tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65404140554758367702024-03-04T20:09:14.492-08:00Behind the RevolutionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-66059653183676535902014-06-30T23:01:00.000-07:002014-06-30T23:16:51.532-07:00June 30th First Anniversary <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRV02usf9wHu3mHbmlHSyIGIXHIMET6uuwTK-SUDwfnIAPyn2kbzc8PbkvQhLjfb5EExXTNPWC4BAGnlundgmILCo2deGcwlFefvG9LGw3SjCp2eAtZdC198VUJuDdlv1UMXUyT2JNEMQZ/s1600/IMG_7036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRV02usf9wHu3mHbmlHSyIGIXHIMET6uuwTK-SUDwfnIAPyn2kbzc8PbkvQhLjfb5EExXTNPWC4BAGnlundgmILCo2deGcwlFefvG9LGw3SjCp2eAtZdC198VUJuDdlv1UMXUyT2JNEMQZ/s1600/IMG_7036.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">June 30th, 2013 is the day Egyptians decided to act on their </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Khaled-Sayed/e/B00KJMIBXC/fblink/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_nu_zwKStb11M3TDP" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rebel campaign</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> threats. Millions of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo and many other cities in Egypt to protest against the Muslim Brotherhood ruling and against president Mohamed Morsi. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walking among the protesters on that day, and overhearing their concerns and disapproval of how Morsi was running the country, gave me hope that change was about to happen. A year later, Morsi's regime has ended, but Egyptians' problems and concerns have not been solved. They are still having gas and electric shortages, a bad economy, inflation, a corrupt government and the garbage issue that is always staring them in the face.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The only difference now is that Egyptians have another president with a regime that won’t allow their citizens freedom of speech, or freedom to protest or complain. So far the Sisi regime is doing a great job of handing out mass sentences to activists and journalists, and of course death sentences to all Muslim Brotherhood supporters and leaders, regardless to their age or affiliations. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The same problems in Egypt that were the main reasons behind the ousting of Mubarak and Morsi still exist for Sisi to deal with. These issues won’t just go away simply because a new president was elected, no matter how you feel about his election.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egypt's problems won’t go away just because of who is in charge. They are big issues and they need the whole country to come together to face these issues, with a very smart leader to lead. People in Egypt, like people in other countries, want to think that an election is the solution. But although an election is a good way to elect smart leaders who could find ways to solve social and economic issues, no issues will just disappear upon electing one person. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K0V31SC/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_SiLStb01XP5AF">revolution that started in January of 2011</a>, and the second one in June of 2013, only helped us to remove leaders, not the underlying military regime that has been in power all along. The corrupt regime that Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak helped to build and nourish is what we need to change, and what we need to overcome.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We won’t be able to get rid of the corruption without raising awareness and giving everyone a good education, for old and new generations alike. We need a modern education to help us to listen and respect each other's views, and teach us to voice our opinions in a such a way that we all get heard and acknowledged. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We also need to create a political system that works for us; not copy other people. We need human rights laws and freedom of speech. We need to learn to be selfless and take care of each other, and above all take care of our country and love it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The question is, when Sisi's government fails to fix Egypt's real problems, will the Egyptian people be able to take to the streets again to protest against the failure of Sisi’s regime, or will military rule prevent that from happening?</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-52190888594034847632014-05-28T22:21:00.000-07:002014-05-28T22:23:38.296-07:00The Democratic Election Illusion.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can say many things about Egyptian politics but calling it unpredictable isn’t one of them. Since the first time we had so called democratic and free elections, we always knew who would win, and the <span style="display: inline !important; float: none;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">2014</span> presidential election is no different.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many Egyptians can’t help feeling like one candidate is the winner this year and that feeling is not new at all. In the Egyptian presidential election of 2012, after our amazing revolution in 2011, we were rushed into an election that forced us to vote for the Muslim Brotherhood puppet “Mohamed Morsi”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Morsi’s campaign was like a flood that swept Egypt; banners covering buildings, posters everywhere, and he was on TV more than any of his opponents. Morsi’s image was blasted all over the place, and Egyptians were sold on the change he would bring to Egypt. Little did we know it was more of the same.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This time around we have two candidates, but you hardly can see anyone else next to the former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Like Morsi, his images are on the buildings, his banners are in the streets, and he is all over the TV. We’re seeing Sisi giving interviews all over, but Sisi’s</span> <span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rival, leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, is hardly visible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With headlines like “Sisi Set for a Landslide Win After Egypt Presidential Election Ends,“ and another headline reading, “ A Landslide Victory for Ex-Army Chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is widely expected” leading into the election, it is obvious who everyone believes is going to win.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many Egyptians are not participating in this election because they feel it is not a fair nor democratic election. But people are not allowed to voice their disagreement with the way this election has been run. Furthermore they are not allowed to protest peacefully in the street.</span> <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">The new anti-demonstration law that was passed this year by the acting interim president left many people in jail awaiting trials, and scared the rest of the Egyptians from protesting.</span>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The overwhelming sentiment is: if you don’t vote for Sisi you are a traitor and you are against the army. With an atmosphere like that, people can’t help but to reman in silence. Activists are pressured to keep their opinions to themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Away from all the campaign and election fuss, many poor people in Egypt don’t care one way or another. After a few years of chaos and clashes, the poor people are still suffering and their situation hasn’t improved, but rather declined.</span> <span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over a quarter of Egyptians live under the poverty line.</span>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whoever wins the election, to many people it won’t change much. Knowing who will win an election before it happens takes all its legitimacy away, and makes it far from a democratic process. For now we are jus worried that Sisi will set Egypt back to an old repressive regime that Egyptians are very familiar with when he wins, which, of course, he will.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-84935710916190659772014-05-16T22:08:00.000-07:002014-05-16T22:08:12.117-07:00The Egyptian Presidential Election 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JEikGccA5YrKS2e1_df9sCaB9jDWLErccMHE4ozpbphwnG9aVrQWkuXami0kgNUwlOeQfpur3E-TsfoKbsfNnEjMwZDF6NU7ul2-2OMwX1VIKesPpIWMa-M9bwQY8C_JUFELIGrBdByz/s1600/2014-635358326978818150-881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JEikGccA5YrKS2e1_df9sCaB9jDWLErccMHE4ozpbphwnG9aVrQWkuXami0kgNUwlOeQfpur3E-TsfoKbsfNnEjMwZDF6NU7ul2-2OMwX1VIKesPpIWMa-M9bwQY8C_JUFELIGrBdByz/s1600/2014-635358326978818150-881.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Egyptian presidential election this time is between former army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and longtime Nasserist politician Hamdeen Sabahi, who finished third in Egypt's 2012 presidential poll.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a1324281-0892-17a8-591b-8e0df7815523" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egyptians living overseas started lining up to vote in the presidential election, but many are boycotting the presidential election altogether. I’m one of these people.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The decision to boycott the presidential election very much depends on whom you ask. People from the Muslim Brotherhood who support Morsi believe that his ousting was a coup, and they still believe that Morsi is the president of Egypt.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the other hand most activists don't see that the election is going to change much in Egyptian politics. It is just an election like other elections we have had since the removal of Mubarak in 2011. This election is designed to give control to another ex-military man who believes that freedom of speech is not necessary right now, and it might hurt the country.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However I boycott the election because I don’t see any sign of change. I also think that this election is forcing every Egyptian to choose between the bad and the worst; by the worst I mean former army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know that sometimes you don’t get what you want, but we have been getting the bad end of the bargain all the time. Therefore we have to demand change and we have to get our voices heard.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People didn’t sacrificed their lives during the uprising so former army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi could become the president of Egypt. They lost their life seeking change and democracy. However we are too far away from that goal.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-4798489438619757412014-05-10T12:08:00.000-07:002014-05-10T12:08:29.576-07:00Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for President?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_rCCc3nxfm7kn2eCPGQEJx_t8LsHZOw5wb8GOD3mTEG5f925boD1IKB6Rhw0NKWENuW1FiHEcrvRZ420ZRpdAmbBx4qJr5iNfGAilIZvW3HCtDOHyfnWPOq-YXPmyNn5Y6L8XQkSMhVK/s1600/2013-11-19T122940Z_475897369_GM1E9BJ1KK101_RTRMADP_3_EGYPT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_rCCc3nxfm7kn2eCPGQEJx_t8LsHZOw5wb8GOD3mTEG5f925boD1IKB6Rhw0NKWENuW1FiHEcrvRZ420ZRpdAmbBx4qJr5iNfGAilIZvW3HCtDOHyfnWPOq-YXPmyNn5Y6L8XQkSMhVK/s1600/2013-11-19T122940Z_475897369_GM1E9BJ1KK101_RTRMADP_3_EGYPT.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With a high approval rating, many Egyptians think that <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; white-space: normal;">Abdel Fattah El-Sisi</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; white-space: normal;"> </b>is the answer to all the country’s problems. and they saying that he is the hero God sent to make everything right again -- until he opened his mouth during an interview, which was aired in two parts, on a private Egyptian channel. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The TV interview with sisi last week revealed an out of touch military man with has no answers or understanding of how bad things are in Egypt. It also showed that he is not prepared to be the leader everyone desperately wants him to be. