Egypt's Challenge: Writing a New Constitution

 "Egypt is now a real civil state. It is not theocratic, it is not military. It is democratic, free, constitutional, lawful and modern." — Former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, after his election.

Democracy is unfathomable because it allows the doctrine of Islam, and its followers, to co-exist equally with other religions and doctrines -- a societal demotion. That outcome cannot possibly be the one desired by those now drafting Egypt's constitution.

As Egyptians wait for the constituent assembly to produce the country's new foundational document, the world can only speculate as to how well the new draft will distinguish Egypt's future from its past. Article 2 of Sadat's 1971 constitution is the controversial point today. If its wording is written into the draft of Egypt's new constitution, all hope is lost for a modern renaissance sought by the uprising of January 2011. Article 2 spells out two critical foundational points which clash with the formation of democracy. Even if these Islamic measures are accompanied by words promoting liberty, equality and human rights elsewhere in the same writing, the use of Article 2 will present a huge problem for the liberal, secular, pro-democracy freedom movement.

Egypt is likely to receive a draft of the constitution, due before the end of this year, comprised of both liberal elements and Article 2 (or its essence). The explicit language of Article 2 states, since 1980, that the religion of the state is Islam and Sharia (Islamic religious law) is the source of state legislation. This substantiates a religious state. If Article 2 is transferred to the current draft, it will mean that the draft of the constitution draft is unsuccessful for the third time since Egyptians rebelled against authoritarianism and religious supremacy. Would this be a signal for the continuance of Egypt's already two-year old revolt against a political class using religion to accrue power?

The greatest contributor to the making of Article 2 and its formation of the deeply rooted Islamic state was former President Anwar Sadat. While Sadat's constitution promised free markets, individual freedom, democratic procedures and safeguards for an independent judiciary; other buried clauses granted his presidency complete power, and he used it to appropriate exclusive ownership of the state for Islam. In 1971Sadat replaced Egypt's 1954 constitution, moving the country away from the policies of socialism enacted by his predecessor, Nasser. Sadat used the help of Islamists who influenced the populace against socialism in accordance with Islamic beliefs. In return, Sadat added pro-Islam clauses to Egypt's constitution, making Islam the state religion, Arabic the official language and Sharia a source of Egyptian law (later changing "a source" to "the source"). As such, Sadat encouraged Islamists to lay claim to Egypt.

The key to Sadat's success was "Islamic duality" -- a political doctrine of deception based upon the Hadith [tales of the life of Muhammed] and the Sira [Mohamed's biography] in which the Prophet teaches that to advance Islam, it is permissible to lie in three cases: to a wife, to a friend and to an enemy. We shall likely see this again with the forthcoming constitution. Envision the following scenario. Upon receiving the draft, Egyptians will wait for constitutional experts in the media to fully explain and challenge it in the period of time between its issuance and the popular referendum vote to approve it. The populace will be incapable of comprehending the full implications of the extensive fine print inside the sugar coating of human rights and freedom-sounding words. Meanwhile, assembly committee members assigned to write separate draft sections will hawk their special wares to the country, selling Sharia and selling democracy.

Egyptians have no reason to believe that democratic words written into their constitution will not as readily be written out or abrogated by articles within the same text. But dissatisfaction will be delayed; the draft will come to a vote and be approved. Disillusionment will set in sometime after the draft becomes official and the new constitution is in use. The reality of another wave of civilization jihad will hit Egyptians when they face serious roadblocks to equality and human rights. The populace, no longer illiterate and trusting as in the time of Sadat but now fearless and determined, will fill the streets and squares; clashes will continue to keep the revolution alive. This is the real miracle for Egypt -- the transformation taking place in the hearts and minds of the people sustaining an ongoing rebellion. Egyptians are no longer infected with the indoctrination of "democracy equals evil" transmitted by the policies and propaganda of past dictators which bonded the populace to the rise of the Egyptian Islamic state. Nor will Egyptians any longer be dragged along by the stick and carrot – this barrier has been broken.

Over decades Egypt's presidents – Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak – systematically created today's culture of Islam's embedded power and privilege. Egypt's interim government and constituent assembly is derived from the permanent and prosperous institutional state. Democracy is unfathomable because it allows the doctrine of Islam, and its followers, to co-exist equally with other religions and ideologies -- a societal demotion. That cannot possibly be the desired outcome of those now crafting Egypt's constitution. The two extreme viewpoints of the assembly's 50 appointees are provided by ultra-conservative clerics and pro-democracy liberals. But the majority of members will aim for the status-quo and to salvage and sanitize the face of Islam ruined by the Morsi regime's push toward Sharia.

Islam's image is damaged due to the regressive religious politics of the Muslim Brotherhood [MB] and Morsi's terrorist administration which left a sour taste. Ousting Morsi and his regime, the masses spoke loud and clear regarding the Islamiists' experiment in Egypt. Intolerance will not be tolerated.

Representatives from the Coptic Church make up about five percent of the constituent assembly and include bishops. The invitation from the interim government to the church illustrates that Egypt continues to play up the importance of religion as opposed to equality and freedom of religion. In a country where religious identity cards are carried by every citizen and double standards and discrimination throughout society are based on it, it is disappointing to see the same game being played now at the critical moment of laying the foundation for expunging these prejudices. So far, the bishops in the assembly have been concentrating on protecting church doctrine, sensing that Islam will remain supreme at the completion of this "democratic" constitution.

The cultural mindset is inescapable. The system and its corruption must also be defeated. Freedom fighters must be vigilant for years to come, develop a strong leadership and continually stage protests to keep the momentum. Gradualism, at best, will be the method of democracy-building in Egypt for generations to come.

