Video - Egypt’s president on fighting Islamic State, U.S. relations

Video - Egyptian President Al-Sisi at Coptic Christmas Mass: We Are All Egyptians

Video - Egyptian President Al-Sisi at Al-Azhar: We Must Revolutionize Our Religion

In a speech delivered at Al-Azhar on December 28, 2014, Egyptian President Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi called to combat extremist ideology and said: "We need to revolutionize our religion." Calling for "religious discourse that is in keeping with its times," Al-Sisi warned that "the Islamic nation is being torn apart and destroyed" by extremism

Egypt’s Sisi: Islamic “Thinking” Is “Antagonizing the Entire World”

Egypt’s Sisi: Islamic “Jihad” Is “Antagonizing the Entire World” (CJR).

By Raymond Ibrahim, January 1, 2015:

Speaking before Al-Azhar and the Awqaf Ministry on New Year’s Day, 2015, in connection to Prophet Muhammad’s upcoming birthday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a vocal supporter for a renewed vision of Islam, made what must be his most forceful and impassioned plea to date on the subject.

Among other things, Sisi said that the “corpus of [Islamic] texts and ideas that we have sacralized over the years” are “antagonizing the entire world”; that it is not “possible that 1.6 billion people [reference to the world’s Muslims] should want to kill the rest of the world’s inhabitants—that is 7 billion—so that they themselves may live”; and that Egypt (or the Islamic world in its entirety) “is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost—and it is being lost by our own hands.”

The relevant excerpt from Sisi’s speech follows (translation by Michele Antaki):

I am referring here to the religious clerics. We have to think hard about what we are facing—and I have, in fact, addressed this topic a couple of times before. It’s inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entireumma[Islamic world] to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing and destruction for the rest of the world. Impossible!

That thinking—I am not saying “religion” but “thinking”—that corpus of texts and ideas that we have sacralized over the years, to the point that departing from them has become almost impossible, is antagonizing the entire world. It’s antagonizing the entire world!

Is it possible that 1.6 billion people [Muslims] should want to kill the rest of the world’s inhabitants—that is 7 billion—so that they themselves may live? Impossible!

I am saying these words here at Al Azhar, before this assembly of scholars and ulema—Allah Almighty be witness to your truth on Judgment Day concerning that which I’m talking about now.

All this that I am telling you, you cannot feel it if you remain trapped within this mindset. You need to step outside of yourselves to be able to observe it and reflect on it it from a more enlightened perspective.

I say and repeat again that we are in need of a religious revolution. You, imams, are responsible before Allah. The entire world, I say it again, the entire world is waiting for your next move… because this umma is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost—and it is being lost by our own hands.

Note: It is unclear if in the last instance of umma Sisi is referring to Egypt (“the nation”) or if he is using it in the pan-Islamic sense as he did initially to refer to the entire Islamic world.

Kabuki theater - Qatar announces support to Cairo

Kabuki theater - Qatar announces support to Cairo. (HD).

Qatar has announced its determination to thaw ties with Egypt, diverging from an agreement with Turkey over opposition to the Cairo government, only few days after renewing commitments to close relations with Ankara.

“The security of Egypt is important for the security of Qatar … the two countries are linked by deep and fraternal ties,” a statement from the office of the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani  said in the late hours of Dec. 21.     

The statement came a day after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met in Cairo with a Qatari envoy, suggesting a possible thaw in relations between the two estranged countries.

After the meeting with the Qatari Emir’s envoy, Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdel Rahman al-Thani, on Dec. 20 el-Sisi’s office also issued a statement saying, “Egypt looks forward to a new era that ends past disagreements.”

Emir’s recent Turkey visit

Qatar’s pledge to reconcile ties with the Egyptian government came only two days after al-Thani’s official visit to Ankara, where Turkey and Qatar signed a series of cooperation agreements.
As strong supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in the region, Qatar and Turkey have long been on the same page in regard to regional issues, particularly on Egypt.