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His answer to a debilitating economy and high unemployment is to create trucks out of thin air and hand them over to young men to use as mobile vegetable shops. When he was asked where the trucks are coming from, Sisi said "don't worry they will be here if I say so" with the attitude of a high school bully.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Siai was pressed to further explain his solution to the unemployment issue, he mention something about telling the banks to buy the trucks and then the drivers would be responsible for repaying the loans when they started making money. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was clear that he had been put on the spot, He didn’t have prepared answers. However these questions should have been thought of before he ever agreed to be on the interview. Mind you that these questions are on mind of everyone in Egypt: What are you going to do about the economy? How can you solve the unemployment problems? education? corruptions? all of this are questions that need to be answered by someone who is running for president. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sisi also promised that he will eliminate the Muslim Brotherhood from the political stage in Egypt. His language insinuated that he is going to remove them by any means necessary. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now Egypt is faced with an unqualified front runner for president. He is a military man who thinks that he can create things out of thin air, and eliminate his opponents by any means necessary. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately Sisi will win and the struggle will continue to find someone better to lead Egypt out of the dark ages. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-67500027538556188022014-01-20T16:08:00.001-08:002014-01-20T16:08:31.526-08:00Run Sisi Run<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpQUAphq643IIekYlZ3B0qvHpepHiyrnp1OIyvsbY1Rp65BPEr2hOXE96t-6jHp-wko3CA18us2WJnjjFO0nVScpUTm6J2tNLpHoZrCA5mU7PFIf7ZF2aiXYkYe7XjY7VHloJRv7lUId2/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-01-19+at+9.57.02+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpQUAphq643IIekYlZ3B0qvHpepHiyrnp1OIyvsbY1Rp65BPEr2hOXE96t-6jHp-wko3CA18us2WJnjjFO0nVScpUTm6J2tNLpHoZrCA5mU7PFIf7ZF2aiXYkYe7XjY7VHloJRv7lUId2/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-01-19+at+9.57.02+AM.png" height="257" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many people think the idea of Abdelfattah El Sisi running for president is a great idea, and that it might bring the stability and security that Egypt needs right now. Among the supporters of Sisi running for president is </span><a href="http://youtu.be/jHkSDQ14jSc" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Omer Musa</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who used to work for Mubarak's government, and many other Mubarak cronies. Why do they support Sisi's canadcy? Because they are used to the system of corruption from Mubarak's era and they hope that it might come back if Sisi becomes the president. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-350a2364-b21f-5f3c-89bf-c0c9ba34d0ac" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think that having another military man running the country is a huge step back. Not only would Sisi follow in the footsteps of Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak, his retaliation will go a lot farther than detaining activists, or locking up the Muslim Brotherhood. He will have nothing to stop him from keeping the whole country in a state of submission.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite the the history of military violence against the protesters and the Muslim Brotherhood right after removing first Mubarak and Morsi, I have been hearing many talk on Egyptian and international media about the possibility of Sisi running as a presidential candidate in 2014. Not only has his candidacy been occupying people's minds, it is also a hot topic among activists who have experienced the rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces “SCAF” in 2011 to 2012, which resulted many deaths and detentions for activists. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The idea of Sisi running is unpopular among activists because it means that all their hard work, and the people who died since the initial revolution, will have been for nothing. Everyone understands that if Sisi runs he will become the president no matter who is running against him. Sisi’s winning will mean one thing; that he will have absolute power. Really think about it. The military already has control over the economy and the weapons. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After removing Morsi, the military provided Egypt with better security than they had experienced since Mubarak, or during Morsi's one year presidency. Sisi captured most if not all Muslim Brotherhood heads, after giving them a chance to show their true skin by inciting violence and protesting endlessly until Egyptians were sick and tired of the Muslim Brotherhood and their sore loser strategies. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the other hand, I don’t think that the military was behind the lake of the security during Morsi's presidency. But they witnessed it and didn’t do anything to stop it. Which makes it obvious that the military's strategy for allowing the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood was to let them fail, and turn the public opinion against them. I’m not saying that the Muslim Brotherhood would have succeeded if there were security in place, but it would have made it harder to get rid of them.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The reason why I think that Muslim Brotherhood would have failed anyway is that they had no vision. All that Morsi and the supreme leader of Muslim Brotherhood wanted was to have greater control of Egypt, and to install Muslim Brotherhood members in the government to replace the representatives of the Mubarak regime. They had complete disregard to the people needs. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not only did the Muslim Brotherhood have no vision to rule the country, but they allowed the fact that they were the winners of two elections consecutively to cloud their judgment, so they turned a blind eye to the people who elected them in the first place.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m glad they are gone, and no longer ruling Egypt. And I’m specifically happy that what they did during the time of Morsi may have ruined their chances of ever being elected again.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However now Egypt has to face the harsh reality that there's nobody worth voting for when it comes to President. Egyptians are longing for someone like Nasser to come and rule the country, and rally people around him. Unfortunately we don’t have such a person.</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Monday Sisi met with a group of <a href="http://shar.es/UcEhH">representatives from Congress</a>, and I have to wonder why. I do think Sisi might be smarter than the average military leader, but I still think it will be the worst thing for him and the country if he runs for president.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-61460585742252212582014-01-14T22:04:00.000-08:002014-01-15T17:53:48.821-08:00Egypt Holds Yet Another Referendum on a New Constitution<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoBwB8ffXOFLcPq4AN9HlEP6tDnQdJvYBB7Q50anuCfBPETTaxzxC0U37t03EYq4jPt0jFNrFZ5oz7kKtZI31w-77NeqqW6zHEdAZ1wZtXIqGUIGIvVLnwnIZMNE3wULhyphenhyphenhhMnZc3-Vu0T/s1600/0,,17364794_303,00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoBwB8ffXOFLcPq4AN9HlEP6tDnQdJvYBB7Q50anuCfBPETTaxzxC0U37t03EYq4jPt0jFNrFZ5oz7kKtZI31w-77NeqqW6zHEdAZ1wZtXIqGUIGIvVLnwnIZMNE3wULhyphenhyphenhhMnZc3-Vu0T/s1600/0,,17364794_303,00.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The 2012 constitution, that was passed during Morsi's presidency, was suspended after Morsi's removal on July third. It was widely criticized by secular political figures and activists alike for being shaped to the islamist view, and rushed. Despite its unpopularity the final text passed a referendum in December 2012.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-7ce96247-9473-19c9-6d70-7232b8bbe875" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egypt is yet again facing another referendum on a new constitution; the second since the removal of Mubarak. A year ago Morsi pushed forward a vote on his Muslim Brotherhood version of the constitution, and now there's an attempt to push forward the military version. Not only are the interim president and many of Mubarak's friends behind this constitution, but also the military is backing this constitution, and working hard to crack down on any protest against it.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although Morsi's supporters are not the only ones unhappy with this constitution, they are the only people who are boycotting it and protesting against it on the street, creating scenes of instability and chaos.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egyptian activists believe that the new constitution has many improvements when it come to freedom, but still it is far from perfect. Where Morsi’s constitution fell short on basic freedom, the 2013 version seems to push for freedoms and holding Egypt to its obligations under international human rights treaties, but may apply more restriction on labor rights. </span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to human rights activists, freedom of expression seems well-addressed in the amended document, however many fear that the loose definition could lead to possible limitation in future laws.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"The provision is okay, but it is weakened by the fact that it fails to define limitations or how to balance potential conflicts with other articles," Heba Morayef, Egypt director for Human Rights Watch (HRW), </span><a href="http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/91590/Egypt/Politics-/Voters-relish-Egypts-st-constitutional-polling-day.aspx" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">told Ahram Online</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">political and economic experts argue about whether the draft constitution will help meet revolutionaries' demands for greater social justice. On the positive side, the new constitution may offer</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a true chance at social justice for Egyptians, especially farmers and workers.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is also good news for Education and Health Care research. For example the 18, 19, 21 and 23 articles require that the state give a specific percentage to Education and Health </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">from the Gross National Product (GNP)</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The 2012 constitution, which was drafted under the presidency of Morsi, required the state only to allocate “an adequate amount" for these items from the state budget.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite the pros and cons for the new constitution, there is huge media coverage and a push for getting people to vote yes. A friend of mine counted over 60 billboards and posters in neighborhoods in Cairo alone encouraging people to vote yes. On the other hand, the Muslim Brotherhood has been instigating violence all over Egypt, and many people were killed or arrested as a result of clashes with the security forces on the first day of voting.