The major achievement of the January 2011 freedom uprising has been to force the writing of Egypt's constitution before presidential and parliamentary elections take place – a huge feat for the Egyptian freedom movement. After more than two years of sacrifice, bloodshed, various false starts, and a surprising alliance with Egypt's military, a coalition of 30 million individuals in the name of freedom matures daily in the process -- equipping themselves with ever greater courage and the tenacity required for the long-term.

by Ashraf Ramelah
source

WE WONDER IF THE BLEEDING HEART LIBERALS IN THE BBC ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ONE - ‘I love my job!’ Egypt’s official executioner on how much he enjoys his work... and started off by drowning cats as a child

A man claiming to be Egypt's official executioner has spoken of how much he loves his job in a sinister interview.

Hajj Abd Al-Nabi, who claims he has hanged some 800 people convicted of crimes ranging from adultery to murder, said: 'In all honesty, I love my work. I just love it!

'I never say "no" when they need me at work. This is my work and my livelihood.'

'People love me': A clip from the video which is purportedly an interview with Egypt's chief executioner

But Mr Al-Nabi's exuberant commentary on his macabre profession takes an even more chilling turn as he explains how strangulation had been his 'hobby' since he was a teenage boy.

'When I was young – about 13 or 14 years old – the dry Ismailiya Canal in Shubra Al-Kheima still had water in it,' he reminisces.

'My hobby was to catch a cat, to place a rope around its neck, to strangle it, and throw it into the water. I would get hold of any animal – even dogs.

'I would strangle these animals and throw them into the water – even dogs.'

 

Egypts executioner says he loves his job and has killed 800

He adds: 'Strangulation was my hobby. When I applied for the job and did well on the tests – proving that I could take the psychological pressure and so on – they said: "Congratulations. Now, grow a moustache".

'The truth is that my heart is dead, because executing comes from the heart, not the moustache. Only if you have a heart of stone can you be content in this line of work.'

The original provenance of the video, and its authenticity, is unclear. It was translated and reposted last week by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which says it originally emerged online in early September.

Certainly, while elements of the interview seem satirical, other statements by Mr Al-Nabi appear to be deadly serious.

'I am the executioner of the Arab Republic of Egypt. I hold the rank of chief warrant officer in the police and the prison authority,' he says.

'I am Egypt's executioner, responsible for carrying out the death penalty.'

Dedicated: Hajj Abd Al-Nabi, who claims he has hanged some 800 people convicted of crimes ranging from adultery to murder, speaks in the video, which is translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute

Despite claiming responsibility for the deaths of hundreds, it appears he believes all were justified as 'carrying out the work of Allah'.

'When it comes to carrying out my job, I am tough. The murderer has done an abominable thing, and I cannot be soft with him,' says Mr Al-Nabi.

'If I were soft towards this criminal, I wouldn't be able to execute him, but when I'm at home, with my kids, I am as calm as can be.'

He goes on: 'I have placed [the noose] around some 800 heads – tough people, big people, young people... All the despicable crimes – killing, adultery, premeditated murder, and so on... I carry out all the death sentences.'

Family man: The man in the video admits he has been obsessed with death since he was a teenager

Source 

Mail online

PA TV teaches children: The Devil and the Jews are united in hatred ofIslam's Prophet Muhammad, in PA TV cartoon broadcast for children

PA TV teaches children:

The Devil and the Jews are united 

in hatred of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, 

in PA TV cartoon broadcast for children

Jews are not to be trusted 

since they broke treaties with Muhammad

During Ramadan, Palestinian Authority TV broadcast an Egyptian cartoon series for children called The Raids of Prophet Muhammad.

One episode taught children that the Devil and the Jews were on the same side, both desiring the defeat of Muhammad. The cartoon shows the Devil ecstatic because he saw that the Jews who were filled with “hate and loathing” for Muhammad schemed to unite the Arab-pagan tribes to fight Muhammad.

Click to view

Another episode taught children that "Jews" do not "keep treaties." In the episode about Muhammad's "Battle of the Trench," one boy explains that Muhammad is digging a trench to protect Medina on its vulnerable northern side. Two other sides of the city are protected by "mountains, gardens and date trees," and the boy implies that the third side is also protected because "the Qurayza," a Jewish tribe, live there. The second boy asks if "the Prophet trust[s] the Qurayza?" The first boy answers that the Jews of this tribe "have a treaty" with Muhammad. The second boy's answer teaches the viewers that Jews are not to be trusted:

"Since when do Jews keep their treaties? Have you forgotten [the tribes of] Qaynuqa and Nadir?"
 

Click to view

PA TV broadcast this series at the time of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Note: Amidst the Arab pagan population of Medina, there were also three Jewish tribes. In the year 625 Muhammad exiled the Jewish Qaynuqa and Nadir tribes. Soon afterward, he captured the Qurayza tribe and had the 750 male captives decapitated and the wives and children sold into slavery. Islamic tradition justifies Muhammad’s actions, teaching that the three Jewish tribes broke treaties with Muhammad.
Click to see more examples of demonization of Jews in Palestinian society.

The following are excerpts of the two episodes of the cartoon:

The Devil: "I've built my plan on the burning hate and loathing of Muhammad and his supporters that fills the hearts of the Jews... "
[The Devil hovers above the Jews]
Jew: "We have lost our prestige because of Muhammad..."
Leader of Jewish tribe: "We must return to Medina and harm Muhammad and his supporters... There are [Arab-Pagan] tribes that want to destroy Muhammad and the ones who want that the most are the Quraish and their allies... These tribes are not small and they have a major conflict with Muhammad. If they unite, it will be possible to destroy Muhammad."
Jew: "And then we'll return to Medina and go back to being prestigious leaders."
Jew: "A wise idea."
Leader of Jewish tribe: "So let us go to the tribes and prepare for the war with Muhammad..."

