is located, on Friday, July 5. Fighting erupted Friday night between hundreds of protesters, with the two sides facing off on a bridge, raising fears of widening violence after the military ousted the country's first democratically elected president. View photos of protests that erupted before the coup.
    Morsy supporters hold up their bloodstained hands after Egypt's armed forces opened fire on rally in front of the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo on July 5.
    Morsy supporters carry a man who was shot during clashes next to the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo on July 5. State broadcaster Nile TV said a number of those backing the deposed leader were wounded as they tried to storm the headquarters, where Morsy reportedly was being held.
    A wounded man is helped following the gun battle outside the headquarters of the Republican Guard on July 5.
    Egyptians hold portraits of Gen. Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi reading "Come down, Sisi" as they gather in Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square on July 5.
    Morsy supporters react to an explosion during clashes with police officers on July 5 outside Cairo University in Giza.
    Egyptian Army soldiers stand guard at the Cairo headquarters of the Republican Guard on July 5 as an Apache attack helicopter flies overhead.
    Morsy supporters pray near the University of Cairo in Giza on July 5.
    A man prays on July 5 before the protest near the University of Cairo.
    Protesters take cover from tear gas during clashes outside the headquarters of the Republican Guard in Cairo on July 5.
    A military helicopter flies by Egypt's Presidential Palace in Cairo on July 5.
    Egyptians watch fireworks in Tahrir Square on Thursday, July 4, the day after Morsy's ouster.
    People dance and cheer in the streets of Cairo on July 4.
    A government supporter holds a poster of Morsy during a July 4 rally in Nasr City.
    A massive crowd gathers in Tahrir Square on July 4.
    Egyptians cheer and wave national flags as airplanes fly above Tahrir Square on July 4, leaving a trail of smoke in the colors of the national flag.
    A woman uses a mobile phone to record the July 4 celebrations in Tahrir Square.
    An opposition protester chants slogans against Morsy near Cairo University, where Muslim Brotherhood supporters gathered on July 4 to show support for the ousted president.
    A man holds a newspaper near Mesaha Square in Cairo on July 4.
    Dejected Morsy supporters attend a rally in Nasr City on July 4.
    A Morsy supporter shows his bloodied shirt during a July 4 rally near the University of Cairo.
    A young Egyptian boy shoots off fireworks during celebrations in Tahrir Square on July 4.
    People walk by a pile of Egyptian flags for sale in Tahrir Square on July 4.
    Crowds throng Tahrir Square on July 4.
    Egyptian soldiers deploy near Cairo University on July 4.
    People dance and cheer at Tahrir Square in Cairo on July 4.
    Adly Mansour, center, stands after delivering a speech during his swearing-in ceremony as Egypt's interim president in the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo on July 4. Mansour has served as the head of the country's Supreme Constitutional Court.
    Armored vehicles with the Egyptian army sit at a checkpoint in the Cairo district of Nasr City on July 4.
    A Morsy supporter reacts as a military helicopter flies over during a July 4 rally in Nasr City.
    A boy with face paint the color of the Egyptian flag pauses on July 4 in Tahrir Square.
    A pedestrian shakes hands with a member of the military at a roadblock in Giza.
    Security personnel rest on July 4 in Tahrir Square.
    A man walks to Tahrir Square on July 4.
    A family sleeps on a bridge near Tahrir Square on July 4.
    A member of the Egyptian military redirects traffic on July 4 at a roadblock in Giza.
    Bread is sold near Tahrir Square on July 4.
    An Egyptian military member guards a roadblock in Giza on July 4.


    STORY HIGHLIGHTS

    • NEW: Egyptian soldiers stop CNN's Ben Wedeman from reporting, seize camera
    • At least 17 people were killed Friday across Egypt, state-run media says
    • The Freedom and Justice Party says 5 dead outside Republican Guard headquarters
    • Egyptian police and army personnel are attacked in the Sinai Peninsula