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-17932702355233830612014-01-04T20:57:00.000-08:002014-07-05T15:50:02.524-07:00Tannoura<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-17d1ecf6-60be-73b7-3b7c-b2ac4064d4f9" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Living in Cairo for over six months in 2013 not only allowed me to work on my films, but also freed me to spend some time on my favorite thing in the world, which is making photos. On the other hand, staying longer this time around gave me more opportunities to make new friends who work in Egypt's tourist industry, who showed me an amazing side of Egypt which I didn’t know much about. </span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the places we visited was the Wekalet El-Ghouri, where the <a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/4963860-tannoura">Tannoura</a> live show takes place every week on Wednesday and Friday night. Going to see Tannoura live in Cairo was an eye opening insight on a folk art tradition that is still alive and strong today. </span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you haven't heard of Tannoura, it is a folk dance tradition with its roots in ancient Sufi twirling, featuring colorful costumes and amazing music. To quote from the website of the Tannoura troupe: "As the major Tanoura dancer moves himself around, the other dancers start to follow in his dancing steps by whirling around him in a great harmony, in order to act out the movement of the planets on space around the sun. Their anti-clockwise movement is a symbol of the movement that the Muslims usually do around ‘The Kaaba’ (the holy shrine in Mecca) during the Pilgrimage."</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The show was amazing and very inspiring, so I decided to make a book out of the photography I did during the show, and I would like to share that with you. I hope the carefully curated photographs and selected verses from Rumi I've included will inspire you.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please check out my book, and leave me a <a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/4963860-tannoura">comment</a>. I would like to hear your <a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/4963860-tannoura">feedback</a>. Thank you for <a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/4963860-tannoura">buying a copy,</a> and supporting my art.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/4963860-tannoura?ce=blurb_ew&utm_source=widget" style="margin: 12px 3px;" target="_blank">Tannoura by Khaled Sayed</a> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-84662120905668068902013-12-25T16:53:00.000-08:002013-12-26T11:29:43.121-08:00Former PM Hisham Kandil Latest Muslim Brotherhood Member Captured<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68beeceawOSKpHohFdgt_SHdvrNKwJk83ydrEw9Y5p9CN_RJfT7J4_v6e23FyoWngVAC6vX2X-FGNse1KGDd10eh1uDetYla8ICTJuw5c4B0sFArGjlrOGgfFU1A3_tkzMVue4zpSpem-/s1600/0,,16384039_303,00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68beeceawOSKpHohFdgt_SHdvrNKwJk83ydrEw9Y5p9CN_RJfT7J4_v6e23FyoWngVAC6vX2X-FGNse1KGDd10eh1uDetYla8ICTJuw5c4B0sFArGjlrOGgfFU1A3_tkzMVue4zpSpem-/s1600/0,,16384039_303,00.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Authorities in Egypt have arrested the ousted President Morsi’s Prime Minister, Hisham Kandil. Kandil was caught in the southeast mountain area with smugglers while he was trying to cross the border to Sudan. His arrest came as no surprise since the Egyptian authorities have been hunting down all prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi’s cabinet.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-0536141b-2c60-6506-35a0-0b47be34fb53" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have been asked time and time again about what is going on in Egypt since I spent six month there this year. Unfortunately my explanation sounds more like fiction, but it seems very obvious to me.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Muslim brotherhood, who lived in the shadows for years, came out of hiding after the initial revolution that removed Mubarak in 2011. It was a great opportunity for them to replace Mubarak and capitalize on the revolution. The reason why the Egyptian Military and secret services have been very successful in capturing Brotherhood members is because the Brotherhood felt very comfortable after Mubarak’s fall. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After all, the Brotherhood went through a parliamentary election and won 60% of the seats in 2011, and followed that by nominating an unknown person, Morsi, for the presidency. Getting Morsi a majority of the popular vote must have been a very comforting ego boost to the Brotherhood. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With all the winning in 2011 and 2012, the Brotherhood must have felt as if they were free at last, after 60 years of hiding. The Muslim Brotherhood had attracted more people by proving themselves legitimate after winning a majority and installing Morsi as the president.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2013 the Muslim Brotherhood were unstoppable. They became the mainstream, and gained street credibility. However they underestimated the Military, who were watching and quietly doing what they do best; creating a list of all the Muslim Brotherhood members. So when the military answered the people’s call for removing Morsi on July third, they were also ready to dismantle the Brotherhood soon after.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So If you want to know what is going on in Egypt, keep an eye on the military, because they are the ones with the guns, and they have the most to gain or lose if the economy goes bust.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you hear that the authorities arrested another Brotherhood member, it shouldn’t be a surprise. It is a round-up that the military is doing to secure the country, but mostly to secure their interests and stay relevant. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-52763803071621952972013-12-04T21:27:00.000-08:002013-12-04T21:27:53.867-08:00New Anti-Protest Law Backlash<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghm2BeJPGznLCFiG0C6w3c_9M2AW-qBMFan5Y1qyMsZ3NWQjXIbncu8_omFjuO03Kjhv1tUmJnuGeoH9QxkiN-crkGk1J7NoByMug6e95Y0UIi16s9qY4nI2LUh6Bn3RYnf7WfZys1qP1o/s1600/2013-635217713132752179-275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghm2BeJPGznLCFiG0C6w3c_9M2AW-qBMFan5Y1qyMsZ3NWQjXIbncu8_omFjuO03Kjhv1tUmJnuGeoH9QxkiN-crkGk1J7NoByMug6e95Y0UIi16s9qY4nI2LUh6Bn3RYnf7WfZys1qP1o/s1600/2013-635217713132752179-275.jpg" height="237" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The new anti-protest law backlash is giving pro-Morsi protesters a reason to start taking to the street again, this time in universities all over Egypt.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-00ac2035-c134-79b5-95f2-46556101b572" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In recent weeks in the light of new anti protest law, many activists have called for a demonstration to express their discontent with the new law. Twenty-seven women and men who took part in a demonstration outside the upper house of parliament were arrested. They were later released in the middle of the desert outside Cairo. These protests are not against the government per-se: they are against the new law.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the other hand, there are opportunists who are against the government and want to re-install the ousted Islamist president Morsi. These are mostly Egyptians who oppose the interim government backed by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. They identify themselves by carrying banners that say, “Sisi is a murderer,” or they display a symbol of four fingers, which was adopted by Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood supporters after July, 2013.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are the major players on the protest stage right now; one side calling for freedom from government regulations, and the other side is calling for Morsi to return to the presidency. In hopes of finding a new audience to their cause, the pro-Morsi have been protesting in universities all over Egypt. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In November the cabinet issued a decision allowing police to enter university campuses without prior permission if facilities or students were under threat. Previously, police had been banned from campuses unless specifically invited by university authorities.</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If this law passes we will have both groups fighting each other in the street and at universities. This would make the situation more confusing and it will be interesting to see what would happen next.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-15592180992194816882013-11-27T20:31:00.001-08:002013-11-30T12:50:16.202-08:00Prosecutors Order the Arrest of Egyptian Activists<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you thought the Egyptian revolution has changed anything about Egyptian politics, you are sorely mistaken. Prosecutors have been ordering arrests of prominent Egyptian activists who were protesting outside of the high court in response to the new demonstration law. The new law, which was</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> signed by the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">interim president </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adly Mansour, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bans street protests</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-7e099750-9cf8-f9f2-88f8-adf6842e202d" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Under the new law, Egyptian police are allowed to use force to disperse demonstrators. In addition captured demonstrators could be sentenced to prison for as long as seven years for the use of violence at a protest, one year for covering their faces during a protest, or one year for protesting outside a place of worship. Furthermore, anyone attending an unauthorised protest can be fined up to $1,500. The new law targets public gatherings of ten people or more without government approval.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In order to avoid imprisonment or a fine, you should notify the authorities that you will be protesting three days before the protest takes place.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After arresting 15 women and 12 men who took part in the demonstration outside the upper house of parliament, they were released in the middle of the night on a desert road about 6 miles south of Cairo. </span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whoever crafted that law obviously knows very little about Egyptians. I have attended many protests in Egypt, and one thing I have noticed about the crowd is that it is a fierce crowd. They do not fear water cannons, tear gas, or even bullets. A law like this will not stop the people from taking to the street to protest.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I believe that what the interim government is doing is paying much more attention to activists than the bad economy, the poor people, and the failing education system. </span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The government is ignoring the main reasons why activists call for protests. These reasons have not changed since before the removal of Mubarak in 2011. The terrible living situation is due to the lack of security, the lack of employment for young people, and the inflation that is a burden on all Egyptians. These issues won’t go away without the Egyptian government actively fixing them, and listening to their people’s demands. There will be no need to demonstrate, or for a law against demonstrations, if the government does its job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The recent arrest and the new anti-demonstration law are tools to repress the Egyptian people, but that tactic didn’t work for either Hosni Mubarak who was removed in January, 2011, nor Mohamed Morsi who was removed in July, 2013, both by the will of the people.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTN4FekOxjJa5QAL6rBBPjMY0EeQobMAQzHn4B9aNklKq0s9ZojZTKOnpC6AumNP_53pMwLxwI0fJ3rf_s5DLuIuqkRdxEuciZ3ZIJYlXnEM4Aoh_bAFRQ-7LoEJz4JI7CByf5bV1EchD/s1600/BaCA1gjCYAEx2dw.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTN4FekOxjJa5QAL6rBBPjMY0EeQobMAQzHn4B9aNklKq0s9ZojZTKOnpC6AumNP_53pMwLxwI0fJ3rf_s5DLuIuqkRdxEuciZ3ZIJYlXnEM4Aoh_bAFRQ-7LoEJz4JI7CByf5bV1EchD/s1600/BaCA1gjCYAEx2dw.jpg-large.jpeg" height="280" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; outline: none; text-align: start;">Article 73</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">: Citizens have the right to hold general meetings, marches or protests, or any form of peaceful protest, without carrying any weapon and upon notifying the authorities of planned demonstrations in accordance with the law.