[Official PA TV, July 29, 2013]

Boy 1: "I saw Prophet [Muhammad] digging [the trench] with his hands along with the Muslims..."
Boy 2: "Where were they digging?"
Boy 1: "North of Medina."
Boy 2: "Why?"
Boy 1: "I saw Prophet [Muhammad] digging [the trench] with his hands along with the Muslims..."
Boy 2: "Where were they digging?"
Boy 1: "North of Medina."
Boy 2: "Why?"
Boy 1: "Because mountains, gardens and date trees surround Medina from all sides except for the exposed northern side where we are digging the trench and the southern side where the Qurayza (Jewish tribe) live."
Boy 2: "Does the Prophet trust the Qurayza?"
Boy 1: "They have a treaty with him [the Prophet]."
Boy 2: "Since when do Jews keep their treaties? Have you forgotten the Qaynuqa and the Nadir?"

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=9879


PMW
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Hamas Official admits palestinians are a figment of the imagination

Hamas Minister of the Interior and of National Security Fathi Hammad admit the endless Muslim lies, and denies there exist any authentic people known as “palestinians” right on Al-Hekma TV (Egypt) on March 23, 2012.

And that would be the only truthful statement these terrorists made.

“Palestinians”, as we have said many times, are a militant creation lead by Grand Mufti al-Hussaini to continue persecution of Jews in accordance to the Quran. The present day Palestinians never existed pre 1930! All of these facts are documented in original in the actual records of the British government dating back far beyond the entire conflict. And after Israel they have promised that our countries are next.

The British Governor of the Sinai (1922-36) reported in the Palestine Royal Commission Report: "This illegal immigration was not only going on from the Sinai, but also from Transjordan and Syria."

If these so called “palestinians” were asked to give DNA and original birth certificates dating back to the British Mandate to verify their authentic origin in Palestine, where ‘philistines’, whoms identity they have stolen, died out in they would not be able to procure any authentic evidence as they are illegals. And their DNA would prove they are Arabs and Egyptians. As illegals, why have they ever been given “rights” to occupy someone else’s country?

The British Hope-Simpson Commission recommended, in 1930, "Prevention of illicit immigration" to stop the illegal Arab immigration from neighboring Arab countries.

How else can you prove they were never there until the 1930′s? Their small population. Some people argue that there was 1 million “Palestinians” in the region before the Jews were handed a small portion of their authentic homeland back in 1917. The muslim population growth can easily be used to prove this argument wrong. Had there been 1 million “palestinians” in Israel already by 1917, the current “palestinian” population would already have pushed close to 50 million people.

But what is the “Palestinian” population? In 2012 the population was recorded at
(British Mandate of Palestine, 1920s borderline; the original borderline for Israel) This is the original British Mandate. It belonged to BRITAIN not “palestinians”. Initially, all of the mandate, including Jordan, was designated for the Jews. Due to sudden illegal mass immigration of Muslims flooding into the mandate from Egypt and Arabia, the British wanted to avoid more battles and wars. Britain therefore split the Mandate into two: Israel for the Jews and Jordan to the illegals from Egypt and Arabia.

They thought this would settle the whole issue and everyone had land. But the Arabs were not interested in Jordan. They wanted more… they want to destroy Israel and kill all the Jews. The land had been almost barren during the British Mandate, only housing the original Jewish inhabitants who had managed to survive through the centuries, and remnants of the clerical branch of the Ottoman Empire, whom had been permitted by the British to remain.

Many of the Jewish population entering from 1917 were new. They were not enough in numbers to fight all the recent illegal Arabs, who were entering from all directions, and they therefore managed to settled in their territory. The REAL occupiers and invaders are the “Palestinians”. And if there is any justice in this world, the international community need to get together to either force the Muslims out – or do what you do to protect borders: kill them.
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Félix Bonfils (1831-1885) was a French photographer and writer who was active in the Middle East. Four years after his arrival he reported 15,000 prints of Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Greece, and 9,000 stereoscopic-views. These photographs of his show no presence of all these so called displaced Palestinians, who purportedly were suppose to already be living there during the British Mandate.
Muslims lie and exist only on lies and propaganda. Unless the 2013 world atlas is lying, both Egypt and Arabia are still there for all the illegals who forced themselves into Israel to kill the people to return to their real homeland. And that is exactly where they should be removed to. Both the Egyptian and Arabian government know they are terrorists and refuse to take them back.
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The Illegal Arab Invasion

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill noted the Arab influx. Churchill, a veteran of the early years of the British mandate in the Holy Land, noted in 1939 that

"far from being persecuted, the Arabs have crowded into the country and multiplied till their population has increased more than even all world Jewry could lift up the Jewish population."

The governor of the Syrian district of Hauran, Tewfik Bey El Hurani, admitted in 1934 that in a single period of only a few months over 30,000 Syrians from Houran had moved to Palestine.

The illegal Muslims who forced their presence into Palestine from Egypt ended in Gaza. And the illegals who flooded into the region from Arabia ended in and around the West Bank. Shame on those who refuse to support Israel’s right to their land, their freedom from hate and persecution, and their right to live in peace from Muslim racism and hatred. SHAME ON THEM WHO REFUSE TO SUPPORT REAL HUMAN RIGHTS! May your own homes and lives me destroyed by savage Muslims.