    CNN's Ben Wedeman, Reza Sayah, Ian Lee, Becky Anderson and Karl Penhaul are reporting from Egypt. Are you in Egypt? Send us your experiences, but please stay safe.
    Cairo (CNN) -- Fighting erupted Friday night in Cairo between hundreds of supporters of Mohamed Morsy and their opponents before the military broke it up, raising fears of widening violence after the military ousted the country's first democratically elected president.
    The violence came as Morsy's supporters held massive protests across the country, calling for his reinstatement, a counter to the huge demonstrations among those celebrating his ouster.
    At least 17 people were killed Friday and hundreds more were injured in clashes across the country that pitted Morsy supporters against his opponents and the military, state-run Egyptian television reported, citing the Ministry of Health.
    Among those killed were five Morsy supporters who were shot by the army in front of the headquarters of the Republican Guard headquarters, where Morsy was said to be detained, the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing -- the Freedom and Justice Party -- said.
    The health ministry reported that at least two people were killed and 65 injured in clashes there.
    The fighting broke out when Morsy supporters tried to storm the building, state broadcaster Nile TV said.
    CNN's Reza Sayah, reporting from outside the building, said he had seen one body around which scores of Morsy supporters were huddled, some of them crying.
    A few feet away, demonstrators faced off across a barbed-wire barricade behind which stood a line of soldiers who detonated flash grenades and fired tear gas in an apparent attempt to get the demonstrators to move away.
    Many of them did just that, though thousands of others remained in defiance. Demonstrators could be seen carrying away a wounded man. Some demonstrators waved flags and held pictures of Morsy and vowed not to leave until the military returns Morsy to office.
    Nile TV, citing an unnamed security source, said live ammunition had not been used against demonstrators and no one was hurt or killed.
    By nightfall, clashes on a bridge near Tahrir Square began after a standoff that saw anti-Morsy demonstrators advance on his supporters, with both sides throwing rocks and shooting fireworks at each other as hundreds of people ran, according to video footage.
    About 100 soldiers, backed by armored personnel carriers, descended on the bridge to separate the two sides and break up the fighting.
    CNN's Ben Wedeman was reporting live near the bridge when soldiers unplugged his crew's camera and confiscated the equipment. Wedeman said an agreement subsequently was reached that the camera would be returned -- without the video footage.
    The violence was the latest fallout following Wednesday's move by the nation's powerful military to remove Morsy.
    Morsy had become the nation's first democratically elected president a year ago, but failed to fix the nation's ailing economy or improve its crime problems and was seen by many as increasingly autocratic.
    Anti-Morsy protesters eye next moves
    Human Rights Watch has said he had continued abusive practices established by the former dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak, who was pushed out in 2011 after three decades of iron rule supported by the U.S. government. Military courts continued trying civilians; police abuses were allowed.
    "Numerous journalists, political activists, and others were prosecuted on charges of 'insulting' officials or institutions and 'spreading false information,'" the rights group said.
    Throngs of protesters filled Egyptian streets for days, calling for him to step down.
    The president's supporters turned out at massive counter demonstrations. At times, the two sides clashed with deadly consequences.
    On Monday, the army gave him 48 hours to agree to share power or be pushed aside.
    On Wednesday, the military rejected Morsy's conciliatory gestures as insufficient and announced its "road map" to stability and new elections.
    Morsy and a number of leaders of the Brotherhood were arrested and may face charges over the deaths of protesters during clashes with Morsy's supporters, many of whom also died.
    Moves spark outrage
    A day later, Adly Mansour, head of the country's Supreme Constitutional Court, was sworn in as interim president.
    Who is Egypt's Interim President?
    He dissolved Egypt's upper house of parliament, the Shura Council, and appointed a new head of intelligence, Egyptian state TV said Friday.
    The moves sparked outrage among Egyptians who saw them as counter to what their fledgling democracy was supposed to have been all about.
    Mohamed Badie, the Brotherhood's spiritual leader, exhorted the thousands of people who packed the area around the Rabaa Adawiya mosque in Cairo to fight back.
    "The coup is illegal and we will never accept its results," said Badie, whose title is supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood. "We sacrificed so dearly to reach this point, and we will never return to the past again."
    Badie challenged the Egyptian army to "return to the arms of the nation."
    The furor appeared to escalate during the day. By nightfall, a car was burning on the 6th of October Bridge, which commemorates the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, that leads to Tahrir Square, which had been a focal point for demonstrators seeking to remove Morsy from power and where supporters of the military turned out Friday.
    In Haram, a neighborhood of Giza in greater Cairo, one person was killed and seven were injured when a group of armed men attacked a police station, a spokesman for the health ministry said.
    At least 10 people were injured in clashes between supporters of Morsy and residents in the city of Damanhour, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of Cairo, Nile TV said Friday.
    And state television showed pictures from Alexandria of security forces firing tear gas at pro-Morsy demonstrators.
    Outside Cairo University, throngs of pro-Morsy demonstrators formed human chains as others participating in a sit-in shouted, "Police are thugs!"
    Egypt's armed forces said they would guarantee the rights of protesters as long the protests resulted in neither violence nor destruction of property.
    The demonstrations occurred as the African Union announced Friday that it has suspended Egypt from its ranks of member countries.
    The AU's Peace and Security Council also said it was sending a team to Egypt to work toward restoring constitutional order.
    Dismantling the Brotherhood?
    Police were seeking 300 Brotherhood members, state media reported.
    A spokesman for the Freedom and Justice Party said Thursday the coup had turned into "very, very questionable attempts by the military to dismantle the Brotherhood."
    Opinion: Can the Muslim Brotherhood survive?
    But the Freedom and Justice Party chief, Saad el-Katatni, and the party deputy, Rashad Al-Bayoumi, who were arrested Thursday in Egypt after the overthrow of Mohamed Morsy, had been released, Nile TV, said Friday.
    The democratic Tamarod movement, which had sought Morsy's ouster, has nominated Mohamed ElBaradei, an opposition leader, to become prime minister.
    ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, described Morsy's ouster as a "correction of the uprising of 2011."
    Other opposition leaders and protesters have objected to the use of "coup" to describe the military's removal of the elected president via non-democratic means.
    President Barack Obama said the United States was "deeply concerned" about the move, but did not use the word "coup."
    Washington has supplied Egypt's military with tens of billions of dollars in support and equipment for more than 30 years. Under U.S. law, that support could be cut off after a coup.
    More violence
    On Friday, Islamist gunmen attacked Egyptian police stations and checkpoints in the Sinai, killing at least one soldier, agencies reported.
    A senior intelligence officer who would not agree to being identified said two police officers were killed in the northern Sinai city of Arish when a group of men drove by the police station and shot them.
    The assaults may have nothing to do with extremist threats to avenge Morsy's overthrow.
    The desert peninsula next to Israel and Gaza has long eluded the control of Egyptian security forces, leaving extremists affiliated with al Qaeda plenty of room to establish themselves.
    Chronic violence troubled the Sinai years before it did the rest of Egypt.
    The army said it was on high alert, a level below maximum alert, in the Sinai and Suez provinces.
    Egypt is the largest Arab country in the world and a close ally of the United States, which gives it $1.5 billion per year for military and civilian programs.
    It controls the Suez Canal, a crucial sea route through which more than 4% of the world's oil and 8% of its seaborne trade travel.
    With Jordan, it is one of two Arab countries that has made peace with Israel.
    Egypt content from around the Web
    Wendell Steavenson writes about the scale of the Cairo protests and their consequences for the New Yorker.
    Under the headline "Egypt's Tragedy," London-based news magazine The Economist says Morsy was incompetent but his removal by the military is a cause for regret:
    The Jerusalem Post's diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon writes that the unpredictability of the Arab Spring has been problematic for Israel, which has "no interest in its largest neighbor becoming a failed state."
    In its editorial, the Sydney Morning Herald says the Egyptian army's "decision to intervene one year after the election was premature" and creates "the impression that mobs can bring down the government."
    In a blog carried by The Guardian newspaper, Nafeez Ahmed blames declining oil revenue, an overdependence on food imports, ongoing unemployment and a growing population for the unrest in Egypt.

