The following incident was witnessed by a person I know, and he is willing to convey his testimony.
On Saturday, March 09th at 04:00 p.m., a young man went to the clashes area in front of Shepherd hotel, Corniche El-Nile. He noticed that the demonstrators occupied one of the street pavements, but on the other side he saw the Central Security forces with a large group of youngsters beside them throwing stones at the demonstrators, while tear gas bombs were flowing non-stop. It was apparent that those youngsters are subject to a police officer giving them instructions on what to do. When the clashes got harder, the young man could hardly convince the police officer that he was just a street-walker and not a demonstrator. Then he got out of the clashes area to be stopped few meters away by two men asking: How can we go to Bab El-Louq?” (a near-by square)
He described the way, but as he noticed their non-Egyptian accent, he asked about their country of origin. One of them smiled and answered, “We’re brothers of yours from Gaza.”
He welcomed them and didn’t leave them until he made sure they are on the right direction to Bab El-Louq.
This incident has two indications. First; the police forces are using civil mercenaries who can destroy and burn any structure when ordered, yet the crimes would be attributed to the demonstrators while the police forces would be away of any accusation or questioning.
What’s more important to ask here is: What were our Gaza brothers doing in the middle of the clashes between the demonstrators and the police? I don’t accuse anybody, and it gladdens me always to have our folks from Gaza in Egypt. But I just wonder if it was normal that a non-Egyptian exposes himself to death standing in an area of clashes full of live bullets? Why would he put his life at risk while he is totally irrelative to those clashes? Why did those two men of Gaza go to Bab El-Louq area, which was totally closed at that time because of wild demonstrations that led to burning many stores and restaurants? What is the relationship between them and what has been said by security experts about the Brotherhood’s use of individuals of Hamas to execute their plans in Egypt?
It is no benefit of calling for investigating this incident, because the Attorney General, who has been illegally assigned in his post by Morsi, has well-known “inclinations” (favoring the Brotherhood).
Things in Egypt are leaning towards a weird and suspicious direction. Morsi has made use of Mohamed Ibrahim, the Minister of Interior who wanted to show his credentials to the Brotherhood by committing bloody crimes in Port Said and other cities that resulted in more than 80 martyrs in only one month, in addition to hundreds of detainees who have been tortured in the Central Security camps. All of Morsi’s and his Minister of Interior’s crimes are audio/video documented in tens of reports.
The Supreme Guide of the Brotherhood wants to dominate Egypt by imposing oppressive policies worse than Mubarak’s. While the revolution has changed the way of thinking to all Egyptians, including the police officers themselves, some of the police officers obeyed the Minister of Interior’s instructions and killed, dragged, shot eyes with shotguns, tortured detainees by electric-shocks and sexual abused, and even raped men as several documented indicate.
But a great deal of the police officers rejected to be used by the Brotherhood as a tool to suppress Egyptians as Mubarak has done before, so, they’ve gone on a strike. They demanded the resignation of the Minister of Interior who denied in a media conference all the crimes he committed. Then he threatened the Egyptians, if they keep on demonstrating, police troops will withdraw and let the people on their own!
It’s well known in the whole world that if an official fails to perform his duties, he resigns and leaves his job to someone better than him. But in Egypt, after all the crimes committed, the Minister of Interior threatens Egyptians of having no police, meaning that he is giving the Egyptians two options; either they abide by the will of the Brotherhood, or face chaos.
Things did not stop at this point, as the ministry of interior submitted a draft law that includes giving law enforcement powers to private security companies. This simply means that the Brotherhood would be able to establish tens of private security companies that would have permits to carry guns, and consequently could arrest their opponents and torture them in the name of the law.
At the same time Al Gamaa Al-Islameya (the Islamic Group), which has a long history of bloodshed and terrorism, announced the establishment of its own militia to maintain security.
Furthermore, Sheikh Hazem Abu Ismail (a leading Salafist) suddenly announced that his followers would come down to the streets and do everything to preserve the Brotherhood’s rule.
The weirdest is that the Attorney General, assigned by Morsi, announced that it is a right to any individual to arrest the “saboteurs.”
It’s my right then and it’s the right of any individual to arrest any other individual who he considers to be a saboteur! Who is the saboteur? And what are the standards of a sabotage crime? What is that law that grants individuals the state’s authority of arresting people? What if the individuals used that right granted by the Attorney General to resolve their personal disputes?
The Attorney General’s announcement is a clear permit to the Moslem Brothers’ militias to replace the regular police forces. Unfortunately it is a serious invitation that would result in chaos and lead definitely to a civil war, because if the Brotherhood deployed their militias, their opponents will have the right to form their armed militias too.
The Brotherhood does not care except for strengthening their grip on the Egyptian state even if the price is Egypt’s total fall in a civil war or a disaster paid for by our sons and grandsons.