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-1346051401918705542013-11-17T15:06:00.000-08:002013-11-17T15:06:06.555-08:00Calls to Commemorate Mohamed Mahmoud <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrytf90OQPggXAQxCaR-gVBQEHrrFNkLDAFyH2Yts4nDqHUJ5s788nGHjq0p8OOUC4T_lgqTeO1gSnNG5NNimAhwuOxNZjsQ18sY7wYp-v2tACvhD4C-TyZ2K4OJI1_qR5iDTMQnBHosc/s1600/2012-634781244460391000-39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrytf90OQPggXAQxCaR-gVBQEHrrFNkLDAFyH2Yts4nDqHUJ5s788nGHjq0p8OOUC4T_lgqTeO1gSnNG5NNimAhwuOxNZjsQ18sY7wYp-v2tACvhD4C-TyZ2K4OJI1_qR5iDTMQnBHosc/s400/2012-634781244460391000-39.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two years ago in Cairo, in November of 2011, I participated in a huge march from the Haram, in the Giza area, which is a suburb of Cairo, all the way to Tahrir Square: probably about nine miles. Here, ten months earlier, the revolution had emerged to remove Hosni Mubarak from power. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid--4175f54-6836-115b-414a-55e210ca6a35" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was filming and photographing the crowd as it grew larger and larger, every block we walked, every neighbourhood we crossed. There are no words that could express my feelings on that day. Egyptians mobilizing and organizing to call on the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to stop the violence, and make the demands of the revolution come to life. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many of the protesters knew that the SCAF could attack them. The previous month the SCAF had carried out an attack on peaceful protesters in front of the Egyptian State TV building. The attack resulted in the deaths of several protesters and wounding of many others. But that didn’t stop the protesters from participating this day. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happily no violence took place. However the following day in the late afternoon the state police attacked a group of Occupy Tahrir protesters, who were determined to stay till their demands were met. Most of those were wounded people from the revolution, and families of people who lost their loved ones during the revolution and other clashes that followed.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The state police attacked the peaceful protesters who were camping in Tahrir, and killed five people within half an hour. The attack was not anticipated by the protesters. In no time, the word got out through social media and cell phones about what was happening in Tahrir. The activists responded right away to defend the Occupy Tahrir people. After a few hours they managed to force the state police to retreat to their headquarters a few blocks away. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid--4175f54-684e-f77c-8603-8a6d7062d4e5" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What stood out in my memory is that the protesters asked for help from the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis, and both groups declined to lend a hand, probably out of fear of losing in the upcoming parliamentary election.</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These attacks sparked the week-long Mohamed Mahmoud clashes. I’m proud that i was there to document what happened. Here is some of the video that I shot during the clashes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/34647739" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/34647739">Mohamed Mahmoud clashes in NOV 2011</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5596525">Khaled Sayed</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-7569074624396313502013-11-02T14:30:00.000-07:002013-11-02T14:30:47.414-07:00No End to Islamist Violence in Sight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkESZCWV4NC_qTq_q6LEV3oJBG-Eb593xSbkbH-l_N-RsD4SRgXlEOYHYQBhSvRjM-0wjutskRcTq90emP1cstJyErFjVhp3rKm0UVhvsHPTfvhqyyznq9o_kMtybPiGOZQJcfJi_0JB3s/s1600/000_par7616597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkESZCWV4NC_qTq_q6LEV3oJBG-Eb593xSbkbH-l_N-RsD4SRgXlEOYHYQBhSvRjM-0wjutskRcTq90emP1cstJyErFjVhp3rKm0UVhvsHPTfvhqyyznq9o_kMtybPiGOZQJcfJi_0JB3s/s400/000_par7616597.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even though the Muslim Brotherhood leaders are losing ground and Egyptian public support, they are still insisting on unrealistic demands. While they have no upper hands, the Muslim Brotherhood are demanding to sack military leaders, reinstate the deposed president Morsi, and restore the constitution Morsi pushed through.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-281dac28-1a7f-1cbe-5c1f-9b2f02f66243" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the Muslim Brotherhood trying to send a message to the world that they won’t accept what they call a military coup that ousted Morsi, they are paying a high price in human lives that they lose every time they take their show of support for Morsi to the street. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eager to take over Egypt's political scene after the toppling of Mubarak in the January 25 popular uprising, the Muslim Brotherhood did everything they could to lead the country. Their political party, Freedom and Justice, was a brand new front for the Muslim Brotherhood that won the majority in the parliament in 2012, followed by electing a Muslim Brotherhood president who has been unknown to most Egyptians until right before the election. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With all these successes under their belt, the Muslim brotherhood didn’t care about the Egyptian people's security, economy, or the demands they made during the 2011 revolution. Morsi was only interested in what the Muslim Brotherhood's supreme guide, Mohamed Badie, advised him to do every step of the way during his short-lived one year presidency.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although Morsi was very popular among his party and group members, he wasn’t very popular on the street. People mocked Morsi and made fun of his many gaffes on Egyptian TV and during his trips to other country.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Muslim Brotherhood is continuing to defy the military. However the crackdown is targeting the top heads of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation and prominent members. One of the latest arrests was the Senior Muslim Brotherhood deputy leader Essam el-Erian. He was arrested in a Cairo suburb in late October. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today thousands of Morsi supporters demonstrated nationwide on Friday against the military-backed government ahead of his planned trial on Nov. 4. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mohamed Morsi, who was removed from the presidency by the military amid nationwide protests against him is still in custody and accused of many crimes, such as inciting violence and of failing to protect protesters who were killed outside the presidential palace in El-Etahadya.</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Muslim Brotherhood rallies people to go out and protest and sacrifice themselves for the selfish goals of increasing the group's own political power, and restoring their control over Egypt again. However I think Egyptian people are becoming smarter every day, and with no end to Islamist violence in sight, Egyptians are getting more familiar with Muslim brotherhood rhetoric, and their truly violent nature.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-20429193312277263782013-09-18T18:52:00.000-07:002013-09-18T18:52:09.504-07:00Why We Shouldn't Strike Syria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-48523dd6-2f6e-3d9f-8555-d3c44d7bafe9"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-48523dd6-2f6e-3d9f-8555-d3c44d7bafe9"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you agree with the US strike on Syria as a way to save Syria and support the Syrian people, you have to ask a very important question: Is Iraq better off today than before the US invasion?</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-48523dd6-2f6e-3d9f-8555-d3c44d7bafe9"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-48523dd6-2f6e-3d9f-8555-d3c44d7bafe9"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To answer this question we have to examine the facts. Since the US invasion in Iraq, the documented civilian deaths from violence have been 114,406 – 125,376. Yes the US did manage to remove Saddam, but the country is divided more than ever. The violence increased since the invasion, and if you ask most Iraqis, they would have much preferred Sadaam to the mess that they are in right now. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is dictatorship is bad? Yes, of course it is bad. But we have to take a hard look at what kind of positive gains the Iraqis have realized after removing Saddam. </span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Syria has many issues, but a US air strike won't fix these problems and removing Assad because the US thinks that he used </span><a href="http://www.opcw.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">chemical weapons</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on his own people is not a proven reason. It has been common knowledge that many videos have surfaced online with rebels admitting using they used the chemical weapons that were found to have been used in Syria by mistake, and confirming that they got the weapons from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. However the US chooses to ignore that possibility, and build a case to justify the strike on Syria. It feels awfully similar to the way George W. Bush justified the Iraq war after the 9/11 attack, which Saddam had nothing to do with it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The idea of an air strike on Syria isn't about helping the Syrian people. If it were, the US would have intervened when the Syrian civil war started in 2011. But the current strike is simply about the US and its own interests. If the US cared about people who get attacked with chemical weapons, we have to ask why didn’t they respond when Israel used white phosphorus in Gaza civilian areas? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The likely reason that the US didn’t comment on the Israeli attacks is because in 2004 the US used the same chemicals in civilian areas in Fallujah, Iraq. Both the US and Israel made the same claim; that white phosphorus was not being used as a chemical weapon, but only, "to create smokescreens or illuminate targets." Additionally, the US government supplied Israel with the white phosphorus which was used in the attack. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We can also go back to the Reagan era, when the White House looked the other way as chemical weapons were used in the Iran Iraq war the 1980s. More than a million people were killed on both sides of the of the conflict under the watch of the US. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently </span><a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/08/25/secret_cia_files_prove_america_helped_saddam_as_he_gassed_iran?page=1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">declassified documents</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> from that time indicate that not only did the US government know that Saddam had these weapons, but “conveyed the location of the Iranian troops to Iraq, fully aware that Saddam’s military would attack with chemical weapons, including sarin gas.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">President Reagan also remained silent during the </span><a href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/1993/iraqanfal/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Al-Anfal campaign</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, in which Saddam used poison gas against the Kurdish population in Northern Iraq to put down a revolt against his rule. In what has later been called a genocide, more than 100,000 men, women, and children were killed; nearly 100 times more than in the attack that took place outside of Damascus last month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Given US history, I’m not sure why they care to go after Assad for using chemical weapons. They must have a another reason. The civil war in Syria has been going on for two years, and Assad has committed terrible war crimes, including bombing civilians and targeting specific religious groups. The death toll over the two years is very high. If the US is going after him because the use of chemical weapons is a red line, it is a poor reason. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If the US is against the use of chemical weapons, they need to start here at home, by banning all chemical weapons production, and making It illegal for American companies to produce and sell them, nationally or internationally. The US also needs to destroy the chemical weapons the already have, to set an example.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The bottom line is that the Iraqi people aren’t better off because of the Iraq war. They are in a worse situation since the US invasion. The country can’t recover, the civil war there has not stopped, and the terror attacks are happening systematically, with no end in sight.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-13243186246980391452013-09-05T22:54:00.004-07:002013-09-06T10:01:55.289-07:00Egypt's Curfew is Coming to an End...or is it?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-79fcd2c8-f1d2-0b50-44aa-0dd0903615ea"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-79fcd2c8-f1d2-0b50-44aa-0dd0903615ea"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Living abroad, outside of Egypt, sometimes can be great, and sometimes frustrating as hell, because you have no choice but to look at the whole picture from the outside. But living in the USA is different because the mainstream media here don't cover Egypt unless there are clashes with casualties. </span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-79fcd2c8-f1d2-0b50-44aa-0dd0903615ea"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I left Egypt in early July to return to the U.S. right after the ousting of Morsi. The Egyptian people weren't sure what would come next, and they are still not sure now. </span></b></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-79fcd2c8-f1d2-0b50-44aa-0dd0903615ea"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Retaliation from the Morsi supporters has been dragging on for almost two months, although they seem to protest every Friday with shrinking numbers every time. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have been getting my information about how things are in Cairo, and Egypt overall, from friends, family, and many activists I made contact with while I was there. They inform me that life in Cairo isn't as fun anymore. Everyone is living on edge. Factories instead are doing two or one shift only instead of three, and most of the time they are closing early. People are going home before the afternoon due to the curfew, which is being enforced by the military in response to violent protests by Morsi's remaining supporters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fights erupt between supporters and opponents of Morsi daily, and the Army and police have to come and stop clashes before they go too far. Assassination attempts are happening as well. The latest one was a failed attempt to kill the Minister of the Interior.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> A car bomb went off in Cairo's eastern district, near Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim's convoy.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My friend Mo'nes, who lives in Cairo, told me that Egyptians are overwhelmingly respecting the military curfew. For their own safety they are following the military guidelines, such as a recent recommendation for people to stay home for Friday prayers. However the media is not getting much attention from the people anymore, after they started attacking the way the military is handling the situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm not surprised that the Egyptian people are showing support, and listening to the Egyptian military. Egyptians think of their military as heros for winning the 1973 war against Israel, and they trust them more than they really should. I always say never trust someone with a gun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I believe that the military's popularity never faded, even when the military took actions that opposed the will of the general public, such as attacking and killing peaceful protesters in Maspero in October 2011, during the Mohamed Mahmoud street clashes November, and at the Council of Ministers street December 2011. The military trials are back on; something which many human rights NGOs are against. However an Egyptian military court handed down heavy prison sentences to supporters of ousted president Morsi. The court sentenced eleven men to twenty five years in prison. Forty five Muslim Brotherhood defendants were given five-year sentences. Despite all this the military’s popularity in Egypt never faded.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So consider what is happening in Egypt, from attempted assassinations, weekly Muslim Brotherhood protests, clashes between anti and pro Morsi demonstrators, and active terrorist group working hard to destroy the current interim government. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Given all that, I believe that the military will have many reasons to extend the curfew and emergency law that becomes active again last month. And the Military is in a good position right now since they are getting the Egyptian supports behind them.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-77796023140944781492013-08-25T16:38:00.000-07:002013-08-27T13:26:31.162-07:00Are we seeing the last of the Muslim Brotherhood?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-5b9d9d16-b7d4-a5be-de60-8428b8b35c16"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another Friday protest from the Muslim Brotherhood supporters against the Egyptian military. However their call to protest attracted a low turnout. The protest was another attempt from the Muslim Brotherhood to rally in Cairo and other cities in Egypt to show their discontent with what they call the illegal removal of an elected democratic president, Morsi. The low turnout in Cairo, and the non-existent rallies around Egypt, show the unpopularity of the Muslim Brotherhood at the moment.</span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-5b9d9d16-b7d4-a5be-de60-8428b8b35c16"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The military has had the upper hand so far. They have put Cairo under curfe,w and barbed wire is surrounding several squares in Cairo after the bloody clashes that left over 1,000 people dead.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Muslim Brotherhood are losing ground in all over Egypt, and after the military detained many of their leaders over the past week, they appear scattered and less organized.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The issue I have now is that we are going backward. Many Egyptians were killed, and many people were arrested arbitrarily. It is not the right way to seek justice, or to move forward toward democracy. The Egyptian revolutionaries in Egypt fought for freedom and the end of emergency law in 2011. However, after the Muslm Brotherhood protests turned violent, the military chose to restore emergency law for the protection of the people. I have a feeling they could have done it without bringing back emergency law, but this is the way they decided to handle it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The former President Hosni Mubarak, meanwhile, was let go from prison on Thursday and taken to a military hospital in Cairo. Mubarak was ousted during Egypt's 2011 revolution, and his release has angered Egyptians from all walks of life, and has sparked concern that the Egyptian military authorities are reinstating the old regime, which is highly unlikely. Mubarak will still appear before court to face trial for different charges related to the January 25, 2011 revolution. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However I think that if Morsi were still in power today Mubarak would have gotten out of prison anyway. Mubarak wasn’t released because of the failure of Morsi. It is a failure of the judguary system we have in Egypt. The whole Mubarak trial was filled with mistakes, in addition to a corrupt judiciary system that was installed long before Mubarak or Morsi took office.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the arrest of many of the Muslim Brotherhood leaders over this past few weeks, is the Muslim Brotherhood weakened, or is the worst yet to come?</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-53749602776259503592013-08-17T23:27:00.002-07:002013-08-17T23:27:55.019-07:00The Muslim Brotherhood Shows Their True Colors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-78841f86-9016-d198-4ccd-a68af1cd6f3c"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNaTsb8uoEZMSLuWvenXq9QMFEQcTHKOuHTYhVflx4ntONnc9DIlHYk-OOJmb2ioWdvmqJFFI9qCweUeHB7Q9IWbPlJV8GsqzGD_HcPxEvD43fI5tpWAvIGBBzS7xPbNqZfNYWTKENcyN/s1600/534010_341046852696233_1900742801_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNaTsb8uoEZMSLuWvenXq9QMFEQcTHKOuHTYhVflx4ntONnc9DIlHYk-OOJmb2ioWdvmqJFFI9qCweUeHB7Q9IWbPlJV8GsqzGD_HcPxEvD43fI5tpWAvIGBBzS7xPbNqZfNYWTKENcyN/s400/534010_341046852696233_1900742801_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-78841f86-9016-d198-4ccd-a68af1cd6f3c"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-78841f86-9016-d198-4ccd-a68af1cd6f3c"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we are watching the news and the images coming out of Egypt, and the death toll, you can see the contrast between the protests that ended Morsi’s regime and what has been going on since then. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Muslim Brotherhood are adamant about fighting the will of the people. If they actually cared about legitimacy, they would have accepted the people’s decision to remove Morsi from office. On June 30th over 33 million of people walked out to participate peacefully in a rally asking Morsi to resign. That is more than the total number of people who voted for Morsi, and far more than have participated in protests calling for his return to office. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I understand that the Muslim Brotherhood won all elections that followed the toppling of Mubarak, and Morsi governed the country for a year. But we cannot ignore the fact that Morsi’s regime ended because of mammoth rallies and overwhelming popular opinion denouncing his rule as incompetent and partisan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now we are seeing Morsi supporters being used as pawns in a pointless fight. I do respect their right to protest, but you have to pick your battles. It is obvious that the Muslim Brotherhood has lost the people’s trust and sympathy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are left now with a group who prey on the Egyptian people’s love of their religion, and their lack of awareness about the political issues. They carelessly put these faithful followers in harm’s way, and encourage them to engage in illegal acts, such as burning churches, attacking the armed forces, and defying the military. The direct result of this behavior is that Egypt is now under emergency law again, despite the all the hard work Egyptian activists did to get it overturned in 2012.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t endorse violence against civilians who are protesting for a cause they believe in. But when the Muslim Brotherhood members protest with guns and torches, I need my local authorities to take action to protect the rest of the people. Because now we are not talking about a peaceful protest or sit-in, we are talking about a terrorist organization taking to the street with assault weapons to harm civilians and challenge the authorities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The violence we are witnessing these days from the Muslim Brotherhood isn’t even unusual for them. They seem to welcome the bloodshed to prove their legitimacy and their appeal. The Muslim Brotherhood lost a great deal of public support after their recent sit-in, and they are now facing police and military on the streets of Cairo. Their supporters are shrinking to a few thousand, and many of the people fighting in the streets on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood aren’t even Egyptians, but have come from other countries to fight for their faith. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Muslim Brotherhood chants about peace during their protests, however their protests have been anything but peaceful. Protesters used women and children as shields, and some had machine guns. Snipers maimed security forces from the tops of buildings. More than a dozen churches were attacked and burned on a single day by Morsi supporters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It seems like the Muslim Brotherhood has declared war against Egypt, and is using terrorist tactics to foil the country’s aim of forming a secular democratic civil state. They have been seen burning churches, schools, and museums, randomly firing on and killing civilians sitting in their homes, burning public and private property, and targeting government buildings and police stations. These are all are clear forms of terrorism.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What we have in Egypt right now isn’t a civil war; it is is civil unrest. In a civil war you generally see a divided military, but that hasn’t happened here. On the contrary, the unified military is very popular in Egypt right now, and the police as well. We have even seen regular civilians forming vigilante groups to defend their neighborhoods against attacks from the Muslim Brotherhood rallies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Muslim Brotherhood failed to impose a Taliban-like state in Egypt. The vast majority of Egyptians are more moderate muslims, and are opposed to such an idea. The misconception here that all Egyptians are in the streets protesting. The truth is the people protesting on the streets of Egypt are only the Muslim Brotherhood followers and supporters, and their popularity is getting weaker by the day.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-42954815888650783652013-08-16T20:08:00.000-07:002013-08-16T20:08:48.706-07:00Civil War Propaganda in the Making<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I woke up today to terrible news. Forty people were killed by the military in front of the Republican Guard headquarters. </div>
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However other news by the BBC included different details. They say the military attacked the unarmed protesters in the mosque at 4 AM today while they were praying. That seems odd to me, because by 3 AM the prayer is over and people are no longer in the mosque.</div>
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On the other hand, Al Jazeera had footage of people showing the camera empty bullet shells. Others showed unfired unused bullets. This is supposed to be evidence that unarmed people at prayer were attacked. But the bullets are easy to debunk; the empty shells fall off next to the shooter. If you are in a protest where the police or the army is shooting at you, any empty bullet shells were probably fired by people standing next to you, not people firing at you. And they don’t fire unused bullets either; those have to come from somewhere else.</div>
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Another eyewitness who was awakened by the gunfire said that the whole thing took place in front of the Republican Guard headquarters on the street. the Muslim Brotherhood were trying to infiltrate the Republican Guard headquarters, and the military had to use force to get them out of there. So reports that it happened inside a mosque are very unlikely.</div>
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One of the famous people in the Muslim Brotherhood, a middle-aged woman named Oun Lymen, showed up on BBC Arabic to tell her side of the story. According to her she was raped for three hours by the military.</div>
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The news was bad to begin with. And it is being badly reported.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-67933532741886325302013-08-16T11:26:00.004-07:002013-08-16T11:27:11.224-07:00Friday of Rage Muslim Brotherhood Style.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e67fd0a-885e-b4ca-3dc0-11ab541ddd7d"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcDWBAEi-Xz1MhyhsxvXFBdOPy3NsASjnLNZDQLR426dnn7Efy5N-AALz2jow23XiOtikiSsxF-Su7hWxfJf6sM9GI8UCXJ7g5hFoVMO9gUl1QaJh8jOyxio_np82O_NP43Igpu1Quz6W/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-08-16+at+10.40.52+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcDWBAEi-Xz1MhyhsxvXFBdOPy3NsASjnLNZDQLR426dnn7Efy5N-AALz2jow23XiOtikiSsxF-Su7hWxfJf6sM9GI8UCXJ7g5hFoVMO9gUl1QaJh8jOyxio_np82O_NP43Igpu1Quz6W/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-08-16+at+10.40.52+AM.png" width="320" /></a></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e67fd0a-885e-b4ca-3dc0-11ab541ddd7d"><span style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e67fd0a-885e-b4ca-3dc0-11ab541ddd7d"><span style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e67fd0a-885e-b4ca-3dc0-11ab541ddd7d"><span style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Violence broke out as thousands of Islamists marched in several cities across Egypt in what they Called the "Friday of Rage" to protest Wednesday's crackdown on pro-Morsi protest </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">at Al-Rabawiya and Nahda square sit-ins</span><span style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which left more than 600 people dead and thousands wounded.</span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e67fd0a-885e-b4ca-3dc0-11ab541ddd7d"><span style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Health ministry sources said four were killed in clashes in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia and eight in Damietta.</span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e67fd0a-885e-b4ca-3dc0-11ab541ddd7d"><span style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A makeshift hospital in Cairo's Ramses Square, where Morsi supporters are converging, has put the death toll at 42.</span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e67fd0a-885e-b4ca-3dc0-11ab541ddd7d"><span style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Earlier, Egyptian state television reported that at least 7 were killed so far in Cairo. At least one person has been reported killed in Giza, according to the health ministry.</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e67fd0a-885e-b4ca-3dc0-11ab541ddd7d"><span style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported clashes between security forces and pro-Morsi protesters at Giza Square in the Giza district, saying security forces fired teargas in an attempt to disperse the crowds.</span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-42504353979016722602013-07-31T10:33:00.000-07:002013-08-16T11:27:37.028-07:00The Egyptian Military's Agenda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDUtDAfl37_eQIUTDCSx37pqaJXtSK_UI2j5YtgGoYcjevFNV2TyT2S41tE-iGUIAQxN2DJ1U53kWCCCyWxKsnpWiyksWEEcImr0ceZL1mFvX6xhqrG5OmWYfi135PPw5yrYpKH5wJSac/s1600/July+1,2013-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDUtDAfl37_eQIUTDCSx37pqaJXtSK_UI2j5YtgGoYcjevFNV2TyT2S41tE-iGUIAQxN2DJ1U53kWCCCyWxKsnpWiyksWEEcImr0ceZL1mFvX6xhqrG5OmWYfi135PPw5yrYpKH5wJSac/s400/July+1,2013-22.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-563b08f3-1264-033f-65f7-643596f90e2b"></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-563b08f3-1264-033f-65f7-643596f90e2b"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">June 30 showed the amazing unity among the Egyptian people, who took to the streets all over Egypt to hold the Morsi administration accountable for its failure to meet their demands. The largest single organized protest in human history was a direct result of a year of Muslim Brotherhood rule, with Morsi as a president. </span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-563b08f3-1264-033f-65f7-643596f90e2b"><br /></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-563b08f3-1264-033f-65f7-643596f90e2b"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-563b08f3-1264-033f-65f7-643596f90e2b"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walking in a rally, hearing people chanting “the people want to topple the regime,” reminded me of what happened on Jan 25 2011; the initial revolution days, when people were chanting the same slogan to end the Mubarak regime. We still trying to answer the question of whether what happened on June 30 is a second wind for the revolution, or a military coup.</span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-563b08f3-1264-033f-65f7-643596f90e2b"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s examine the situation. After winning the presidential election, Morsi tried to control the country and gather all kinds of power for himself and his Muslim Brotherhood party. The Muslim Brotherhood tried to become the sole political player in Egypt, ignoring and suppressing any opposition. But in the one year of their regime, Egypt suffered electric, gas, and water shortages, along with rapidly increasing inflation. In the end, the people were feeling worse than they felt under Mubarak's regime. And Morsi ended up losing everything in only one year. </span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-563b08f3-1264-033f-65f7-643596f90e2b"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the other hand, the military has been in power no matter who was in the presidential chair. And their power was not always beneficial to the will of the people. Even in the recent past, over 1200 civilians have been tried before military courts, and repressive tactics were used by the military in 2012 against protesters, including killing protesters.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But when Morsi came to power, the military worked with the Muslim Brotherhood, and put them in the forefront, so it would appear as if the military were not responsible for anything that might happen. They also made sure that no one would be allowed to review the military's financial affairs, their factories, and their assets. The constitution that Morsi rushed into place in just 48 hours late last year, with the support of the military, included terms that secured that deal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Morsi did shuffle some military heads in 2012, but the military has been and will remain the strongest player in the Egyptian political scene. The military succeeded in controlling what happened on June 30, just as they did on Feb 11, 2011. For the military, it was not about the freedom and democracy the people were demanding, or supporting the activists who are working hard to bring that to Egypt. It was about protecting their interests in the huge economy they created in Egypt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As with the start of the revolution in 2011, it was important on June 30, 2013 for the military to convince the people that the military's heroic intervention was crucial to removing Morsi, perhaps even more so than the millions of people who showed up on the streets all over Egypt. Many people discouraged any chanting against the military during the June 30 rallies on the basis that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." This was helped by another slogan that was popular in the 2011 revolution: “The people and the army, one hand."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the same time, the popular opposition to Morsi grew stronger every time he failed to listen to people's demands. So the people were encouraged to rally around the military, and forget the military's past mistakes. The military was smart to focus on gaining the people's love and support during the June 30 protests. They used a variety of clever tactics such as securing the safety of the protesters, overseeing and even orchestrating the rallies and celebrations, and throwing flags to the crowd from military helicopters overhead to show that they were backing the people's cause.