Thinking Egypt: Democracy, Military and the Muslim Brotherhood; The Ban, the Agendas and the Players

Discussing the horrific and saddening events in Egypt, beginning from the Rabaa Massacre would attract limited attention as the whole world is already aware and abreast of the developments. What is of note is the developing issue of banning the Muslim Brotherhood and the various monies fueling the crisis. In some quarters, Obama is perfectly supporting the Brotherhood against Egyptians who want a free society while some others believe it is a design because Morsi snubbed them; a way to secure Israel because Morsi is soft on Hamas. Apparently, the Egyptian military is 'gullible' compared to the Brotherhood. Most probably, Obama has to be in support of the Brotherhood on his own 'personal' part due to his analysis of the Tamarod 'Rebel' campaign movement.

John Kerry said the Egyptian military acted to preserve democracy and was lambasted by the Brotherhood that he would not accept a 'coup that was not a coup', to use Pepe Escobar's phrase, in Washington. Kerry's speech showed the official position of the White House but sometimes, a leader might somewhat deviate 'personally' from an official position guided by institutional traditions and laid down procedures. The White House is fighting to preserve the annual $1.3 billion aid to the military. On his part, Obama revealed that any future without the Muslim Brotherhood will lead to a divided society. That is just on point. Banning the Muslim Brotherhood would be a case of 'much ado about nothing'. In fact, were Egyptians not the ones who voted for it? Are Egyptians not the ones fighting now in support of Morsi?

If  the Muslim Brotherhood is banned, will its members be banished and exiled? Will its supporters not vote in elections? Will it be the case of Mubarak's era of fixed and pre-determined elections? If the Brotherhood is banned and free and fair elections are to be held, with its support base, its members will find a way back. It will remodel itself. Cutting of the head is not a panacea to a serious headache, maybe that is what President Obama had foreseen before 'mulling' support for the MB. According to the Tamarod group, Morsi was supporting Israel. How? Morsi by all standard was pro-Hamas, except if Hamas has turned a friend of Israel. Morsi balanced his acts, settled differences between Hamas and Israel to the applause and accolade of many but came back to commit a faux pas - promulgated a rule by decree. Although he later apologised but the people felt a Mubarak in democratic clothing was back. To err is human, to forgive is divine.

Tamarod utilised the dissatisfaction. While protesters were galvanised using the Tahrir Revolution of freedom and a 'secular' state, Tamarod group has its own agenda somehow. Mistakes are flying around in Egypt and it appears people are lost in support of one group against another without getting to know the latent intentions of the groups. Upon the ouster of Morsi, Israeli drones began work in Sinai in conjuction with Egyptian officials. Will Morsi have accepted such? Tamarod who sought his ouster and found Sisi as the 'devil' to accomplish the task definitely will not accept such but Sisi gave approval. Morsi's government is said to be against the tenets of democracy; women's rights and rights of minorities. Democracy alone does not specify these rights, Islam and Sharia'ah law do too but just as we have radical ones in every society, Egypt has too, hence the attacks on churches. Attacks on churches pre-dated Morsi but only became somehow worsen under him.

Morsi apologised and promised to make amends. His removal ought to be for calm, peace and dialogue. He can return once a real plan in a formidable third way out of military ideals already established by Mubarak and the 'fundamentalism' the MB is accused of trying to impose is worked out. Egyptians danced to the music of the power players; the music they know not its esoteric concoction. The only option to keep the MB off is to establish a Mubarak-style government because only such a style of governance can contain the resurgence of a body existing for over 30 years with well structured and articulated platform. Egyptians should then brace up for continued unrest. Too much of everything is bad. The most likely and plausible candidate for such a regime is General Abdel Fatah El Sisi, hence, the 'El Sisi' for President slogan is already gathering momentum. Egypt is back to pre-Morsi days; no doubt. Why then were elections held? Were Egyptians not the ones who voted?