The Brotherhood’s lust to dominate has gotten them completely blind. They disregard the facts and ignore the glowing truth. They treat the millions of their opponents as if they were the remnants of the old regime, agents of Zionism or enemies of Islam who are led by their hostility to Sharia. Meantime, the Brotherhood seeks Israel’s friendship, uses the remnants of the old regime, or cuts deals with them by preparing a law that would enable those who robbed Egypt to return back with dignity under the protection of the Brotherhood.
It has become clear that the Brotherhood is not related to Islam.
The Islamic Research Council, the highest religious jurisprudence authority in Egypt, rejected the Islamic Financial Instruments bill that was presented by the Brotherhood. But they deleted the word “Islamic” and insisted on passing the law in spite of its violation to Sharia.
Are the Brotherhood’s crimes compatible with Islamic principles? Does Islam approve killing, torturing, lying and fraud? Islam did not present a specific model of ruling, but presented general human principles: freedom, equality and justice which are the same principles of democracy. Also the experiences of political Islam in Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan, ended up to totalitarian fascistic regimes that oppress, suppress and kill people in the name of religion.
Morsi had a golden opportunity to gather the nation around him and to achieve the objectives of the revolution. He could have shown the model of a balanced and fair Islamic president, but unfortunately he ruined and lost this chance for the sake of the Brotherhood’s (Guidance) Bureau.
Egyptians accepted the Brotherhood’s rise to rule and voted for them. We might remember the pleasure of millions upon the announcement of Morsi’s victory in the presidential elections and Shafik’s loss, the old regime’s representative. But those who rejoiced for Morsi’s victory were soon surprised that he is a person who promises but never fulfills, says something and does its contrary, an eccentric president, detached from reality, incapable of decision-making and follows the instructions of the Guide of the Brotherhood.
Morsi has issued the constitutional declaration (of Nov 22, 2012) to destroy the democratic system, and placed himself above the law. He thus protected the invalid Constituent Commission and the Shura Council, and imposed the Brotherhood’s Constitution on the Egyptians.
It is Morsi who ruined his relationship with the Egyptians and not the contrary. The millions who got to the streets celebrating his victory are those who demonstrated few weeks later calling for the ending of the (Brotherhood) Guide’s rule.
It is extremely significant here that the majority of the martyrs killed by Morsi’s officers have voted for Morsi; effectively they voted for him to be killed by him!
Morsi who shelved the law, broke his vows to respect the Constitution and killed tens of innocent has lost his legitimacy to the full. Now he has to resign and call for early elections. It is only logical in a democratic system that killing citizens would take away the legitimacy of any president.
But the US will, apparently, keep supporting Morsi even if he kills all of the Egyptians. The American Secretary of State came specifically to help Morsi stay in the presidency in spite of all of his crimes. It is insolent that the US claims that it supports Morsi “because he is an elected president!” Hamas was elected in Gaza, yet the US decided to antagonize it from the first day. The US also supported Mubarak the dictator. Furthermore, America’s closest ally is the oppressive Saudi regime that relates politically to the middle ages.
The US supports the Brotherhood because this is in the best interest of the US and Israel. If it felt the least threat by the Brotherhood, it would turn against them and would condemn the crimes they do commit every day against the Egyptians.
The Brotherhood did not realize the lesson of Mubarak’s fall, they didn’t learn that America never deals with losers and it keeps supporting the dictator until his fall then it turns its back to him. They didn’t learn that the external support to the president is not an alternative to his nation’s support.
The Brotherhood is dealing with the reality using old tools that are no more useful. Neither terrorizing the Egyptians nor killing or torturing them could stop them from demanding their rights. Even offering a few seats in the parliament cannot bribe the revolutionaries.
Even the crimes that have been committed by the police in protecting Mubarak cannot be repeated to defend Morsi. The false statements, the propaganda of faked economic figures, the slogans used for covering up the regime’s crimes; all of these tools have expired.
The issue now is not what Morsi decides or what he does; it is rather when will he leave the presidency? And how will we deal with a president who killed his people?
Mubarak is imprisoned on the accusation of killing the demonstrators. It is the very same crime Morsi committed. Morsi has to leave and to be held accountable for his crimes, same as Mubarak who left and has been prosecuted.
The ongoing general strike has to be escalated and extended to all the sectors of the society up to a full-scale civil disobedience.
This is the only way to get the Brotherhood in compliance with the will of the people and their revolutionary demands, which include: Getting rid of the invalid Constitution, holding early presidential elections, dismissing the Attorney General, taking to court the martyrs’ killers; first among them Morsi and Mohamed Ibrahim his Minister of Interior.
The revolution is on until its objectives get achieved.
As for the Moslem Brothers, they will fall and will pay for their crimes, sooner than they think.
Democracy is the solution!
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Alaa Aswani is a novelist. Article translated (by H.Hanna) for Coptic Solidarity from the original published in Al-Masry Al-Youm http://www.almasryalyoum.com/node/1559691