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've started to notice that the state police are also using a similar strategy, and are gaining some popularity on the streets from the people who have already forgotten what the police used to be like. The police force in Egypt is best known for detaining innocent people, torturing them, and then killing them. The classic example is Khaled Said, whose death at the hands of the police was one of the key issues in the initial 2011 revolution. Like the military, the police are being praised as heroes, without any accountability for what the did to thousands of protesters before. Sadly, people forget too easily that the state police force is still the same one that left Egypt lawless and without security for two years. That state police is being transformed in the minds of the people from a tool that regimes used to terrorise protesters, to a bunch of heroes and revolution protectors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The awful truth is that both the Military and the Police served Morsi when it was beneficial for them, and they will serve the future regime, without regard to the will of the people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The important question is whether there was animosity between the the military and the Muslim Brotherhood. The reality is that the military worked directly with the Muslim Brotherhood when it suited their needs, but ultimately sacrificed the Muslim Brotherhood because they did fail, on many levels, to manage the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We do have to remember that the Egyptian military helped us to get rid of Morsi. However we are facing new challenges. With the popular support of the people, the military could quickly return to repressing popular opinion and getting rid of anyone in the future who might challenge or disagree with them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egyptians are starting to realize that, without a true democratic process, the ballot box is just a different way for the few elites to control the masses. Our responsibility is to keep watching, and to use the power of organized peaceful protest to remove anyone who doesn’t serve the interests of the people.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-82158736097876158612013-07-27T14:06:00.002-07:002013-08-16T20:06:07.850-07:00No Apologies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-43be5f74-21f3-93a8-44b7-b4c922e55bb4"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-43be5f74-21f3-93a8-44b7-b4c922e55bb4"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uOsPz_NxmtXvrx1ubVNvJ1yun2deEMTv6Uq0UmiEt3XCRMuvWZYNHbuWoK7enqiotmpJDAyOBpmXwGoyqaCMpncGG8SUdRMbUnnesN2F8EEBWByStMlDtel1aRwp7HpxXGO6jv0jYHZ4/s1600/_68978373_018777352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uOsPz_NxmtXvrx1ubVNvJ1yun2deEMTv6Uq0UmiEt3XCRMuvWZYNHbuWoK7enqiotmpJDAyOBpmXwGoyqaCMpncGG8SUdRMbUnnesN2F8EEBWByStMlDtel1aRwp7HpxXGO6jv0jYHZ4/s400/_68978373_018777352.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-43be5f74-21f3-93a8-44b7-b4c922e55bb4"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-43be5f74-21f3-93a8-44b7-b4c922e55bb4"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the people who are talking about reconciliation with Muslim Brotherhood, I have to say no.</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-43be5f74-21f3-93a8-44b7-b4c922e55bb4"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-43be5f74-21f3-93a8-44b7-b4c922e55bb4"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you want to reconcile with the Muslim Brotherhood, that means you've forgotten what they have done: inciting violence, persecuting non-muslims, and driving a wedge between themselves and other Egyptians.</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-43be5f74-21f3-93a8-44b7-b4c922e55bb4">
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-43be5f74-21f3-93a8-44b7-b4c922e55bb4"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You should just let them be. Go back to your corner wait for them to make the first move toward real reconciliation. The Muslim Brotherhood's history is filled with aggression, partisanship, and lies. The Muslim Brotherhood chose to alienate the rest of the Egyptian people who disagreed with them, and to make enemies out of them. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Getting together with the Muslim Brotherhood now means that you can live with their way of doing business, and agree with their ideology. That's how they see it. Up to now none of the Muslim Brotherhood members has offered any apologies for the way they have been leading the country, brainwashing their supporters to go on rampages, and attacking protesters, the military, or the police.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What we need to do is to hold the Muslim Brotherhood leaders accountable for all the violent protests that broke out after June 30. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So stop talking about making good with Muslim Brotherhood. Just get them out of politics altogether, and make sure that nobody else will use religion in politics the same way Muslim Brotherhood did.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-85225449370443007452013-07-24T23:04:00.002-07:002013-07-25T10:41:31.047-07:00Participate in the July 26 Rally to Support the Egyptian Military.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguO8UqZoSSMOZrr2BILtQVy-PJ7BACQTP79keURyC1Wl7t1q1WwxDGAq86cvoXY0wtGOWwhlSCcJchTAlDGqzjaLGN8TW_LQNqomMik4gfHSK5BZujVTdnGmlzHPFO2WNwQCeLoXViYWC/s1600/1000110_650902114937484_1893342269_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguO8UqZoSSMOZrr2BILtQVy-PJ7BACQTP79keURyC1Wl7t1q1WwxDGAq86cvoXY0wtGOWwhlSCcJchTAlDGqzjaLGN8TW_LQNqomMik4gfHSK5BZujVTdnGmlzHPFO2WNwQCeLoXViYWC/s400/1000110_650902114937484_1893342269_n.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
This info-graphic has been cycling around the internet. It is an invitation for the Egypian people to rally on July 26 to support the military with their war on terrorists.<br />
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The military are getting the green light from the Egyptian people. Do they really needs that permission, or it is all a game, and is the military ahead of their game?<br />
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Translation:<br />
<i>Come out July 26</i><br />
<i>--------------------</i><br />
<i>I'm an Egyptian citizen </i><br />
<i>I authorize the Egyptian military</i><br />
<i>I authorize the Egyptian police</i><br />
<i>To elimination the terrorists, and clean up the country from all terrorist cells.</i><br />
<i>-----------------------</i><br />
<i>This is an authorization from my and god is my witness.</i><br />
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Just be careful for what you wish for.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-40811107882015589102013-07-22T10:37:00.001-07:002013-08-16T20:06:56.500-07:00The Argument Over Morsi's Legitimacy as President<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqQjRQz2jSg9sOY80bzqzaA4YN25X1LJtinah3PAmTyg1Gi1P00vbb04XPVy5yr6VCALlutOZyjj4TWawgtQgt8qKQlh9-r7Mos21ECEIhBnlrsgfAwv1iu5GA-HHMvlnfukRM-4pMtZI/s1600/egypt-coup-morsi-us.si.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqQjRQz2jSg9sOY80bzqzaA4YN25X1LJtinah3PAmTyg1Gi1P00vbb04XPVy5yr6VCALlutOZyjj4TWawgtQgt8qKQlh9-r7Mos21ECEIhBnlrsgfAwv1iu5GA-HHMvlnfukRM-4pMtZI/s400/egypt-coup-morsi-us.si.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid--44121ba-066c-8aae-047b-1e05079c5129" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid--44121ba-066c-8aae-047b-1e05079c5129" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It has been over two weeks since the Egyptian military ousted former president Morsi. However his supporters still claim that Morsi has to come back and stay for three more years. The pro-Morsi people are still clinging to the notion of Morsi's legitimacy as the elected president of Egypt. But I think they are misunderstanding the term legitimacy.</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid--44121ba-066c-8aae-047b-1e05079c5129" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid--44121ba-066c-8aae-047b-1e05079c5129" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lets explore this legitimacy they are holding on to. Morsi won the election, and let's leave all the bickering aside about whether that election was manipulated, and grant for the moment that he did win. He received over 13 millions votes last year out of 50 million registered voters in the final round of the election, against Ahmed Shafiq, a representative of the party of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak.</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid--44121ba-066c-8aae-047b-1e05079c5129" style="font-weight: normal;">
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid--44121ba-066c-8aae-047b-1e05079c5129" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the time of the election, the constitution of the country was not finalized, and the terms of the election stated that the winner was to be an interim president for one year, until a constitution was finalized and a new election could be held. But that all changed when Morsi issued a last-minute decree, forcing the constitution to be altered giving him, among other powers, a four-year term. </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid--44121ba-066c-8aae-047b-1e05079c5129" style="font-weight: normal;">
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A year later, the Egyptian people didn’t see any positive changes. In addition, their needs seemed to be ignored by Mr. Morsi and his Freedom and Justice Party. All Morsi was interested in over the last year was getting his friends from the Muslim Brotherhood placed into positions as ministers and heads of government, whether they were qualified or not.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Political activists took notice of the bad job Morsi was doing, and they started thinking of ways to show what the Egyptian people felt about Morsi’s performance over the one year he had been in office. They created the Rebel campaign, which invited people to have a second chance to vote in a way, now that they knew whom they were dealing with. People were asked to sign a petition to remove Morsi from office. And over 22 millions people signed the petition in less than two months. Then they took to the street on June 30, which was the deadline the campaign had established to collect as many signatures as they could. People were asked to come out and participate in a peaceful protest at Tahrir Square and the Etihadya presidential palace in Heliopolis to let Morsi know how they felt.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the people responded. They signed the paper, and they showed up on June 30 in the mIllions all around the country. In all, 33 million people took to the streets, and chanted a slogan showing their deep disappointment in Morsi and his administration. They also called for his resignation. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course people in power tend to act the same, so like his predecessor Hosni Mubarak, Morsi chose to ignore the whole thing. It wasn't even covered on the official media initially. But the Egyptian people didn’t back down easily. For three days they took to the street, peacefully asking Morsi to leave.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Egyptian military was watching closely as the situation escalated. When they saw how massive the protest had become, they asked the Morsi administration to issue some response to the protests that were taking place everywhere in Egypt. They gave Morsi 48 hours to address the Egyptian people. When Morsi finally addressed the crowds for an hour, he offered no concession. Morsi said that he would hold on to his legitimacy, and he wouldn’t be leaving before the end of his four-year term. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Morsi was never elected to serve a four-year term. He used his position to force that into the constitution. So everything else about Morsi and his behavior as president aside, I think that the pro-Morsi people are mistaken about the question of Morsi's legitimacy after the end of his one-year interim term.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-4803795516310532752013-07-11T11:30:00.002-07:002013-08-16T20:07:27.283-07:00Effective Mainstream Media<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15u5ZPxk7S3z_Hf-jEbUhDFYriVK01ZKRkFUQ3SJqhuQ4XmqFpu0mUKXVVbrBzMAdLNenEghVyk9qujJftUX74NkyyIoo9wAsUOG_ehyphenhyphenWgcOqyUqiegXxX-7N_ZdtQ-vWfAhkD3kM8hyphenhyphenq/s1600/0,,16939428_403,00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15u5ZPxk7S3z_Hf-jEbUhDFYriVK01ZKRkFUQ3SJqhuQ4XmqFpu0mUKXVVbrBzMAdLNenEghVyk9qujJftUX74NkyyIoo9wAsUOG_ehyphenhyphenWgcOqyUqiegXxX-7N_ZdtQ-vWfAhkD3kM8hyphenhyphenq/s400/0,,16939428_403,00.