    http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/05/world/meast/egypt-coup/index.html
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  2. #2
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    The Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood will probably use Friday call to prayers to call for violence. JMO

  3. #3
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    If the election hadn't been rigged, he would not have been in office at all. The "Democratically elected" president? (Notice how the media has taken it cue from Obama and keep chirping this line?) Unfortunately I believe it was rigged, just like the election here.

    Egypt: 10 killed, over 200 injured as opponents and supporters of Mohamed Morsi clash


    AP | Jul 6, 2013,



    In a dramatic appearance - his first since Morsi's ouster - the supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood defiantly vowed the president would return.

    CAIRO: A health ministry official says 10 people have been killed and 210 wounded in clashes around the country involving opponents and backers of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, as well as security forces.

    Khaled el-Khatib, a health ministry official, says four people were killed near the Republican Guard building in Cairo, where troops opened fire on Morsi supporters marching on the building Friday afternoon.

    In Cairo, another person was killed in clashes that erupted after nightfall when Islamists attacked Morsi opponents nearTahrir Square
    .

    Four others died inthe northern Sinai city
    of el-Arish, where Islamists stormed the main government building. The 10th was killed in the southern city of Assiut.

    El-Khatib says 210 people nationwide have been wounded.

    Enraged Islamists pushed back against the toppling of President Mohammed Morsi, with tens of thousands of his supporters marching in Cairo on Friday to demand the reinstatement of Egypt's first democratically elected leader. Soldiers fired on protesters, crowds of Islamists descended on Morsi opponents in stone-throwing and gun-firing clashes, and armored vehicles deployed on bridges over the Nile in mayhem that left at least six dead.