Both countries have repeatedly denounced the ouster of Islamist Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in July last year. They also provided shelter for many Brotherhood leaders, especially those who were forced to flee a crackdown in Egypt, leading to a strain of their ties with Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

However, in its statement on Dec. 21, Qatar also thanked Saudi Arabia for its mediation in a diplomatic crisis that had seen several Gulf states pull their ambassadors from Doha, indicating the recovery of its relations with the regional power as well.  Hmmmm....Would i trust MB State sponsor Qatar? Hell NO! SISI better watch out with Turkey and Qatar.

Related: Egypt waiting on results of Gulf's truce with Qatar, says El-Sisi

Egyptian nationality stripped from 800, including Palestinians...how many are in the US?

Egyptian nationality stripped from 800, including Palestinians...how many are in the US? (EI).

A commission formed by the Cabinet to review pardons and citizenships granted by former president Mohamed Morsy to foreigners has revoked the citizenship of 800 people, including Palestinians, who obtained it illegally, according to security sources.

Those include Hamas senior leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, the sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm, adding that other persons subjected to the measure are being vetted by security so as to decide whether they have any links to terrorist groups that had committed any assaults against Egypt.

The same sources revealed that President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi had demanded a detailed report about citizenships awarded to up to 13.000 Palestinians since the 2011 uprising, asking to check whether they were affiliated with extremist groups.

In a related context, the Interior Ministry has started to rescind weapons licenses issued for now-detained Muslim Brotherhood figures under Morsy, according to the sources.

Egypt's El-Sisi says foreign hands behind Friday Sinai attack, knew long ago this was coming.

Egypt's El-Sisi says foreign hands behind Friday Sinai attack, knew long ago this was coming. (AlAhram).

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in comments aired on state TV on Saturday that "foreign hands lie behind Friday's attacks" on army soldiers in Sinai that killed 31 troops and injured 30.

Surrounded by top military generals, El-Sisi's comments came immediately following an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Saturday morning.

At the emergency meeting, which was headed by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the SCAF tasked a group of its senior leaders with studying the circumstances of the latest terrorist attacks in Sinai.

On Friday, 28 soldiers were killed and another 30 injured when a car bomb exploded at the Karm Alkwadis security checkpoint in Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai. Hours later, three security personal were killed when militants opened fire at a checkpoint in nearby Al-Arish.

The president declared a three-months state of emergency in parts of North Sinai on Friday evening.

Addressing his remarks to the nation, El-Sisi said that it is important that the Egyptian people know that foreign forces aim to defeat the will of the military and of all Egyptians.

"We must know that this terrorist attack was supported by foreign hands to defeat the military that has been protecting the Egyptian people and their will," he said.

He also stressed that he knew that all these attacks would take place "even before 3 July 2013," in reference to the date of the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

"We had a choice - either the people or the army had to confront terror. We chose that the army carry out the mission," said El-Sisi.

The former military chief said that his country is undergoing an "existential war" and stressed that the real danger lies in the foreign hands that wants to intervene between the armed forces and Egyptians.

"Reforming the new Egypt will necessitate a lot of blood, work and effort, so we all have to work closely hand-in-hand," El-Sisi said, adding that soldiers and civilians died and that there will be more and more people dying.

El-Sisi also said that Egyptians must realise "how broad the conspiracy against us is."

El-Sisi said that if it hadn't been for the army's intervention in Sinai, the restive peninsula would have been a "cluster" of terrorism and extremism.

"I have noted before that the war in Sinai will last for a long time, as there are a lot of terrorists hiding in the peninsula, but this new level of attacks has put us in a new level of planning too in order to combat the terrorism there," stated El-Sisi.

"There are attempts to drive a wedge between the people and the army. No-one will be able to divide the Egyptian people and its army."

The president said despite the recent attacks "much has already been done to combat terrorism."

El-Sisi said that the government "was ready to take action to solve the problem on the Egypt-Gaza border at the roots."

He ended his speech by assuring Egyptians that the armed and police forces will work to combat the terrorism and by extending his condolences to all Egyptians for the great loss.

Over 40 security personnel have been killed in attacks in the Sinai Peninsula this week, including the two attacks on Friday.

Egypt's Pres Al-Sisi kicks off new Suez Canal project, lays down tight completion deadline.

