Wednesday, July 3, 2013

1 hour 23 minutes 22 seconds






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Countdown to Ultimatum

Cairo, Egypt: 10AM

Countdown until Military Ultimatum: 6 hours, 59 min and 5 seconds


The Cover of the Muslim Brotherhood Paper "Freedom and Justice." The title says: 'The president: My blood is the price of legitimacy'


Another quiet morning in Dokki. As I have mentioned previously, days are slow to get started here even when you wake up at 6 AM. Looking out over my sleepy street, it is hard to imagine that sporadic clashes broke out last night in parts of Giza. Thankful, they were far from my neighborhood, which is peaceful.

The only word to describe Cairo right now is a bit tense. Last night, President Muhammad Morsi gave a speech in response to the military's ultimatum. Unsurprisingly, he has no intention of giving up power, reiterating over and over again that he is the legitimate governor of Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood waited over 80 years, through state repression and torture, to come to power and they were not letting it go after just 1 year in office. Morsi largely looked out of touch with the events around him, given the fact that 17 million people demonstrated in favor of his removal just days before. It has become a familiar drama in the Middle East since the outbreak of the Arab Spring. The embattled ruler gives one more speech about his resolve to stay the course in spite of outside pressure. Will Morsi go the same way as Ben Ali and Mubarak? If I was him, I would start researching islands to spend his retirement. I hear Capri is nice this time of year.

Photo by Ahmed Farag
 This speech was not well received in Egypt to say the least. We immediately received a message from the CASA Program that classes today were being canceled due to concerns about transportation. Demonstrations in Cairo have largely been peaceful but some turned violent last night as members of the Muslim Brotherhood clashed with the opposition. Some of the leadership is ratcheting up their rhetoric with Mohamed El-Beltagy urging members “to seek martyrdom” in the battle against “a military coup.” The health ministry reports that 16 people died and 559 people were injured last night.

As for the life of a student in Cairo, the American University is closed until further notice. Currently, no embassies in Egypt have required the departure or evacuation of their citizens and the American University  does not believe it is necessary for international students to leave the country. However, some programs are considering recommending the departure of their students. As evidence of how tense things are, we can elect to be evacuated at any time. I plan to remain as long as I feel safe in Cairo or until the embassy requires our evacuation. I should be back in classes tomorrow as scheduled. We also have the option to move to the AUC dorms but I plan to stay in my apartment with the Internet, TV and 24-hour delivery for now.

At the other end of the extreme, the Cairo Scholars listserve, a list for academics in Egypt, continues as if nothing is happening. A woman just posted about English books for sale in Maadi. Used books are not at the top of my list right now. Anyone dying for a copy of Everything's Eventual by Stephen King? Light reading in case the government falls?

Photo by Ahmed Farag
With only hours until the military's ultimatum, this evening is likely to see huge demonstrations and more clashes between opponents and supports of Morsi. While Morsi appears publicly defiant, the military seems to be continuing to set the groundwork for a coup. Earlier in the day, Egypt’s generals took control of the state’s newspaper, Al Ahram. It is now reporting that Muslim Brotherhood senior officials have been placed under house arrest and the group's funds have been seized. The army has also began securing facilities across Egypt including those containing weapons and ammunition. It appears that the coup is eminent. 

While any steps that reduce bloodshed seem prudent, I still oppose the military stepping in to solve this current crisis. I went back to look at the Tamrod (Rebellion) Campaign's original plan for a transition after Morsi resigned. They demanded that Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) call for early presidential elections. During the transitional period, they proposed that the chairman of the SCC become acting president and a coalition cabinet would be formed to include all the national political movements and parties. 

In terms of a transition, this seems like a much better plan that secures civilian rather than military rule. However, it is no longer on the table. Tamarod spokesperson Mahmoud Badr said today: “We salute the Army! We salute them! They have shown that they are with the people.” While not everyone is pro-military, it seems that the majority of Egyptians view a coup - they don't call it that - as the only viable option.

For now, I wait to see what happens....
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Responses To Morsi's speech

I ask people who to look at the actual material of the show in order to look beyond the rhetoric. We repeat: In the interests of the safety of people there is no show this week






  He said Democracy and Shariah how many times?




Be stable .... It's a dark cloud that will pass ... they are digging their graves with their own hands ..





Are you paying attention that he talked about violence, opposition and remnants? He did not respond to the army's statement (in his speech)... or in the written presidential statement? Why do you think?