    In a dramatic appearance - his first since Morsi's ouster - the supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood defiantly vowed the president would return. "God make [COLOR=#0000FF !important]Morsi[/COLOR] victorious and bring him back to the palace,'' Mohammed Badie proclaimed from a stage before a crowd of cheering supporters at a Cairo mosque. "We are his soldiers we defend him with our lives.''

    Badie addressed the military, saying it was a matter of honor for it to abide by its pledge of loyalty to the president, in what appeared to be an attempt to pull it away from its leadership that removed Morsi. ``Your leader is Morsi ... Return to the people of Egypt,'' he said. "Your bullets are not to be fired on your sons and your own people.''

    After nightfall, moments after Badie's speech, a large crowed of Islamists surged across 6th October Bridge over the Nile toward Tahrir Square, where a giant crowd of Morsi's opponents had been massed all day. Battles broke out there at near the neighboring state TV building with gunfire and stone throwing.

    A fire burned on the bridge as Islamists sporting makeshift shields and wearing helmets they had brought in preparation traded stones with their opponents.

    "They are firing at us, sons of dogs, where is the army," one Morsi opponent shouted, as another was brought to medics with his jeans soaked in blood from wounds in his legs. Army troops deployed on another Nile bridge leading into Tahrir, sealing it off with barbed wire and armored vehicles.

    In cities across the country, clashes erupted as Morsi supporters marched on local government buildings, battling police or Morsi opponents. At least six people were killed throughout the day - four of them in Cairo, with at least 180 wounded, Health Ministry official Khaled el-Khatib told The Associated Press.

    "We are all now afraid for Egypt,'' Amr Moussa, a former Arab League chief who was a major leader of the opposition to Morsi during his year in office, said on Al-Hayat TV. ``Egypt can't afford to enter into violence or civil war."

    But Islamists vowed to show by their numbers and the turmoil that the military had made a mistake in ousting Morsi on Wednesday night after millions of Egyptians poured into streets around the country for four days this week demanding the Islamist president go in the biggest rallies the country has seen.

    Badie's speech injected a new vehemence into Morsi's supporters, and the eruption of clashes at multiple locations soon afterward suggested a coordinated counter-push against those behind his ouster.

    "The military got itself in a trap by siding by one side. Now they see the masses in the streets and now they realized that there are two peoples," Hamada Nassar, a figure from the hard-line former militant group, Gamaa Islamiya, told AP.

    As clashes raged Friday night, the military's spokesman warned against "any provocation or contact with groups of peaceful protests, and those who transgress that will be dealt with complete determination according to the law."

    The day's turmoil began in the afternoon when army troops opened fire as hundreds of Morsi supporters marched on the Republican Guard building in Cairo, where Morsi was staying at the time of his ouster before being taken into military custody at an unknown location.

    The crowd approached a barbed wire barrier where troops were standing guard around the building. When one person hung a sign of Morsi on the barrier, the troops tore it down and told the crowd to stay back. A protester put up a second sign, and the soldiers opened fire, according to an Associated Press photographer.

    One protester was killed, with a gaping, bleeding wound in the back of his head, while others fell bloodied and wounded. Witnesses told to AP Television News at the scene that men in plainclothes fired the lethal shots.

    Protesters pelted the line of troops with stones, and the soldiers responded with volleys of tear gas. Many of those injured had the pockmark wounds typical of birdshot. The BBC's Middle East editor, Jeremy Bowen, was hit by birdshot in the head as he covered the clashes. "Am fine,'' he reported in a tweet.

    Three hours later, Badie - who security officials had previously said was taken into custody soon after Morsi's removal - made his appearance before tens of thousands of Islamists massed at Rabia al-Adawiya Mosque, not far from the Republican Guard building.

    Morsi "is my president and your president and the president of all Egyptians," Badie proclaimed, thrusting his arms in the air, as a military helicopter circled low overhead.

    The grey-haired Badie, the group's "general guide," is a revered figure among the Brotherhood's followers, who swear an oath of absolute obedience to him - to "hear and obey."

    The circumstances of his appearance were a mystery, however. Security officials had said Badie was taken into custody Wednesday night from a villa on the Mediterranean coast and flown to Cairo, part of a sweep that netted at least five other senior Brotherhood figures and put around 200 more on wanted lists.

    Just before Badie's appearance, the Brotherhood's political party said on its webpage that he had "been released." But on stage, Badie denied he was ever arrested. There was no immediate explanation by security officials for the circumstances of his detention and release.

    Authorities also announced the release of Saad Katatni, head of the Brotherhood's political arm the Freedom and Justice Party, as well as one of Badie's deputies, Rashad Bayoumi, pending further investigation.

    Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "very concerned" by the reports of violence. In a Twitter message, he wrote: "Hope calm heads will prevail, vital to avoid escalation."

    Fears have been high over a major Islamist backlash to the military's move. The Brotherhood has said it will not work with the new military-backed leadership. Morsi supporters say the military has wrecked Egypt's democracy by carrying out a coup against an elected president. They accuse Mubarak loyalists and liberal and secular opposition parties of turning to the army for help because they lost at the polls to Islamists. Many supporters have equally seen it as a conspiracy against Islam.

    Extremist Islamist groups that gained considerable freedom to operate during Morsi's year in office have already vowed violence in retaliation.

    The first major Islamic militant attack came before dawn Friday in the tumultuous Sinai Peninsula, killing at least one soldier. Masked assailants launched a coordinated attack with rockets, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns on the airport in the northern Sinai city of el-Arish, where military aircraft are located, as well as a security forces camp in Rafah on the border with Gaza and five other military and police posts, sparking nearly four hours of clashes.

    One of military's top commanders, Gen. Ahmed Wasfi arrived at el-Arish on Friday to lead operations there as the army declared a "war on terrorism'' in Sinai. A crowd of Morsi supporters tried to storm the governor's office in the city but were dispersed by security forces.

    The night of Morsi's ouster, jihadi groups held a rally in el-Arish attended by hundreds, vowing to fight. "War council, war council,'' a speaker shouted, according to online video of the rally. "No peacefulness after today."

    Islamic militants hold a powerful sway in the lawless and chaotic northern Sinai. They are heavily armed with weapons smuggled from Libya and have links with militants in the neighboring Gaza Strip, run by Hamas. After the attack, Egypt indefinitely closed its border crossing into Gaza, sending 200 Palestinians back into the territory, said Gen. Sami Metwali, director of Rafah passage.

    At the Rabia al-Adawiya rally earlier in the day, the crowd filled much of a broad boulevard, vowing to remain in place until Morsi is restored. The protesters railed against what they called the return of the regime of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, ousted in early 2011.

    "The old regime has come back ... worse than before," said Ismail Abdel-Mohsen, an 18-year old student among the crowds outside the Rabia al-Adawiya Mosque. He dismissed the new interim head of state sworn in a day earlier, senior judge Adly Mansour, as "the military puppet."

    "After sunset, President Morsi will be back in the palace," they chanted. "The people want God's law. Islamic, Islamic, whether the army likes it or not."

    Many held copies of the Quran in the air, and much of the crowd had the long beards of ultraconservative men or encompassing black robes and veils worn by women, leaving only the eyes visible. One protester shouted that the sheik of Al-Azhar - Egypt's top Muslim cleric who backed the military's move - was "an agent of the Christians" - reflecting a sentiment that the Christian minority was behind Morsi's ouster.

    In southern Egypt, Islamists attacked the main church in the city of Qena on Friday. In the town of Dabaiya near the city of Luxor, a mob torched houses of Christians, sending dozens of Christians seeking shelter in a police station. Clashes broke out Friday in at least two cities in the Nile Delta between pro- and anti-Morsi demonstrators.

    The first steps for creating a post-Morsi government were taken Thursday, when Mansour, the 67-year-old chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court, was sworn in by fellow judges as interim president. A Cabinet of technocrats is to be formed to run the country for an interim period until new elections can be held - though officials have not said how long that will be. In the meantime, the Islamist-written constitution has been suspended.

    On Friday, Mansour dissolved the country's interim parliament - the upper house of the legislature, which was overwhelmingly dominated by Islamists and Morsi allies. The Shura Council, which normally does not legislate, held legislative powers under Morsi's presidency because the lower house had been dissolved.

    Mansour also named the head of General Intelligence, Rafaat Shehata, as his security adviser.
    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/w...w/20935811.cms


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  4. #4
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    Looking back....

    OpEdNews Op Eds 6/21/2012 at 04:31:55Election Fraud in Egypt

    By Michael Collins (about the author)



    One goal of Egypt's 2010 union inspired Tahrir Square protests was fulfilled during the December, 2011 parliamentary elections. Nearly 65% of the nation's fifty million eligible voters turned out to vote. Turnout for the June 16 and 17, 2012 presidential election dropped to an estimated 15%* according to local and press observers. What happened?