El Sisi is soft on Israel though Israel is still in doubt of his actions. He does not appear like one who is ready to break the 1979 Camp David Accord with Israel or act detrimentally to the extent of severing Washington's cash; so, Tamarod still has much rebellious campaigns, unrest and civil disobediences to organise. The Gulf Monarchies are also bankrolling the military and El Sisi. Egypt is the heart of the Arab World truly. Egypt is now the testing ground of the divisive voices in the Arab World. Morsi is pro-Hamas, hence, must have a soft spot for Iran (Saudi Arabia's rival) though he had to go against al Assad to save himself from an impending danger.

Saudi Arabia is in full support of the military carnage going on in Egypt, so also is UAE and definitely Bahrain and Kuwait not excluding Hamas rival, the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). PLO is understandable, it is being paid by Washington like the Egyptian army. It just received $148 million to boost its budget. All of them have nothing to lose. Egyptians have all to lose. Iran sits and watch but rightly warned of a civil war in the offing earlier.

A simple suggestion would have been to continue dialogue, no matter how defiant the Muslim Brotherhood is. It has every right to be defiant. After all these years of being shortchanged and attacked under Mubarak, its LEGITIMATE mandate was again stolen and Sisi wants it to clap, fold its arms and smile? That would be the most debasing thought ever. Morsi can come back with serious negotiations for a real third way in Egypt where all parties will pledge to a free society that will guarantee women's rights and the rights of the minorities, most especially the Coptic Christians. They must be really, centrally and fully protected as in the days of Mubarak where attacks were very minimal. Sisi should shelve his pride and discuss with Morsi because he seems to be the only face that can calm the MB. Now, Mubarak is to  be released to show that Sisi really revenged. A soldier will always be for another soldier or so it looks now.

Muslims formed human shield to prevent the burning of the church

Egyptians should not allow the polarisation of their country. They are brothers; Muslims or Coptic Christians, Egypt is Egypt. Those pushing from the outside and from all sides will not suffer the consequences, Egyptians will. They are losing. The economy is battered, education is crippling. Egyptians should wake up. Egypt is Egypt and it must be saved.

Military, Democracy and the Muslim Brotherhood: Counting the Cost in Egypt

When Morsi was first ousted, many who supported his ouster thought it would be for  a period of time in which the Muslim Brotherhood will be made to dialogue and a real third way will be worked out for Egypt. Abdel Fattah El Sisi, as a good Field Marshal ought to know better that killing one's own citizens or allowing citizens to kill one another in a country where the military is reputed to be the most patriotic in the world is the hallmark of barbarism.

Continuous dialogue is the only panacea. Although Muslim Brotherhood was defiant, the interim government should and must know it has the right to. Its mandate was stolen. To the Brotherhood, Egypt has been taken back to where it was 18 months ago. It has every right to. El Sisi's act was to calm the tension many believed and as a good Egyptian, he should have avoided taken sides and encourage dialogue.

This left many with no doubt that he was indirectly responding to the Washington's cash oiling the engine of the Egyptian military. He is covertly protecting the interest of Tel Aviv which Washington is paying the military for not the interest of Egyptians unlike what many thought when Morsi was removed from the centre stage.

Four journalists died in violent clashes which swept the land of the Pharoahs. With a number of the press core suffering serious injuries in the clashes. At least 238 civilians died in total as security forces brutally broke up pro-Morsi rallies. The country has been swept by horrific street violence, showers of gunfire, blazing fires and tear gas as relentless clashes have shaken cities in government attempts to break up the demonstrations.

Among the 238 protesters killed were children, including the 17-year old daughter of a prominent Muslim Brotherhood official, Mohamed Al Beltagy. Police stations were torched or stormed by pro-Morsi groups amid the ruthless government suppression. The violence also took the lives of Sky News cameraman Mick Deane and Dubai-based XPRESS journalist Habeeba Abdelaziz.