Egypt's Pres Al-Sisi kicks off new Suez Canal project, lays down tight completion deadline.(ED).


President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi announced Tuesday a new Suez Canal project to dig a 72-kilometre canal alongside the original, to be implemented over a year at a cost of EGP 29bn ($4bn).

The announcement was made during the inauguration ceremony of the Suez Canal Axis Development Project on Tuesday in Ismailia. The Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority Mohab Memish provided a detailed presentation on the projects that come under the national project.

Al-Sisi called on the army’s engineering corps, who will directly supervise the project, to conclude the project in one year instead of the previously scheduled 3–year timeline. Al-Sisi attributed the shortened time period to the “the deteriorating security” which could threaten the project.

The president called on all Egyptians to participate in funding the project through a stock market IPO (Initial Public Offering), asking Egyptians resident in the country to contribute EGP 100, and those living abroad to donate $100.

The president said the government had refused any foreign participation in the project, stressing that only national banks, companies and investors would be able to finance it.

Memish said that the new canal will be established to increase the absorptive capacity of the Suez Canal to 97 passing ships per day, up from the current rate of 49. The project would involve 35kms of dry digging and 37kms of “expansion and deep” digging.

Upon completion, the project would see canal revenues increase by 259%, Memish added, up from current annual revenues of $5bn.

The new canal, which would ensure that shipping traffic would not stop, will be carried out with the participation of the armed forces along with 17 companies.

The Suez Canal Axis Development Project was adopted by the current government after being proposed during the rule of former president Mohamed Morsi. It had been rejected by the armed forces at that time for “national security” concerns.

The current plan for the project was amended by the armed forces.Read the full story here.

Related:  UAE replaces Qatar as Egypt's partner on Suez project

Kerry, aides checked by security at Egyptian presidential palace.

Kerry, aides checked by security at Egyptian presidential palace. (Taz).

Egyptian security officers checked U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his top aides with a metal detector as they arrived for a meeting on Tuesday with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, an unusual screening for a senior State Department official.

Foreign officials usually extend every courtesy to Washington's top diplomat, Reuters reported.

Footage taken at the Egyptian presidential palace and seen by Reuters showed an official briefly raising a handheld metal-detecting wand to the lower part of Kerry's jacket before waving him through for the meeting, which is to discuss how to stop the two-week conflict between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.

More than 500 people, the vast majority Palestinians, have died in the fighting.

Kerry appeared for only a few seconds in the footage, which showed his senior aides walking through a stationary metal detector and being checked with a handheld wand. At least one was asked to empty his pockets.

The aides included Kerry's deputy chief of staff Jonathan Finer, senior adviser David Thorne and spokeswoman Jen Psaki. Hmmm......Sisi really trusts his US 'Allies'

US to deliver Apache helicopters to Egypt soon: Kerry.

US to deliver Apache helicopters to Egypt soon: Kerry. (Taz).

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday said that his country would deliver Apache helicopters to Egypt soon, Anadolu agency reported.

Speaking in a press conference in the Egyptian capital Cairo alongside his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukri, the U.S. top diplomat added that there are logical reasons why the U.S. should deliver the twin-engine attack helicopters to Egypt, noting that the planes aim to counter terrorism.

He said Egypt and Israel work together to counter terror, which means that American taxpayers' money goes in the right direction.

The U.S. Congress had earlier discussed withholding $400 million from annual aid offered Egypt, according to U.S. media. The U.S. offers Egypt $1.5 billion in annual aid, including $1.3 billion in military aid.

Kerry arrived in the Egyptian capital earlier on Sunday on a brief visit during which he met with new President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

The U.S. Secretary of State's talks with the Egyptian President focused on the situation in the Middle East region, Egyptian and U.S. diplomatic sources said.

Egypt's relations with the U.S. soured in July last year following the ouster by the military of elected president Mohamed Morsi. In the months that followed Morsi's ouster, the American government withheld part of its annual aid to Egypt as well as the delivery of some U.S. arms.