You are cursed chairs. You are cursed politics.



  Thank you Ahmed Khedr, Mohammad Salama and Mahmoud Amer for your assistance. All mistakes are my own.
 

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President Morsi's Official Statement via Twitter

President Mohamed Morsi confirms his constitutional legality and rejects any attempt to break it and calls for the withdrawal of armed forces warning and rejects any internal or external dictates
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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Images of Revolution

Alexandria, Egypt

Demonstrators celebrate the news that the Egyptian military has given President Morsi a 48-hour ultimatum while a military helicopter flies overhead.



Cairo, Egypt


 A woman calls for Morsi to "Get Out!" during a demonstration in Midan at-Tahrir.



  Fireworks over Midan at-Tahrir.

Apache helicopters fly over Cairo after the military announces the 48-hour ultimatum.
 


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When Democracy Dies to Roaring Applause

Apache Helicopters Circling Downtown Cairo.
Photo By Nav S'okay
Last night, five helicopters circled over downtown Cairo, flying the Egyptian flag and the flag of the armed forces as I sat on my balcony. The victory parade of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).  Every time they passed over head, the whole neighborhood erupted into cheers. In the distance, the sound of  honking horns and the pops of fireworks were audible. All of Cairo seemed to be celebrating the eminent end of a single year of semi-democratic rule and the downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood. The SCAF had just announced that were giving President Morsi 48-hours to find a solution to the current political crisis or they would impose there own road map. Few people are using the word coup d'état in Egypt. In spite of this, it clearly appears that we are only days away from the military toppling an elected but extremely unpopular government. And people are ecstatic...

My Egyptian friends went down to Midan at-Tahrir to celebrate the news, counting down the hours until Morsi is gone. I keep hearing over and over again that people trust the military and that it will protect the people's interest. In their minds, anyone is better than those "thugs," the Muslim Brotherhood. A friend promised to take me to Midan at-Tahrir when the government falls to celebrate.

Headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood
It was the end to an whirlwind of activity over the previous 16 hours. The morning thad started with the ransacking of the Muslim Brotherhood offices. No one seemed quiet what to expect next after a day in which thirteen million people demonstrated around the country.  Developments in Egypt almost all happen in the evening so the days are largely long, hot waiting games. The news that a series of ministers had resigned in response to the demonstrations trickled in over the course of the later afternoon and then came the announcement by the military at around 6pm. Twitter and social media exploded...

At around 7:30, I went for a run with two colleagues around Dokki and into Zamelak. The announcement of a possible coup may seem like an odd time to take a jog but you quickly learn that life goes on in Cairo even as the political future remains uncertain. We had spent much of the two days before cooped up watching events unfold on the television and just wanted to get outside. The streets were live and a carnival-like atmosphere prevailed around Cairo. Cairenes drove in circles honking their horns and the street was a sea of waving flags. I seem to be the only one around me both standing with the opposition but with serious reservations about these events.

Midan al-Galaa
It may be too early to tell exactly what is going to happen or what the SCAF plans to do if and when they take power. However, recent as well as historical memory seems rather short among those around me. After the January 2011 Revolution, the SCAF ruled Egypt for 18 months, before the Muslim Brotherhood, without great success. They oversaw the trial of  journalists and protester in closed military trials as well unleashed violence against protestors that included the massacre of 20 Coptic Christians in October 2011. For women in Egypt, the period of military rule was more than a bit problematic with the 'Blue bra girl' atrocity and virginity tests preformed on female protests coming to mind. This history has been swept away in a wave of enthusiasm. Besides the most recent history, Egypt, like many countries in the region, has its own legacy of coups and military rule that failed to bring about democratic reforms and set the stage for the crisis that is unfolding around me.

People's excitement has yet to dissipate today although things are significantly more sober than last night. The biggest question seems to be what will Morsi do next. He has yet make a public appearance since the military's announcement. His few remaining allies seem determined to defend him and I somehow doubt that the Muslim Brotherhood will slink off into the shadows. Big demonstrations are expected this evening and clashes remain a possibility. In spite of this, a take over by SCAF seems like a foregone conclusion.

My greatest fear is that the military plans to take power and keep it, ending Egypt's short lived experiment with democracy. Regardless of what criticisms I have of the Muslim Brotherhood and the seriously flawed nature of the elections that brought Morsi to power, this seems to set an unfortunate precedent for the construction of pluralistic, democratic future. This is no revolutionary government that is taking power but the same entrench interests of the Mubarak era, who sought to divide the revolution after its original success. In this sense, I feel like the prophet Cassandra, doomed to see the future and not be believed.  