Both had been covering the pro-Morsi protests in Egypt’s capital which security forces began to ‘disperse’ earlier in the day. Deane, 61, was shot as he was documenting the turmoil in Cairo. Despite receiving medical treatment for his injuries he died shortly afterwards, according to a statement from Sky. Habeeba Abdelaziz was a 26 year old Egyptian reporter from Dubai, who worked for XPRESS – a ‘sister’ publication to the country’s Gulf News.

“It’s hard to believe she’s gone. She was passionate about her work and had a promising career ahead,” XPRESS Deputy Editor Mazhar Farooqui told Gulf News, commenting that the entire team was in a state of shock. Abdelaziz had been covering protests near Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque, which has been the site of one of the largest protests for over a month, and a subsequently heavy-handed crackdown by governmental security forces. Security forces later reclaimed the area.

The third journalist killed was Egyptian Ahmed Abdel Gawad of Al Akhbar newspaper. He died while covering the clashes  at Rabaah al-Adawiya. The Egyptian Press Syndicate, a journalist union, confirmed Gawad's death, but did not provide any details.

The fourth reporter to have been confirmed killed is photojournalist Mosab El-Shami Rassd of the news website (RNN), an alternative pro-Islamist media network, Ahram online reports. The agency wrote that he “was killed by the hand of betrayal while covering the Rabaa massacre at the hands of those who executed the coup,” wrote the network on its Facebook page.

Reuters photojournalist Asmaa Waguih also suffered serious injuries after being shot in the leg during protests. Shortly afterwards, she was moved to the international medical center to receive treatment. The Committee to Protect Journalists has released a statement on the issue, saying that the group condemned the killing of Sky News cameraman Mick Deane, prior to hearing of the second death.

“We call on Egyptian authorities to issue clear orders to security forces to respect the right of journalists to work freely and safely while covering events in Cairo and the rest of the country,” said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. “The killing of Mick Deane underscores the urgent need for such action and for all sides to show restraint and allow the media to do their job. The authorities must investigate all attacks on journalists and hold those responsible to account,” he said.

Other journalist were also treated for wounds. An AP photographer was hit in the back of the neck by two birdshot pellets, while Al Jazeera claims its cameraman Mohammed al-Zaki was shot in the arm. In addition, Paris-based Reporters Without Borders says that Tarek Abbas — a reporter for local Al-Watan newspaper sustained gunshot wounds to his leg and eye; and photographer Ahmad Najjar was wounded in the arm.

Approximately a dozen other journalists were arrested or threatened as they tried to document the mayhem: Reuters’ Tom Finn tweeted his own arrest. Daily Beast reporter Mike Giglio also said on Twitter he was arrested alongside two photographers named Mahmoud Abou Zeid and Louis Jammes, stating they had been beaten too.

A month-long state of emergency has been declared after Egyptian security forces violently broke up the sit-in camps of Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Cairo. Health Ministry officials say that over 2000 were injured in the nationwide violence, alongside the 278 who were killed including policemen. “The dead are both from police and civilians,” said the ministry's spokesman, Hamdi Abdel Karim. However, Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad claimed that as many as 2,000 people had been killed and 10,000 injured in the police operation.

Security forces succeeded in gaining control of the protest camps by the end of the day after turning the capital into what journalists called “a war zone”. A state of emergency has been declared and curfew imposed in major cities including Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. The curfew is set to last for the next month – or until further notice. @beltrew tweeted: "I've never seen such a bloody fight in Egypt.The security forces kept us ducking behind cars,under a barrage of bullets for 8 hours straight" as well as "If the massive bloodshed today wasn't bad enough, the Coptic Christians are under attack as well. Oh Egypt, Egypt, Egypt. Why?

The United States and the European Union Express Worry over Egypt

The United States and the European Union said they remain concerned over the land of the Pharoah’s lack of political stability. Egypt has been embroiled in political turmoil since the ousting of President Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a joint statement: "While further violent confrontations have thus far been avoided, we remain concerned and troubled that government and opposition leaders have not yet found a way to break a dangerous stalemate and agree to implement tangible confidence building measures."