In April, Washington lifted a ban on the delivery of ten Apache helicopters to Egypt, saying the move aimed to bolster the Arab country's efforts to counter terrorism in Sinai on the border with Israel. Hmmm.....Lol 7 hours ago:

@blakehounshell @nytimesworld Did he bring the delivery date of the Apache helicopters? :)
— MFS - The Other News (@MFS001) June 22, 2014

Egyptian court confirms death sentences against Muslim Brotherhood leader and nearly 200 supporters.

Egyptian court confirms death sentences against Brotherhood leader, nearly 200 supporters. (Taz).

An Egyptian court confirmed on Saturday death sentences against the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and 182 supporters, a strong sign that the crackdown on the group will continue under new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Reuters reported.

Mohamed Badie and other defendants were charged over violence that erupted in the southern Egyptian town of Minya following the ouster, led by former army chief Sisi, of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, a senior Brotherhood member, last July.

One police officer was killed in the violence.

The court's decision came two months after it referred the case against Badie, general guide of the now outlawed Brotherhood, and 682 other defendants to a top religious authority, the first step to imposing a death penalty.

Those preliminary sentences triggered outrage among Western governments and rights groups, with the United States and European Union both saying they were appalled by the rulings.

Saturday's decision comes just two weeks after Sisi took office as president after winning an election in May. Since Mursi's overthrow last year, which was followed by protests by his supporters, hundreds of Islamist protesters have been killed and thousands jailed in a crackdown by security forces.

In the run-up to the election, Sisi said that the Brotherhood - Egypt's oldest, most organized and successful political group - was finished and would not exist under his rule.

Amnesty International described Saturday's verdicts as "the latest example of the Egyptian judiciary's bid to crush dissent".

There was no immediate reaction on the ruling from the Brotherhood, whose members are either in jail or on the run, but the streets around the court compound and in most Egyptian cities remained quiet.

Out of a total 683 defendants, around 100 are in detention and the rest were tried in absentia. Four were jailed for life while 496 were acquitted, according to judiciary sources. All verdicts can be appealed before a higher court.

"Those rulings are a continued farce," prominent Egyptian human rights activist and lawyer Gamal Eid said on Saturday. "And the state is still insisting that the judiciary is independent. I don't know how we can believe that when we see rulings like that. It is against logic and common sense. It is a joke."

OTHER CASES

The same court had a few months ago confirmed death sentences on 37 Brotherhood supporters in rulings that were part of a final judgment on 528 Muslim Brotherhood supporters who had received initial death sentences.

In a separate case, a Cairo court referred Badie and 13 other Brotherhood supporters on Thursday to the Mufti, a top religious authority, on charges of murder and firearms possession related to clashes during the protests last July. Around 500 army and police officers have been killed since Mursi's fall.

Badie and other senior Brotherhood leaders including Mursi are standing trial in other cases.

Sisi, late on Friday, held a brief meeting at Cairo airport with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah whose country, like Egypt, has branded the Brotherhood a terrorist organization, viewing its Islamist doctrines as a threat to Saudi dynastic rule.

The Egyptian state had in November issued a law that banned protests without police permission. Many liberal and Islamist activists have been arrested in the past few months for protesting without a license.

Outside the Minya court compound on Saturday, around 200 people, mostly relatives of defendants that were freed, gathered to celebrate the ruling. "Long live justice, long live Sisi," they chanted.

Saudi King Abdullah to visit Egypt for first time since 2011 uprising.

Saudi King Abdullah to visit Egypt for first time since 2011 uprising.(Taz).

Saudi King Abdullah will visit on Friday for the first time since the 2011 uprising, in a show of support for newly-elected President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the kingdom said, AP reported.

Egyptian officials said Thursday that Sisi will receive the ailing monarch upon his arrival from Morocco, where he spent time for medical rehabilitation.

The visit will be Abdullah's first since the 2011 ouster of Hosni Mubarak, a close ally of both Saudi Arabia and the United States. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.


Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations showered Egypt with billions of dollars in aid after Sisi, then the army's top general, overthrew Islamist President Mohammad Mursi amid massive protests last summer. Hmmm......"We must behead the head of the snake"?

Court sentences Brotherhood leaders Badie, Hegazi and El-Beltagi to death