    Three factors contributed to the exponential decline in voting. Egypt's courts took leading candidates off of the final presidential ballot. The disappearedcandidates had the support of 68% of the electorate according to a major preelection poll in early May. Egyptian courts also disqualified one third of the recently elected parliament. Just a day before the election, military commander Mohamed Hussein Tantawi announced that the constitution had been annexed. This was a nice way of saying that the military was assuming most of the powers of the presidency, leaving the newly elected chief executive with little to do.

    The entire foundation of the election vanished in plain sight. There was no point in voting. The preelection actions by the courts and military represented the most fundamental form of election fraud by making the elections meaningless.

    Why vote?

    The vast majority of eligible voters either abstained or went to the polls as part of theMobteloon movement to deliberately deface and void ballots. The Egyptian revolution has moved from massive public protests leading to the end of the Mubarak regime to a fixed presidential election orchestrated by the armed forces and courts.

    Roots of the Revolution

    The January 2010 protests at Tahrir Square captured the attention of Egypt, the Middle East, and the world. Key demands included an end to the presidency of Hosni Mubarak, a transition to democratic rule, and recognition ofindependent trade unions. The core faction of the protests and leadership of the peaceful revolution came from unofficial Egyptian unions. This cadre was ignored by the press in the United States and Europe. Nevertheless, the group exists and has been there for more than a decade working for higher wages and dignity in the workplace. The outlawed unions helped achieve a key goal, the removal of Mubarak, and opened a window for change in the nation of over 100 million.

    The Next Hurdle

    As the 2011 parliamentary elections progressed, it was apparent that the front line of the revolution, the independent unions, would be underrepresented in elections for parliament and the presidency. The simple truth is that parties representing elements of the old regime and the Moslem Brotherhood had a huge head start based on existing organizations and structure. But this advantage failed to materialize.

    The nationwide poll from mid-May (above) showed that a moderate Islamist, Abdel --Men'em Abul --Fotouh, was leading with a 32% preference. Abul-Fotouh had resigned from the Muslim Brotherhood prior to entering the race. Independent Amr Moussa was a close second at 28%. Hamdeen Sabahi of the Nassarist Dignity Party was at 8% in the poll.



    The established powers had to do something. Their candidates, Shafiq and Morsi, were doing poorly with a combined 14% .

    At the last minute, the courts removed three candidates from the final ballot. Only Shafiq and Morsi remained on the ballot after the military and courts made their move.

    I seemed that the manipulation by the military and courts had saved the day for the prevailing powers. The winner would either be a former Mubarak Prime Minister or an official of the Muslim Brotherhood, a party known to cooperate with governments is supposedly opposed.
    But when the election was over, the two remaining candidates got only seven million votes, a 15% turnout. Compared to the 65% turnout in December, 2011, Egyptian voters made a clear statement to the world that Egyptians had no respect for the election. They voted by not voting.

    The Last Shall be First

    The official results for the Egyptian presidency have not been released yet. The candidate tied for last place in preelection polling, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, is claiming victory. Shafiq is challenging that claim.

    Guess who is in charge of the final vote count and announcing the winner? Egypt's military high command.

    Will the military prevail with this massive election fraud?

    Will the conservative interests of the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council prevail?

    Just two days after the end of voting, trade unions along with professional organizations staged a protest of a recent decree giving police and military intelligence unlimited powers to arrest citizens.
    The fight has only begun.

    ENDThis article may be reposted with attribution of authorship and a link to this article.

    http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/E...20621-479.html


    Then there is the sticky part about the Consitution...

    Egypt opposition alleges vote fraud in referendum






    By SARAH EL DEEB December 23, 2012


    CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's opposition said Sunday it will keep fighting the Islamist-backed constitution after the Muslim Brotherhood, the main group backing the charter, claimed it passed with a 64 percent "yes" vote in a referendum.

    The opposition alleged vote fraud and demanded an investigation — a sign that the referendum will not end the turmoil that has roiled this country for nearly two years since the uprising that ousted authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak. Many Egyptians, especially the tens of millions who live in extreme poverty, had hoped the new constitution might usher in a period of more stability.

    A heated political debate over the past month leading up to the referendum at times erupted into deadly street battles. There were no mass opposition demonstrations on Sunday after the unofficial results came out.

    Renewed violence and political tensions have further imperiled Egypt's already precarious economy, reeling from dwindling resources and a cash-strapped government whose plans to borrow from the International Monetary Fund had to be pushed back because of the turmoil.

    The finance ministry said Sunday the budget deficit reached $13 billion in the five months from July-November, about 4.5 percent higher compared to the same period last year.