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-394263c6-ceff-e17d-98f4-17d28cb1ef97"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I was going through customs to return to the USA, the customs officer asked me if I participated in any of the rallies on June 30:</span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-394263c6-ceff-e17d-98f4-17d28cb1ef97"><br /></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-394263c6-ceff-e17d-98f4-17d28cb1ef97"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-394263c6-ceff-e17d-98f4-17d28cb1ef97"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: Yes, of course. It was beautiful, and I took tons of photos. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Customs Officer: There's a lot of talk about hating Obama and the USA over there now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: Many people disagree with some of the US policies in the middle east, and its hypocrisy when it comes to democracy. It wasn’t a coup by the way</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Customs Officer: (raising his eyebrows) What was it then? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: It was the people rejecting a failed president. They called on their military to remove him, since Morsi wasn’t doing a good job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Customs Officer: (in a sarcastic tone) Well I guess you know more than CNN, since you were there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: Yes, I was there. What happened on June 30 was a peaceful demonstration. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Customs Officer: Well if it was so peaceful, and it wasn't a coup, what do you call what happened between the people and the army a few days ago?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: That was between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood. They attacked the army, and the army defended itself. When was the last time an angry mob directly attacked the police in the USA without the police responding?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the record, what happened on July 8 was that a bunch of Morsi supporters, upset over the removal of Morsi on June 30, attacked the military guard outside the presidential palace in the early hours of the morning. The military tried to disperse the crowd with announcements, tear gas, and finally a few warning shots. But the crowd didn't back down. Then some people in the crowd pulled out weapons and fired directly on the army. So of course the army fired back. As a result, there were casualties and injuries to both the Muslim Brotherhood protesters and the military. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's impressive how the mainstream media can make up a story, and convince so many people to believe it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind-fo_1ZTL-8nHroLRqNlHQA-QsQEFEKZanZGtpyY0_fMP26XiTyk0iR_9V1dSpPIEvy-Ltx9OVRKTD4RN0thVcofLQMB4qTovtNkbPwFVRoENCC2yollwauq95DiLhf507KXsL8x3ZOy/s1600/_68578958_police_protesting_afp624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind-fo_1ZTL-8nHroLRqNlHQA-QsQEFEKZanZGtpyY0_fMP26XiTyk0iR_9V1dSpPIEvy-Ltx9OVRKTD4RN0thVcofLQMB4qTovtNkbPwFVRoENCC2yollwauq95DiLhf507KXsL8x3ZOy/s400/_68578958_police_protesting_afp624.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-22799334104733343282013-07-07T19:23:00.000-07:002013-08-16T20:09:21.748-07:00Pointing Fingers <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-56a57746-bc0f-f389-b728-e1ae77664f1a"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-56a57746-bc0f-f389-b728-e1ae77664f1a"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is always a tendency to point fingers and blame someone else for your problems. However when you do that, you're really only making it worse. What you need to di is to own the problem and try to fix it. </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-56a57746-bc0f-f389-b728-e1ae77664f1a"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-56a57746-bc0f-f389-b728-e1ae77664f1a"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On major social media platforms, Egyptian people from all walks of lives are starting to point fingers at the USA for having a role in the mess Egypt in right now. “The USA supported Morsi,” or “Obama support terrorists.” </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These statement have been going around, and they are only letting us avoid discussing the big elephant in the room: we need to start our own democracy down the right path; a new constitution, and electing a truly representative president. Then under the supervision of the president and the army we can establish new way of voting. The system we have had since Mubarak's time is what Ikhwan used to get 60 percent of the parliament seats in 2011, and what Morsi used to become president. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have to step back and look at our history. Our leaders after Nasser are to blame for the state we are in right now. Why? Sadat and Mubarak started the trend of getting the USA involved in our internal affairs. The USA is, of course, only interested in their own concerns, as we should be too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The USA cares about their own security, and Israeli security. Sucks for us that we share a border with Israel, and we also have the strongest army in the whole arab world. The USA needs to keep us in peace with Israel, and keep </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_David_Accords" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Camp David agreement 1978</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. That deal was made in the time of Carter and Sadat to end war between Egypt and Israel, and give back Sinai land to the Egyptians. With the USA involved in the agreement, of course some parts of the agreement favored the Israelis against the interests of the Egyptians. However Camp David did end the war between us and the Israelis, and that is a good thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People are saying online that the USA and Obama supported Morsi. Did they really? The USA would support anyone that will secure the border between us and Israel, no matter who he is. This time it happened to be a Muslim Brotherhood member who won the vote somehow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The problem was that after the January 25 revolution, we didn’t remove the whole regime. We just got rid of the head of the regime, Mubarak. Then we were not ready for an election. Due to people's ignorance, we were forced to participate in a premature referendum, and then election after election without oversight. That is how we ended up with Morsi in power. And just like the president before him, he had to get on the good side to the USA. In addition, Morsi chose to work only from the playbook that was provided to him from his own Muslim Brotherhood party, ignoring the real needs of his own people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So stop blaming the USA. The people who want you to blame other countries for our problems are the people who don't want you to realize what we are doing to ourselves. We have helped by being silent for too long, and we still get fooled by the people who use religion to get what they want. But no more! On the June 30 I saw new Egypt, and its people rose to the challenge and demanded the military to help us get rid of another corrupt regime. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egypt is a civilization that has been amazing people from all corners of the world for thousands of years with its rich history and amazing people. I know our road ahead is full of bumps, but we are on the right track to rebuilding this great country of ours. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6540414055475836770.post-42123957415035882192013-07-06T16:14:00.000-07:002013-08-16T20:11:39.944-07:00Retaliation by the Muslim Brotherhood Turns Bloody<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3f949697-b641-eab1-8d10-7b2d1b621025"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3f949697-b641-eab1-8d10-7b2d1b621025"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the whole world is worried about whether what is going on in Egypt is a coup or not coup, the Muslim brotherhood is vowing to bring Morsi back to power over the dead bodies of the Egyptian people.</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3f949697-b641-eab1-8d10-7b2d1b621025"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3f949697-b641-eab1-8d10-7b2d1b621025"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 5 was a bloody day in many cities in Egypt, but in Cairo it was just crazy. The Muslim Brotherhood and other Morsi supporters went to have their Friday prayer in the Nasser city mosque. After the long prayer, they marched to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Republican Guard headquarters</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, where they believed the military were holding Morsi, to free Morsi and install him in power again. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When they got there, the military was on high alert and ready to protect the building. The Morsi supporters turned to attack mode. </span><a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/05/Egyptian-troops-open-fire-on-pro-Mursi-supporters.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's when the military started shooting over their heads to scare them</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and disperse the crowd. However the angry mob didn’t seem to be fazed by the military action, and they didn’t leave. So the military shot tear gas to scare them away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Islamists keep spreading rumors that the military killed three islamists during these clashes. With the chaos of conflicting reports, these rumors have even made it to the headlines on the BBC. But we have not seen the dead people up to now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However this wasn’t the only rally in Cairo. Anti Morsi demonstrators also gathered in Tahrir square to show support for the military, and to show that they are content with the decision to get rid of Morsi. This gathering in Tahrir was attacked by a Muslim Brotherhood rally, resulting in more than 30 confirmed dead and over a thousand injured so far.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I don’t get are all the rumors from all the external mainstream media about how the Egyptian army is creating a danger zone. The international press seem to be trying to make it sound like the military is the attacker, even though the Muslim Brotherhood is obviously the aggressor here. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Muslim Brotherhood is a sore loser.They point to the election as proof of their legitimacy, but they overlook the fact that the legitimacy of any elected representative of the people comes from the people. When the people elect a person, that doesn't mean it is a lifetime vote. In a true democracy, it doesn't even mean that the person can stay in that position till the end of the term, if public opinion turns a different way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egypt may not have a formal recall process for elected officials yet, but thanks to the intervention of the military, the people can still make their voices heard when those who are in power are not meeting the needs of the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The people elected Morsi, yes, after waiting through a year of no political progress and in a total leadership vacuum. But the people who elected him can say we don’t want you anymore. Just because the cook delivered a bad meal, that doesn't mean we have to eat it too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Egyptian military understood that, and stood by the Egyptian people against an elected president who failed to gain the support of the people. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09982927399671196493noreply@blogger.com1