The Truth, Told So Many Times, Revealed Once More From Hamas Itself

In a temper tantrum on Al-Hekma TV, Hamas Minister of the Interior and of National Security Fathi Hammad blurted out the truth: that the “Palestinian” people are a fabrication, an invention. While begging for money and support, he demands to know why Egypt is unwilling to provide fuel to support Hamas and the “Palestinians” – their own nationals, who don’t even come from Palestine, but are Egyptians and Saudis. He argues that even today they continue to have their Egyptian and Saudi family names.

He confirms that the goal is not about land, but to “annihilate” the Jews and the West.
 

There never existed a state called Palestine or a people called Palestinian. And there never existed an invasion of Palestinian land “Zionists” or Jews, over a territory that contains the only history left of the jews and where they have existed over 2,500 years before Mohammed was even born.
 

The Palestine-Israeli conflict is about hate. Jew hate. In fact, it’s about 1,400 years of antisemitism created by the Arabs based on the teachings of Mohammed.

The Muslim faith demands that Muslims must hate Jews and must dedicate themselves to kill Jews. This deliberate effort to ethnic cleansing of the Jews by propaganda and lies have even been spread to the West by Arab money, and deliberate Arab propaganda put into our schools and media. We must end this savage Muslim disease and lies here and now.
In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, an executive member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), said in an interview to the Dutch newspaper Trouw: "The "Palestinian people" does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel."
From the horse’s own mouth the truth comes out.
Muslim issue

Hamas gives landmines to Egyptian Islamists and trains them in planting car bombs

Egypt state TV says that Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, has been training its Egyptian peers; Hamas denies allegations; Egypt extended a state of emergency by two months on Thursday because of the security situation.

The Hamas Islamist group ruling Gaza has been teaching Egyptian Islamists how to plant bombs in cars, Egyptian state television said on Thursday.

Hamas also gave 400 landmines to Egyptian militant groups, said the television. Hamas is an offshoot of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.

Hamas rejected the allegations on Thursday.

"This is completely incorrect," said Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman for the Islamist group.  He said that the report was an "attempt to demonize Hamas".

"Security authorities have learned that the military wing of the Hamas movement trained several people to undertake car bombing operations and trained various others to make explosives," said a presenter on state television.

"The military wing of the Hamas movement provided various Salafi jihadists and also other religious currents with 400 landmines. The security apparatus documented this and they will be arrested."

The Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi was overthrown as Egyptian president by the military in July following mass protests.

Egypt extended a state of emergency by two months on Thursday because of the security situation, the presidency said in a statement.

The army-backed government has accused Brotherhood leaders of inciting the violence and authorities have imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

Militant attacks against security forces in the lawless Sinai peninsula that borders Israel and the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip have also increased since Morsi was toppled.

Eleven people were killed and seventeen were wounded by two explosions in the northern Sinai Peninsula in the town of Rafah.

Most of the casualties were Egyptian soldiers and Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis a group affiliated with al-Qaida took responsibility for the attacks.

Source 

Jerusalem Post 

MEDIA BLACKOUT: Uncovered Muslim Brotherhood Documents Could Put ObamaIn Prison And Given The Death Penalty...

In early 2012, Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohammed Morsi pranced around Egypt proclaiming “Jihad is our path,” and thought there was nothing better than to die in the cause of Allah—that is, the exact language used by terrorists!

Despite this, Barack Obama gushed on national television after Morsi was elected President of Egypt. And oddly—or not so oddly—Obama continued to gush over Morsi while reports surfaced that the Muslim Brotherhood were setting up torture chambers for their political enemies, not to mention openly crucifying Christians!

When Morsi was deposed, the Egyptian military discovered a treasure trove of documents linking the Obama regime with the illegal activities of the Muslim Brotherhood.

One such document is a list of Muslim Brotherhood officials receiving secret bribes in U.S. currency, paid out by the U.S. consulate, amounting to millions of dollars.

Investigative journalist Jerome Corsi has obtained a copy of the document held by the Egyptian military, proving the Obama regime sent millions of dollars in bribes to the Muslim Brotherhood.

But who was managing all of this money? Did the Muslim Brotherhood walk around with hundreds of thousands of dollars in their pockets?

Enter Malik Obama, Obama’s half brother. According to Egyptian television, citing the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt:

The President’s brother…is one of the architects of the major investments of the Muslim Brotherhood.

We’re not just talking about the bribes the Muslim Brotherhood received in Egypt, but the entire Muslim Brotherhood finances—worldwide—that more than likely included an astounding $8 billion dollar bribe to the Muslim Brotherhood made by the Obama regime. The bribe was payment to guarantee that the huge tract of Egyptian land, the Sinai Peninsula, be turned over to the Muslim Brotherhood sister group Hamas, undoubtably to put Israel in an indefensible position. The Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas mince no words about their goals for Israel: total annihilation.

According to Egypt Daily News, a document exists showing the eight billion dollar  “holocaust” agreement with the Obama administration that was signed by former Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi and his second in command Khairat Al-Shater, both under arrest by the Egyptian military for murder and treason.

Does this document really exist, showing the $8 billion dollar bribe signed by Obama or one of his representatives?

Undoubtably.

According to Khairat Al-Shater’s son, Saad Al-Shater, prior to being arrested by the Egyptian military, his father was in possession of information linking Obama with the Muslim Brotherhoodthat he says would put Obama in prison.

As reported by a multitude of Arabic news sources:

In an interview with the Anatolia News Agency, Saad Al-Shater, the son of a Muslim Brotherhood leader, the detained Khairat Al-Shater said that his father had in his hand evidence that will land the head of United States of America, President Obama, in prison.