Apparently, the US and EU envoys have failed in Cairo to facilitate peace in the political crisis, which has led to bloodshed since Egypt’s armed forces ousted President Morsi and essentially removed the Muslim Brotherhood from all positions of political influence. President Obama had said that any political calculation in Egypt must carry the Brotherhood along.

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have also sent representatives to the Egyptian capital, aiming to reach some form of settlement. All parties are said to have been working intensively to bring both the armed forces and the political opposition together.

Egyptian leader, Adly Mansour has warned foreigners not to dabble and meddle unnecessarily in Egyptian affairs. The Muslim Brotherhood has also lambasted the US over its role and acts. Muslim Brotherhood told John Kerry that he will never accept the military ousting a President in Washington, hence, he goofed and gaffed by saying the military wanted to restore democracy through the ousting of Morsi.

Turkey Pushing for the Reinstatement of Mohammed Morsi Desperately

Turkey is extremely dissatisfied with the actions of its Western allies; the European Union and the United States over the ousting of Morsi. The nation is making frantic efforts at making sure Morsi gets the seat back amidst rising cases of violence and deaths in Egypt.

Led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Ankara’s diplomatic campaign includes the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and prominent Arab countries, such as Qatar.

“Our message is clear: Call this a coup,” a senior Foreign Ministry official told the Hürriyet Daily News. “Military coups are unacceptable, in Egypt or elsewhere. Undoing the coup and re-instating the toppled government should be the priorities of countries with a democratic understanding.”

For Turkey, establishing an interim government is meaningless and what should be done is to announce immediate elections with no restrictions on any political group, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

A senior Foreign Ministry official said “Not underlining these points would be a very bad message to not only Egyptians but to those who are in search of democracy in other parts of the world”.

Turkey was a lone voice in completely condemning the action of the Egyptian military among countries who many naturally expected to condemn it. The deepest and strongest disappointment  for Turkey came from its prominent Arab allies, namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which were the front-runners in congratulating the new transitional leadership and the army that conducted the coup.

“There is a serious disappointment with regard to their approach. We have made clear to them that this process in Egypt will be an important test for the Arab Spring. We hope they will revise their position and will adopt a similar line with ours,” the Foreign Ministry official said.

Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been in close cooperation in efforts to topple the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria since mid-2011, in the latest chain of the Arab Spring movement. Egypt joined in their efforts to oust Assad fully weeks before Morsi was ousted; broke diplomatic relations with Assad and called  for the imposition of a no-fly zone. The development in Egypt will definitely affect their actions on Syria but the consequential result remains unclear.

Turkey is really finding solace in the United Nations as UN Secretary-General seemed the only prominent international figure who condemned the Egyptian army's action loudly. Ban had echoed prominent international powers in defining the ousting of Morsi as “a military intervention” and in not making a strongly worded statement against the army.

The meeting point of the camps with interest in Egypt; Turkey, the US and other prominent countries is that they agree on the need to hand power back to civilian rule immediately, questions on how it will take place is also crucial for the Turkish government.

“We know perfectly that the position we are taking is carefully watched in Egypt and elsewhere. This position is also very important in terms of Turkey’s image in Egypt as well as of Turkey-Egypt bilateral ties,” the official said.

Given that Turkey had established strong cooperation with the Morsi government, there are questions as to whether Ankara will continue its ties with Cairo under any new government established by the military junta. Officials, however, say their biggest priority is avoiding any bloodbath in the country.

“In the heat of the moment, our priority is to take steps with regard to these undemocratically unfolding developments. The coup is at a crossroads. Both parties have millions of people on the streets. And it’s been only three days since the coup,” the official said.

Turkey will still keep its ambassador in Egypt acceding to the wise saying that 'cutting the head off is not the panacea to a notorious headache'. Ambassador Hüseyin Avni Botsali will remain in his post for some time although his mandate ended and June 30, with Ahmet Yildiz set to replace him. “We notified him just before the coup that his mandate was being extended. He is a very experienced diplomat and has close ties with all political camps,” the official said.