    Official results of the referendum are not expected until Monday. If the unofficial numbers are confirmed, it will be a victory Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, who is from the Brotherhood.
    ."
    View gallery

    An Egyptian election worker shows his colleagues an invalid ballot while counting ballots at the end …

    But the opposition allegations look likely to prolong the fight. Beyond allegations of fraud, the opposition will likely challenge new laws issued on the basis of the constitution as well as Morsi's economic policies.

    "The referendum is not the end game. It is only a battle in this long struggle for the future of Egypt," said the National Salvation Front, the main opposition group. "We will not allow a change to the identity of Egypt or the return of the age of tyranny."

    The opposition claims the new constitution seeks to enshrine Islamic rule in Egypt and accuses the Islamists of trying to monopolize power.

    Critics say it does not sufficiently protect the rights of women and minority groups and empowers Muslim clerics by giving them a say over legislation. Some articles were also seen as tailored to get rid of Islamists' enemies and undermine the freedom of labor unions.

    The latest political battle began with Morsi's Nov. 22 decrees that gave him powers to protect the Islamist-dominated panel writing the constitution and dismiss the country's top prosecutor, a holdover from the Mubarak era.

    Although Morsi subsequently rescinded the powers that gave him immunity from judicial oversight, his decision to replace the prosecutor general was viewed by many in the judiciary as trampling over their powers. Hundreds of prosecutors held a rally Sunday demanding the new, Morsi-appointed prosecutor general quit, days after he retracted his resignation claiming it was rendered under pressure.
    ."
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    Egyptian election workers count ballots at the end of the second round of a referendum on a disputed …

    The prosecutors said in a news conference that they will be on strike until he quits.
    Scores of lawyers who support Morsi's decision held an earlier rally, demanding that the top prosecutor stay, and accusing the opposition of being "thugs."

    One major concern in the aftermath of the constitutional turmoil is Egypt's deteriorating economy, which has been battered by the two years of turmoil and taken an added hit from renewed violence recently.

    Adding to the anxiety, state television reported on Saturday amidst voting on the referendum that the central bank governor had resigned, then retracted the report. The governor turned up at a meeting of the government's economic team Sunday in an apparent attempt to quell nervousness over the state of the economy.

    The government stressed the urgency of stability.

    "The financial and economic situations are dire," government spokesman Alaa el-Hadidi said, according to comments published by the state news agency MENA. With the referendum behind, el-Hadidi said economic policies must be at the center of attention, adding that the government will work to improve the investment environment to attract foreign investors.
    ."
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    Egyptian election workers unseal a ballot box for counting at the end of the second round of a refer …

    The government had to postpone a request for $4.8 billion of IMF loans, putting off unpopular tax increases and reforms to after the referendum for fear they would only stoke political tensions.

    A day before the official results of the constitution are expected, the opposition front said it filed complaints to the country's top prosecutor and the election commission asking for an investigation.

    "The results of the referendum are for sure because of the rigging, violations and mismanagement that characterized it," the National Salvation Front said.

    It alleged the vote was marred by lack of complete judicial supervision, which led to overcrowding that pushed down the voting rate. It also charged there was interference by those who were supposed to be supervising the vote, with some instructing people to vote "yes." Many judges who traditionally supervise elections boycotted supervising the vote.

    "We don't think the results reflect the true desires of the Egyptian people," Khaled Dawoud, the front's spokesman, told The Associated Press.

    However, the Brotherhood insisted violations were limited and should not affect the referendum's integrity.
    ."
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    An Egyptian election worker counts ballots at the end of the second round of a referendum on a dispu …

    The Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood's political arm, said it hoped the passage of the constitution would be a "historic opportunity" to heal Egypt's divisions and launch a dialogue to restore stability and build state institutions.

    If the violations are considered serious enough, there could be new votes in some areas that alter the results slightly.

    The referendum was conducted in two stages with the first vote on Dec. 15 and the second on Saturday. The Muslim Brotherhood and some media outlets have accurately tallied the outcome of past elections by compiling numbers released by electoral officials at thousands of individual polling stations shortly after voting closes.

    Turnout for the vote was 32 percent of Egypt's more than 51 million eligible voters, according to the Muslim Brotherhood. That was significantly lower than other elections since the uprising ended in February 2011. The opposition has pointed to the low turnout as well as allegations of violations in the voting to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the referendum.

    The Brotherhood said 64 percent voted "yes" to the constitution in a tally of both stages of voting. For Saturday's second stage only, the Brotherhood said 71 percent of those who voted said "yes" with 99 percent of polling stations accounted for.

    As expected, it was a jump from the first round of voting when about 56 percent said "yes." The provinces that voted in the second round were known for being a base for Brotherhood supporters.
    ."
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    An Egyptian election worker eliminates an invalid ballot while counting ballots at the end of the se …

    Only about eight million of the 25 million Egyptians eligible to vote in the second stage — a turnout of about 30 percent — cast their ballots. Some 32 percent of eligible voters participated in the first round.