I hope that I am wrong. The SCAF will face the same challenges as the Morsi and clearly does not have any solution. Egyptians' patience is running short. This is not 1952 and the military will not be able to ignore the Egyptian people after the outpouring of popular opposition seen over the last couple of days. It seems increasingly unlikely that they can hold power alone. However, this does not mean that the coalition of forces that come together will not represent the same entrenched interests as the previous regimes. I hope that this is just the next step towards building a system that serves the people's interest and not the end of Egypt's unfinished revolution. The obstacles seem even greater than they did before June 30th.

The revolution continues for now.  At this point, the only thing to do is wait and see...


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مثيري الذعر في وسائل الإعلام: مصر، الاستشراق والتعسف في استعمال




عدد من عناوين الأخبار الإنجليزية  من هذا الصباح: ة
يقبض التوتر على مصر كما تنمو الاحتجاجات
أربعة قتلى على الأقل كما يندلع العنف في مصر ويحذر الشيوخ من الحرب الأهلية
تصب المصريون في الشوارع ومطالبين باستقالة مرسي

اثنين من المقالات جنبا إلى جنب حول المظاهرات في القاهرة الأمس: و نا
   
وفي السيل من الغضب ضد الرئيس المصري، محمد مرسي، أشعل نواة من المتظاهرين النار في مقر جماعة الإخوان مسلمين للدكتور مرسي. و.
نزل الملايين من المحتجين المعارضين إلى الشوارع في جميع أنحاء مصر للمطالبة بتنحي الرئيس المصري محمد مرسي يوم الاحد, الذي يصادف فيه نهاية السنة الأولى من رئاسته، وأعمال العنف تحصد سبعة قتلى على الاقل.و
 
إن الاقتباس الأول هو الفقرة الافتتاحية من المقالة في صحيفة نيويورك تايمز، والثانيهما هو من الموقع الإنجليزي لصحيفة الأهرام  المصرية. وبشكل عام، لا أتفق مع التركيز على العنف في الفقرتين ولكن هذا هو الأسئلة ليوم آخر. ويبرز الاقتباس من صحيفة نيويورك تايمز الصراع والغضب بدلا عن أي العواطف الأخرى من مظاهرات يوم أمس.على الرغم من ألا يسبق حجم الاحتجاجات, لا يستحق الذكر في  مطلع المقالة. بطريقة أو بأخرى تصبح مسيرة الملايين من الناس في الشوارع الفكرة التلوية التى يخطرها بالبال وتتجاهل صحيفة نيويورك تايمز هذا الجانب من القصة. فلا تصلح القصة مع السرد الذي تحاول ان يحكيه وبالتالي دفنها. ة.
 
وعلى الرغم من التركيز على العنف في وسائل الإعلام الغربية، واتصفت المظاهرات بالفرح وبالغبطة وبالسعادة وبالإثارة. وكانت الاحتجاجات أكبر مظاهرة واحدة على الاطلاق. في حين كان هناك غضب بالطبع ضد مرسي وحكومته، لم يكن هذا هو العاطفة فقط في ميدان التحرير. عندما تحدثت مع الأصدقاء المصريين حول الأحداث من شقتي، لم يدفعهم الغضب إلى الشوارع بالملايين. فطمحوا إلى التغيير الجوهري لحكومة مصرية التي شعروها لا تمثل مصالحهم وتفعل توفر وسيلة إلى الأمام بالنظر إلى الأزمات السياسية والاقتصادية الراهنة التي تواجهها مصر. على الرغم من هذا، واستمر وسائل الإعلام تركيز روايتها المتعبة حول الشارع العربي، الذي يتميز باللاعقلانية والعنف والفوضى. ز.
 
وبصرف النظر عن طبيعة ملهمة للاحتجاجات يوم الاحد، وأنا لا أريد التقليل من العنف يوم أمس. كان حرق مكتب جماعة الإخوان المسلمين مؤسف لكن ليس من المستغرب. ينبغي لنا أن نحزن على الأرواح التي فقدت أمس وتكريم أولئك الذين ماتوا تقاتل من أجل مستقبل بلدهم. ومع ذلك، يجب علينا ألا ندع بضعة عزل أعمال العنف أصبح التركيز الأساسي لفهمنا من الأحداث التي تتكشف في مصر. ر.

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