If the Egyptian military releases this document, it would no doubt spell the end of the Obama presidency, bringing impeachment, a long prison term, and perhaps even the death penalty. P

Source

Red Flag News

Over 50 Churches Torched in Egypt: Wiesenthal Center Denounces Muslim Brotherhood Pogrom; Urges US, EU to Designate Muslim Brotherhood a Hate Group

The Simon Wiesenthal Center expressed its horror and outrage over the Muslim Brotherhood's (MB) pogrom that has destroyed at least 50 Coptic Christian Churches in Egypt. "While we do not condone the deaths of any innocent protesters in Egypt —nothing can justify such attacks," charged Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper the founder and dean and associate dean of the International Jewish Human Rights NGO.
“This pogrom against Egypt's historic Christian community provides more bloody proof that the Muslim Brotherhood is not a fit partner for a future democratic Egypt but an avowed enemy of the values of democracy, equality and freedom. The violent targeting of an entire religious community comprising millions of fellow citizens, its longstanding hatred for the Jewish people, its intolerance of any Muslim who does not share their theology or world view, confirms to the world what the MB really is— an extremist hate group.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center reiterates our call to the Obama Administration and the European Union to publicly denounce the Muslim Brotherhood for what it is, and to redouble international efforts to work with any and all Egyptians truly committed to a future society based on peaceful coexistence, and mutual respect," Rabbis Hier and Cooper concluded.

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter page or mobile device.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).




Source
The Simon Wiesenthal Center

Obama vilified in Cairo

Curiously, a massive wave of anti-Obama sentiment in Egypt has been utterly ignored by vintage media, even though the protests may be the largest in all of human history.

















http://www.israpundit.com/archives/56304

Posted with Blogsy

Copts under the Gun: Religious Freedom in Egypt Interview with Raymond Ibrahim

As Mohamed Morsi faces the prospect of an imminent military coup, Raymond Ibrahim, the American son of two Egyptian parents and author of Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War on Christians, talks about the situation in Egypt and its implications, in particular for Christians who already find themselves in a precarious position.

KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ: What could the backlash against Morsi in Egypt mean for the future of Egypt?

RAYMOND IBRAHIM: On the one hand, the average Egyptian has tasted a solid year of rule under the Muslim Brotherhood — and the majority don't like it, as evinced by the mass demonstrations currently underway. On the other hand, it is a mistake to think that the uprising against Morsi and the Brotherhood is all about rejecting Islamization and sharia. A great many of those protesting Morsi are doing so less because of his Islamist agenda — which many are indifferent to — and more because he and his party have proven to be incompetent, corrupt, and, in short, making the average Egyptian miss Mubarak. Egyptians have been reduced to not having food to eat — and this is their fundamental concern. All that said, Egyptians have now had a taste of an Islamist government — which always sounded great, in theory — and, by and large, they have learned they don't like it, the hard way.

LOPEZ: What do the Copts need?

IBRAHIM: All that the Copts want is equality — to be seen and treated as full Egyptian citizens, irrespective of their Christian faith. Under the era of Westernization and modernization, they were indeed largely seen as "regular" Egyptians. But, as Muslims went from emulating the West, to having contempt for it — I discuss this phenomenon at length in my book Crucified Again — so too did they begin to reclaim their Islamic heritage, and its teachings, which are fundamentally hostile to non-Muslims, and so Egypt's most indigenous and native inhabitants — the Christian Copts — come to suffer for it.

LOPEZ: Who was Cyril Yusuf Sa'ad?

IBRAHIM: He was a six-year-old Coptic Christian boy who was abducted and held for ransom. Muslim abductions of Christians is an increasingly common practice, not just in Egypt, but in Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, etc. (as I show in Crucified Again). The boy was eventually killed in late May. According to the Arabic language report, the boy's "family is in tatters after paying 30,000 pounds to the abductor, who still killed the innocent child and threw his body into the toilet of his home, where the body, swollen and moldy, was exhumed."

LOPEZ: Who was Agape Essam Girgis?

IBRAHIM: She is a 14-year-old Coptic girl who, on her way to school accompanied by a Muslim social worker and two teachers — one of whom was a Salafi — never returned. She was drugged and awakened to find herself in a secluded place with an elderly woman and Salafis who tried to convert her to Islam, forced her to wear the full hijab, and beat her. She was eventually released — she's actually one of the few lucky Coptic girls who made it back home (one recent study states that well over 500 Coptic girls have been abducted, raped, seduced, blackmailed, etc., in the last few years).

LOPEZ: Is it an exaggeration to argue that there is a jihad on children in Egypt? And is there a danger in relying on some of the news accounts?

IBRAHIM: Well, what more must happen before highlighting the plight of Christian youth under Islam is justified? Christian boys and girls in Egypt are frequently targeted, often for "ransom" money — as they are in Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, and all throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Those targeting them are Muslims who, for a variety of reasons, have concluded that their actions — targeting Christians for extortion, and often yanking them from the doorsteps of their "infidel" churches — are legitimate in the context of Islam and jihad. I explain this phenomenon — doctrinally and historically – in Crucified Again. Indeed, only the other day, I wrote about new threats directed against Egypt's Christians, telling them not to join protests against Morsi, otherwise their "businesses, cars, homes, schools, and churches" might "catch fire." The message concluded by saying: "If you are not worried about any of these, then worry about your children and your homes. This message is being delivered with tact. But when the moment of truth comes, there will be no tact." Around the same time, Sheikh Essam Abdulamek, a member of parliament's Shura Council, warned Egypt's Christians on live TV against participating in the June 30 protests, saying, "Do not sacrifice your children."

LOPEZ: Is it really fair to say that the Obama administration is enabling Christian persecution, as you do?

