Egypt's new president: U.S.-educated Islamist
By Josh Levs, CNN
June 25, 2012 -- Updated 0140 GMT (0940 HKT)
Mohamed Morsi, 60, was declared
president Sunday after he took 52% of the vote to 48% for former Hosni Mubarak
official Ahmed Shafik.
During the historic campaign for
president, Morsi said he would support democracy, women's rights and peaceful
relations with Israel
if he won.
But has also argued called Israeli
leaders "vampires" and "killers." One analyst describes him
as an "icon" of those seeking an "extreme agenda."
He was arrested several times under
President Hosni Mubarak's regime for protesting "repressive measures and
oppressive practices," as well as "rigged elections," his party
said during the campaign.
At one point, he spent seven months
in jail.
Thousands of people gathered in
stifling hot temperatures in Cairo's
Tahrir Square
erupted in cheers following the announcement that he had won.
Morsi leads the Freedom and Justice
Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Egypt's oldest and best-organized
political movement, the Brotherhood won the largest share of seats in
parliamentary elections earlier this year.
But Egypt's highest court dissolved the
legislature on June 14.
Morsi focused his campaign on
appealing to the broadest possible audience.
But he "represents the older,
more conservative wing of the Brotherhood and openly endorses a strict Islamic
vision," Isobel Coleman of the Council on Foreign Relations wrote in a column for CNN.com.
A slogan associated with his
campaign, "Islam is the solution," sparked concerns that Morsi could
introduce a fundamentalist Islamic theocracy.
He told CNN during the campaign that
he had no such plans. His party seeks "an executive branch that represents
the people's true will and implements their public interests," Morsi told
CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
"There is no such thing called
an Islamic democracy. There is democracy only. ... The people are the source of
authority," he said.
Asked about the role of women, he
vowed that "women's rights are equal to men."
And asked whether he would maintain Egypt's 1979 accord with Israel, Morsi
answered, "Yes, of course I will. I will respect it provided the other
side keep it up and respect it."
Morsi was not originally his party's
pick for the country's top post. He was called on to step in after the first
choice was disqualified. Khairat al-Shater was among three candidates who were
told they did not meet candidacy requirements.
The Muslim Brotherhood had
originally pledged not to seek the presidency, but the group reversed its
decision as the election approached.
Morsi has served as a central
behind-the-scenes player for much of the past decade, Eric Trager of the
Washington Institute for Near East Policy wrote in a column for The New
Republic.
He was the Brotherhood's primary
point man for state security -- "the repressive domestic security
apparatus through which the Mubarak regime monitored and infiltrated opposition
groups," Trager writes.
"Indeed, Brotherhood leaders
trusted Morsi because they viewed him as ideologically rigid, and therefore
unlikely to concede too much to the regime during negotiations."
Morsi was also "an icon of the
extremists in the Muslim Brotherhood," pushing for an "extreme
agenda," Trager wrote.
Morsi's official biography on the
Freedom and Justice Party website describes him as "one of the most
prominent political leadership figures of the Brotherhood, the organization
that led the struggle against the ousted repressive regime in its last
decade."
He led the Brotherhood's
parliamentary bloc from 2000 to 2005 in addition to serving as president of the
Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Engineering at Zagazig University.
Morsi was arrested several times
"due to his constantly firm stance against the repressive measures and
oppressive practices of the overthrown regime," the party said.
"After the 2005 elections were
rigged, Dr. Mohamed Morsi led demonstrations in support for judges demanding
independence, refusing referral of some judges to the Competence Commission to
punish them for their outspoken views against blatant elections fraud."
The following May, he was among 500
members of the Brotherhood arrested, the party said. Morsi spent seven months
behind bars.
"He was arrested, yet again, on
the morning of the 'Friday of Anger' on January 28, 2011, during the revolution
of January 25 along with a large number of Brotherhood leaders across Egypt. ... When
several prisons were destroyed during the revolution, and many prisoners
escaped, Dr. Morsi refused to leave his prison cell. Instead, he contacted
satellite TV channels and news agencies demanding the judicial authorities
visit the prison and check the legal position of jailed Muslim Brotherhood
leaders, to clarify if there were indeed any legal reasons for their
arrest," the party website says.
Muslim Brotherhood's Morsi Declared Egypt President, Sparking Fears for Religious Minorities
By Daniel Blake ,
Christian Post Contributor
June 24, 2012|11:34 am
The Muslim Brotherhood candidate in the Egypt presidential elections, Mohamed Morsi, has been officially declared the winner by election regulators. However, the result has immediately sparked concerns for religious minorities in the country, and whether the Brotherhood will look to build a conservative Islamic state.
The announcement sparked celebrations in Tahrir Square in Cairo, as Morsi's supporters gathered in jubilant mood.
However, many are skeptical of Egypt's future with the Brotherhood in the driving seat. The group has made well-known its goal to develop an Islamic state dictated by Shariah Law, and many believe Morsi will oversee a slow ebbing away of religious freedoms in the nation. Kurt J. Werthmuller, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom has previously told The Christian Post, "A Morsi presidency would give more license to the Muslim Brotherhood to institute conservative Islamist policies in the country, and this would without a doubt make life more restrictive and discriminatory toward the Coptic Christian minority."
Many have been concerned that a Brotherhood-led presidency would eventually lead to harsher and more frequently enforced apostasy laws to fight against conversions from Islam. Others have also been skeptical that the Brotherhood would try to implement legislation such as anti-blasphemy laws that would stifle outward religious and intellectual dissent.