    The Front said that regardless of the results, it welcomed the participation of many who rejected the constitution and refused to consider it a vote on Islamic law. The group vowed to continue to "democratically" work to change the constitution and praised the high turnout of women.

    The Islamists say Islam is core to Egypt's identity and they view the constitution as a foundation to move forward, elect a parliament and build state institutions.

    The new constitution will come into effect once official results are announced.
    Once that happens, Morsi is expected to call for the election of parliament's lower chamber, the more powerful of the legislature's two houses, within two months.

    The opposition said that even though it is challenging the results of the referendum, it will continue to prepare for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

    Until the lower chamber is elected, the normally toothless upper house, or Shura Council, will have legislative powers.

    On Sunday, Morsi appointed 90 new members to the Islamist-controlled Shura Council as part of his efforts to make the council more representative. The new appointments included at least 30 Islamists and a dozen Christians. They also include eight women, four of them Christians.

    The opposition front said it did not want its members nominated to the Shura Council, now made up of 270 members.

    http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-oppositi...140258777.html

  5. #5
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    From 2010. This guy is really riled up!.

    95% of Violent Conflicts Around The World are Muslim.

    Of The 22 World Conflicts Around The World, 21 are Muslim..

    This may sound like propaganda because it sounds so far fetched. It isn’t. Check your own world almanac….

    Radical Islam has spread a scourge of violence around the globe that otherwise simply wouldn’t exist. It is time for the West to put an end to this horror. The first step is to destroy Iran as the world leader of Islamic violence.

    As long as Iran threatens the world with nuclear Islamic fundamentalism there is simply no way to quash the continuing outbreak of Islamic violence worldwide. The Western democracies should crush the atavistic and xenophobic leader of this retreat from civilization.

    If Iran is convincingly neutralized, it’s possible that the rest of the radical Islamic movements will realize that the way to accomplish their aspirations is through peaceful coexistence. Otherwise the monomaniacal dream of global Islamic domination will continue to destabilize the world until an apocalyptic result ensues.

    The latest catastrophic, meaningless Islamic bloodletting is occurring in Kyrgyzstan. The Russians want no part of it and won’t intervene.

    Who can blame them? I’m reminded of the old Texas aphorism, “You can’t mess with shit without gettin’ it on you.“ The Russians have learned that the hard way from both Afghanistan and Bosnia.

    How long will we continue to allow these murderous bullies to set back the momentum of world progress.

    ENOUGH!!!
    Joseph Wouk
    June 12, 2010
    tMUSLIM CONFLICTS AROUND THE WORLD
    Current conflicts and wars: Source: http:/www.religioustolerance.org/curr_war.htm Some of the world’s current “hot spots” which have as their base a significant component of religious intolerance are listed below:
    Country and Main religious groups involved
    1. Afghanistan Extreme radical Fundamentalist Muslim terrorist groups & non-Muslim Osama bin Laden heads a terrorist group called Al Quada (The Source) whose headquarters were in Afghanistan.
    2. Bosnia Serbian Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholic, Muslims
    3. Cote d’Ivoire Muslims, Indigenous, Christians
    4. Cyprus Christians & Muslims
    5. East Timor Christians & Muslims
    6. Indonesia, province of Ambon Christians & Muslims
    7. Kashmir Hindus and Muslims
    8. Kosovo Serbian Orthodox Christians, Muslims
    9. Kurdistan Christians, Muslims Assaults on Christians (Protestant, Chaldean Catholic & Assyrian Orthodox). Bombing campaign underway.
    10. Macedonia Macedonian Orthodox Christians & Muslims
    11. Middle East Jews, Muslims, &Christians
    12. Nigeria Christians, Animists, & Muslims
    13. Pakistan Suni & Shi’ite Muslims
    14. Philippines Christians & Muslims
    15. Russia, Chechnya Russian Orthodox Christians, Muslims. The Russian army attacked the breakaway region. Muslims had allegedly blown up buildings in Moscow. Many atrocities have been alleged.
    16. Serbia, province of Vojvodina Serbian Orthodox & Roman Catholics
    17. Sri Lanka Buddhists & Hindus Tamils
    Additional conflicts
    19. Thailand: Pattani province: Buddists and Muslims 20. Bangladesh: Muslim-Hindu (Bengalis) and Buddists (Chakmas) 21. Tajikistan: intra-Islamic conflict
    http://warsclerotic.wordpress.com/20...21-are-muslim/

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