IBRAHIM: It's not just fair — it's indubitably true. In every single country where Christian minorities live among Muslim majorities, Obama's policies have empowered the Islamist parties, with the obvious consequence that the Christians are first to suffer. In Egypt, as expected, since the Obama-backed Brotherhood came to power, the persecution of Copts has practically been legalized, as unprecedented numbers of Christians — men, women, and children — have been arrested, often receiving more than double the maximum prison sentence, under the accusation that they "blasphemed" Islam or its prophet. It was also under Brotherhood rule that another unprecedented scandal occurred: St. Mark Cathedral — the holiest site of Coptic Christianity and home of the pope himself — was besieged in broad daylight by Islamic rioters. When security came, they too joined in the attack on the cathedral.

In Libya, after Obama supported the al-Qaeda "freedom fighters," Libya's small Christian minority has been targeted in unprecedented ways. Among other things, the very few churches there are under attack and bombed; nuns that have been serving the sick and needy since 1921 have been harassed and forced to flee; foreign Christians possessing Bibles have been arrested and tortured (one recently died from his torture). And in Syria — where does one begin? Churches are being bombed and Christians are routinely being beheaded — most recently a Catholic priest, one of many. I discuss all this in my recent article, "Obama's Proxy War on Mideast Christians." If the reader finds this title outrageous, I might point out that, the same day my article was published, it was revealed that Syrian Christians were asking, "Why is America at war with us?"

LOPEZ: Should the persecution of Christians in the Middle East serve as a reminder to us of how precious a liberty religious freedom is?

IBRAHIM:Yes. Yes. And yes.

LOPEZ: How do you avoid being anti-Muslim while documenting "the continuity and interconnectivity of Christian persecution under Islam"?

IBRAHIM: It is one thing to talk about Islam and its teachings — which often are black and white (depending on whether one is a Sunni, Shia, etc.) — and another thing to talk about the Muslim guy down the street. I know the former inside out; I do not know the latter. So I talk about Islamic history, doctrine, continuity, etc. — but I leave room for the fact that, of course, just because someone is named "Muhammad" certainly does not mean he's a jihadi, anymore than someone named "Christian" is always "turning the other cheek." That said, I think it is folly to suppress talk about Islam simply because it might make a nominal American Muslim feel "uncomfortable." It's a question of priorities: What's more important — to have the plight of millions of Christians suffering under Islam reach the light of day, even though some Muslims in America might feel uncomfortable at how such news makes Islam look, or to cover up the plight of these millions of victims, simply so Islam doesn't look so bad in the West? The mainstream media has tended for this latter option. This is why I wroteCrucified Again, to fill the vacuum created by the MSM's negligence in reporting on the reality of Muslim persecution of Christians.

LOPEZ: "Now that the 'Arab Spring' has reached Syria – another stronghold of early Christianity that today is almost entirely Islamic — the attacks on monasteries there demonstrate the continuity between the original jihad and the jihad we know in the twenty-first century." Is that the backstory to the murder of Fr. Murad?

IBRAHIM: Absolutely. That's just it: All that we're seeing today has a long continuity. As I tried to show in Crucified Again, every pattern of persecution we see today — whether church bombings or bannings, blasphemy codes to silence Christians, execution of Muslim apostates to Christianity, destruction of Bibles and crosses, extortion, and even the targeting of Christian women and children — goes back 1,400 years to the very beginnings of Islam, with identical patterns of behavior by Muslims vis-a-vis Christians. This is demonstrably true and documented in the book.

LOPEZ: What goes through your head as you cover these stories of persecution and violence as a son of Egyptian parents?

IBRAHIM: Lots of things: empathy for mideast Christians — as I know that could be me, and actually is some of my extended family — and hence commitment to try to be their voice — the voice of the voiceless; gratefulness that my parents emigrated from Egypt to the U.S. when they did; and despair, for I know that that which is on full display in the Islamic world, is destined to come here — unless the West finally opens its eyes.

source

Chief Justice Adly el-Mansour was officially sworn into office :: Israel fears Jihadist attacks after Morsi's ouster :: Egyptians Blame Obama for Morsi Repression

Arutz 7

Chief Justice Adly el-Mansour was officially sworn into office Thursday as the new transitional President of Egypt.

Egyptians take part in demonstration to 

show their support for their country's military

AFP photo

First, however, he was sworn in as head of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court.

The chief justice, chosen by Egyptian Army General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to replace ousted President Mohamed Morsi, had not yet been sworn in as chief justice.

Minutes before the ceremony, Egyptian air force pilots staged several fly-bys in the skies over Cairo.

Fourteen jets in a V-formation streaked across the skies over downtown Cairo minutes before Chief Justice Adly el-Mansour was sworn in as interim president of Egypt.

Nine jets followed, flying at a low altitude and leaving a trail of red, white and black smoke behind them to reflect the colors of the national flag.

In a news briefing following the ceremony, the new president told journalists that Muslim Brotherhood members "part of the people" and welcome to help "build the nation," the web site of the state-run Al Ahram daily newspaper reported.

"The Muslim Brotherhood group is part of this people and are invited to participate in building the nation, as nobody will be excluded," Mansour said. "If they respond to the invitation, they will be welcomed."

Y Net   Israel fears Jihadist attacks after Morsi's ouster 

State officials warn growing instability in Egypt will create vacuum in Sinai which could be exploited for execution of terror attacks. 'Israel enjoyed good security cooperation with Morsi's Egypt,' says one official

A day after the Egyptian army deposed President Mohamed Morsi and suspended the constitution, Israel is concerned that Jihadists will exploit the situation to carry out terror attacks.

 

"It's hard to believe the Egyptians will overcome the ever-deepening polarization between the Islamist Egypt and the secular Egypt," an Israeli state official estimated Wednesday.