But for the moment, despite Morsi's victory, there still remains wider conflict between the Muslim Brotherhood and the generals of the ruling military council, and there are many issues that remain unresolved. The groups will have to agree a balance of power over government institutions and agree the nation's future constitution. Currently the presidential office that Morsi is stepping into has extremely limited powers, with the military-issued interim constitution wiping out a majority of the authority held by that office.
Hundreds of thousands have been gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square over the past week demanding the military ruling council hand over power. Many had feared the military-led government would try to name Shafik as the election winner, as it continues its power struggle with the Brotherhood. It was already clear last weekend that Morsi had gained more votes than Shafik, but the delay had made many nervous and fearful over what would happen in the face of hundreds of complaints surrounding the elections.
The military council recently introduced two new decrees, dissolving parliament just ahead of last weekend's historic election and making moves this week to grant itself overwhelming authority over the presidency. Under the new decrees, the military generals will be given control over legislation and military affairs until a new parliamentary election is held. The move has been criticized by some as a "constitutional coup."
The Muslim Brotherhood victory will concern many in the region, and some Egyptian politicians have already been accusing the group of "hijacking" the nation's revolution. Although the Brotherhood has pledged to govern in coalition and respect individual and minority rights, many are skeptical and believe the group will look to create an Islamic state.
In particular, many have been questioning what the fate of the Coptic Christian community will be under the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Coptic Christians are a religious minority in Egypt who make up around 10 percent of the country's population of 85 million. For years, Copts have faced legal discrimination and sectarian attacks, resulting in their participation in last spring's protests on Tahrir Square to oust long-time Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Like other political activists across Egypt, Copts protested Mubarak's rule in hopes of achieving a democratic state, as well as for further protections for their minority group. But the Brotherhood has not been shy about stating its desire for a more conservative Islamic state.
The Christian Post spoke to Kurt J. Werthmuller, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, regarding a Morsi victory and what a Muslim Brotherhood win might mean for the Coptic Christian community in Egypt.
Werthmuller told CP that having a party like the Brotherhood control Egypt's executive branch would likely signal tighter social restrictions that could impact the entire population.
"(A) Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government would probably begin to institute tighter societal restrictions – on speech and press freedoms, on the arts, etc. This would impact all Egyptians negatively," Werthmuller told CP.
The expert also said that he believes that with Morsi holding the executive seat, religious freedoms would slowly but surely be curtailed through implementation of a more "strident role" for conservative interpretations of Shariah law. Variations of this could occur through the use of harsher and more frequently enforced apostasy laws to fight against conversions from Islam, and through increased use of anti-blasphemy laws that would stifle outward religious and intellectual dissent.
"In other words, a Morsi presidency would give more license to the Muslim Brotherhood to institute conservative Islamist policies in the country, and this would without a doubt make life more restrictive and discriminatory toward the Coptic Christian minority," Werthmuller explained.
Morsi has sought to silence his critics over such fears and has publicly promised Christians equal protections under the law – but many Copts aren't buying it.
"There is a Brotherhood strategy to work toward building an Islamic country," one Copt told AP.
(Christian Post reporter Ivana Kvesic also contributed to this report)
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Wants Christians to 'Convert, Pay Tribute, or Leave' the Country?
By Ivana Kvesic ,
Christian Post Reporter
May 31, 2012|10:56 am
Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate competing against Ahmed Shafiq in a runoff election to become Egypt's first elected president in 60 years, has allegedly said that the Coptic Christian population should "convert, pay tribute, or leave" the predominantly Muslim country.
The conversation reportedly took place at the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood Freedom and Justice Party.
"We will not allow Ahmed Shafiq or anyone else to impede our second Islamic conquest of Egypt," Morsi allegedly told the journalist. "They (Christians) need to know that conquest is coming, and Egypt will be Islamic, and that they must pay 'jizya' or emigrate."
It remains unclear if Morsi actually made the comments, but recent reports illustrate the presidential candidate as attempting to silence critics concerned that human rights and religious freedom in Egypt would be put in jeopardy should he be elected to the presidency.
Jerry Dykstra, spokesperson for the Christian persecution watchdog Open Doors, told The Christian Post that it seemed unlikely that Morsi would make comments suggesting Christians should convert or leave Egypt. If the Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate truly made those statements as reported by El Bashayer, then Christians have a reason to fear for their future in the predominately Muslim country, he said.
"It seems a stretch that Morsi would use such strong language when he reportedly is trying to portray himself as the centralist candidate. But perhaps those are his real views and the ultimate aim of the Muslim Brotherhood," Dykstra wrote in an email to CP.
"If so, Coptic Christians certainly have reason to have concern for the future. The next few weeks will be a very polarizing time for Egyptians with heated rhetoric and perhaps additional incidents of violence," he added.
At a Tuesday press conference Morsi promised both women and Christians full access to rights, saying that he would protect women's right to work and education and place "no imposition on women to wear the veil." Morsi also suggested that should he be elected Egypt's next president, the Coptic Christian community would have a say in the government.
"When I am president, the presidency will not be reduced to one person," Morsi said. "The age of superman has failed and gone. The world is no longer like that. I am not like that."
"Our Christian brothers, let's be clear, are national partners and have full rights like Muslims," he added. "They will be represented as advisers in the presidential institution, and maybe a vice president if possible."
In last week's historic elections Morsi walked away with 24.77 percent of the vote, while Shafiq, the last prime minister under the Mubarak regime, finished with 23.66 percent. A runoff election is slated for June 16-17.