 

"Ultimately, they will have no choice but to find an agreed-upon framework for cooperation but until they do, we might see violent clashes," he added.

 

On Wednesday, former Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer remarked that "The Muslim Brotherhood's bizarre regime is over and done with. If a secular candidate wins it will have a huge impact on the entire Middle East."

 

State officials describe the current situation in Cairo as a nerve-wracking game of poker. "On the one hand, Morsi doesn't want to resign; on the other, the army doesn't want to take full responsibility. Egyptians are starting to realize that Islam is not the answer. It provides them with no solution to the economic situation," one state official said.

 

He noted that Israel enjoyed good security cooperation with Egypt under Morsi's leadership. "It's not about us, we're monitoring the situation from the sidelines."

 

The Prime Minister's bureau has ordered the cabinet not to publically discuss Egypt.

 

Government officials denied reports that Israel has allowed the Egyptian army to deploy reinforcements in the Sinai Peninsula.

However, the past few days have seen increased military activity in the border area with Egyptians trying to seal smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. The Egyptian army is hoping to prevent the movement of Hamas militants from the Strip to Egypt and thwart the smuggling of weapons into the country.

 

State officials have admitted that growing instability in Egypt would make it harder for the Egyptians to maintain their control in Sinai. The main concern is that Jihadists will use the vacuum to try to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel or the Egyptian army.

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The United Nations, the United States and other world powers did not condemn Mursi's removal as a military coup. To do so might trigger sanctions.


Army intervention was backed by millions of Egyptians, including liberal leaders and religious figures who expect new elections under a revised set of rules.

Protesters, who are against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi,
 gesture in Tahrir Square in Cairo July 3, 2013. Credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Protesters wear masks of Morsi and other Egyptian leaders
AFP file

Egyptians Blame Obama for Morsi Repression

Egyptians have been protesting by the millions against now ex-President Mohammed Morsi - as well as against current President Barack Obama

Egyptians have been protesting by the millions against now ex-President Mohammed Morsi, but there have been other noticeable themes among protesters – specifically, the anti-American theme. While Morsi's dictatorial ways and bumbling of the economy have been the central complaint of protesters, the image of U.S. President Barack H. Obama has been prominent on many protest signs.

Obama, it will be recalled, was a principal backer of the revolution against Hosni Mubarak, and enthusiastically endorsed the election of Morsi as the first democratically elected leader of Egypt ever. When Morsi was elected in June 2012, Obama called him to congratulate him on his victory. In a statement, the White House said that the U.S. “will continue to support Egypt’s transition to democracy and stand by the Egyptian people as they fulfill the promise of their revolution.” The statement also “emphasized [Obama's] interest in working together with President-elect Morsi, on the basis of mutual respect, to advance the many shared interests between Egypt and the United States.”

It later became clear that the Egyptian people did not necessarily appreciate Obama's expressions of support for Morsi. In September, an Egyptian mob stormed the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, at the same time the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya was attacked. In an interview, Obama said of Egypt that “I don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy.” Regardless, he said, the current government in Egypt was “democratically elected. I think it's a work in progress.”

As protests began to mount towards the end of 2012, Obama began expressing concern over Morsi's repressive ways. In a statement on December 6, the White House said that “President Obama called President Morsi today to express his deep concern about the deaths and injuries of protesters in Egypt. The President emphasized that all political leaders in Egypt should make clear to their supporters that violence is unacceptable. He welcomed President Morsi’s call for a dialogue with the opposition but stressed that such a dialogue should occur without preconditions... He reiterated the United States’ continued support for the Egyptian people and their transition to a democracy that respects the rights of all Egyptians.”

Still, Obama was clearly on Morsi's side; in May 2013, he overrode a Congressional effort to withhold military funding to Egypt, issuing a waiver authorizing transfer of the aid over restrictions imposed by Congress, which had sought to tie the assistance to progress in human rights efforts. According to senior Congressional officials, it was unlikely Egypt could have met those criteria.

The funding was not widely publicized in the U.S., but it was noticed by the Egyptian people, who began blaming the U.S., and particularly Obama, for supporting the repressive Morsi regime. During the recent protests that led up to Morsi's ouster, many signs and shouts accusing Obama of supporting repression could be seen in Tahrir Square, and in other protest centers.

The phenomenon was clear to CNN's Reza Sayah, who on Wednesday night commented on the signs claiming that Obama “had allied himself with terrorists,” “Obama backs a fascist regime in Egypt,” “Obama is killing Egyptians,” and others. “Egyptians love Americans,” Sayeh said, “but they don’t love U.S. foreign policy. Remember, they will never forget that for decades, it was Washington that supported the dictator Hosni Mubarak and his brutal police state.”

On Thursday, the State Department ordered the departure of all non-essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. A skeleton staff will be kept on at the site, with families and non-essential personnel to be evacuated from the country. The State Department did not say if it feared a takeover of the embassy. So far, no other foreign governments have ordered an evacuation of their personnel from Egypt.

Protesters against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi
set-off fireworks in Tahrir Square in Cairo

Army soldier cheers with protesters against Egyptian
President Mohamed Mursi

Obama Sends U.S. Troops to Prop Up Morsi

In yet another remarkable display of Obama’s determination to secure the Middle East for Islamofascists, 400 U.S. troops will reportedly be deployed to Egypt to augment the police force of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. They will be part of a 13-country force stationed in Egypt in anticipation of protests, scheduled for June 30th, calling for the removal of Morsi. Curiously, whereas Obama readily threw former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak under the bus in 2011, the White House is now eager to defend the regime of Morsi, who, like his Muslim Brotherhood sponsors, is well on his way to imposing the Saudi Arabian model of governance on Egypt.

The so-called “peacekeeping mission” on which the U.S. troops will serve is expected to last nine months. It follows six months of training by troops at both Fort Hood, Texas and Fort Irwin, California. That training reportedly included crowd control measures as well as Molotov cocktail attack response. ”Soldiers encountered Molotov cocktails and other dangerous items in the training,” reported a local TV news station out of Killeen, TX that broke the story.

A Fort Hood Press Center release reveals that a battalion task force from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team will be part of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) peacekeeping contingency based along the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula between Eilat, Israel, and Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt. Once there, they will man positions and checkpoints, report any violations of the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, and remain prepared to respond to threats. That treaty required Israeli forces to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula and for Egypt to keep the area demilitarized. An exception to the treaty was authorized in 2011 when Israel allowed several hundred Egyptian troops into the area to quell violence that occurred then.

Troops assigned to the MFO are not under operational command of their respective nations, but commanded by the MFO itself. The MFO’s headquarters are located in Rome, Italy. With regard to American troops, the MFO website notes they will be expected to provide a Quick Reaction Force should the need arise.

The need is likely to arise. Since former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was ousted–with the blessing of the Obama administration–Mohamed Morsi has moved swiftly to consolidate his power. He has suppressed the media and the arts, and issued an edict boosting his power and sidelining the judiciary in the process. He removed key officers from the Egyptian military, and allowed Muslim Brotherhood loyalists to rewrite the nation’s constitution. Attacks on Coptic Christian churches has occurred with alarming frequency, and women also face a dark future in a nation sexual harassment in endemic, and Muslim Brotherhood members condemned a UN report that gave judges, rather than husbands, authority in cases of divorce while granting women full rights to file legal complaints against their husbands for rape or sexual harassment.

As a result of his overreach, there is massive opposition to Morsi’s oppressive regime. A liberal secular group known as the Rebels has collected 15 million signatures on petitions calling for Morsi’s impeachment. That number represents a substantially larger total than the 13.2 million votes Morsi got in the 2012 election. The group intends to deliver the petitions to Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, the nation’s highest, prior to the June 30 demonstrations. ”The regime did not take one step toward fulfilling the goals of the revolution,” said Rebel volunteer Amir Mahrous, 21, who was gathering signatures in Cairo. “This is why we are rebelling again.”

Morsi supporters claim they have garnered 10 million signatures in support of the regime. On June 21, 100,000 of his supporters held a pro-government rally in Cairo. Signs carried by the demonstrators read, ”The Koran is the constitution” and “Islam is the solution.” Morsi himself contends the Rebels petition carries no weight.

Thus, there is a burgeoning standoff between liberal secular Egyptians one side, and dedicated Islamists on the other. One that could precipitate widespread violence in four days. And President Barack Obama has sent American troops to Egypt–to stand with the Islamists.

Adding to the spectacular absurdity of U.S. troops protecting Morsi’ thuggish regime–and by extension a Muslim Brotherhood that spawned al Qaeda and Hamas–is the reality that some of the troops deployed there come from the same military base where another Islamist, Maj. Nidal Hasan, killed 13 and wounded 32 of his fellow soldiers in 2009. That attack was labeled “workplace violence” and troops and their families were denied Purple Hearts and survivors benefits when the administration claimed that such awards, given to those ”wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States” would ”set the stage for a formal declaration that Major Hasan is a terrorist,” thereby jeopardizing his ability to receive a fair trial.

As is often the case with the “most transparent administration in history,” the White House has maintained silence regarding American troops being deployed into a potential nation-wide firestorm. Egyptian military spokesman Ahmed Ali insists that media reports regarding the deployment are inaccurate and that American troops will be nothing more than part of “the periodical renewal routine for the US faction of the 13-state multinational force deployed in Sinai since the peace treaty.” He further insisted the MFO “is not armed with military operations gear.”

Egyptian Major Ahmed Shaaban echoed that contention insisting the 400 troops were only part of a “routine” replacement of fellow U.S. soldiers on Sinai’s border. “They are only training to protect themselves as a matter of high-level security,” he insisted. “I don’t think these trainings are necessary because the peacekeeping force is not even authorized to conduct any military operations; they are only there to observe and report,” he added.

In the meantime, Reuters reports that Egyptians are stocking up on food, fuel and cash in anticipation of protests that “many fear will be the most violent and disruptive this year.” Furthermore, the U.S. embassy announced it would be closed on June 30, and warned Americans in Egypt to get enough supplies to make it through an “extended period of time.”

Last month, Secretary of State John Kerry released $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid to the Morsi regime, despite a law that requires him to certify that the Egyptian government ”is supporting the transition to civilian government, including holding free and fair elections, implementing policies to protect freedom of expression, association and religion, and due process of law.” Kerry waived that restriction–despite writing a May 9 memo indicating that ”we are not satisfied with the extent of Egypt’s progress and are pressing for a more inclusive democratic process and the strengthening of key democratic institutions.”

In the year since he has come to power, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has done virtually everything in his power to undermine a more inclusive democratic process and the strengthening of key democratic institutions. Yet the beat goes on for a president and an administration so desperate to maintain its Arab spring narrative, nothing remotely resembling reality intrudes.

In 2009, one of the few genuine spasms of resistance to Islamofacism broke out in Iran. Obama chose not to “meddle,” and thousands of pro-democracy Iranians were subsequently brutalized into submission. History is on the cusp of repeating itself in Egypt, with perhaps millions of Egyptian ready to stand up for democracy. This time Obama has “upped his game.” He now stands with the Islamists in no uncertain terms.

via :  Right Side News