Egypt's Real Ruler: Mohamed Tantawi.

Egypt's Real Ruler: Mohamed Tantawi.(DanielPipes).

By Daniel Pipes and Cynthia Farahat
The Washington Times.

N.B.: Differs in small ways from the Washington Times version.

What does it mean that Mohamed Morsi is president of Egypt? Speaking for the American consensus, Bret Stephens recently argued in the Wall Street Journal against the consolation that the Muslim Brotherhood's victory "is merely symbolic, since the army still has the guns." He concluded that "Egypt is lost."
We shall argue to the contrary: the election was not just symbolic but illusory, and Egypt's future remains very much in play.
Morsi is not the most powerful politician in Egypt or the commander in chief. Arguably, he does not even run the Muslim Brotherhood. His job is undefined. The military could brush him aside. For the first time since 1954, Egypt's president is a secondary figure, assigned the functionary role long associated with its prime ministers.

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A picture of Morsi and Tantawi reveals the terms of their relationship: Not only is Tantawi sitting on the right side, where prior Egyptian presidents (Nasser, Sadat, Mubarak) ritualistically sat when hosting a visitor, but their meeting took place in the Ministry of Defense, not in the presidential palace, which protocol would normally require.

Mohamed Tantawi is the real ruler of Egypt. Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Field Marshall, and Minister of Defense, he serves not only as the commander in chief but also as effective head of all three Egypt's governmental branches. Tantawi is an autocrat with near-absolute powers. As chief representative of the military junta that has been ruling Egypt since February 2011, his mission is to extend the junta's rule indefinitely into the future, thereby assuring officers their perquisites and privileges.
SCAF exploits the Muslim Brotherhood and other proxies as its civilian fronts, a role they are happy to play, by permitting Islamists to garner an outsized percentage of the parliamentary vote, then to win the presidency. During the suspicious week-long delay before the presidential votes were announced, SCAF met with the Muslim Brotherhood's real leader, Khairat El-Shater, and reached a deal whereby Morsi became president but SCAF still governs.
To understand SCAF's power, note three actions it took in conjunction with the presidential elections:
Imposition of martial law: On June 13, the Justice Minister authorized the General Intelligence Services and military police to arrest civilians at will and incarcerate them for six months if they express any form of written or artist opposition against SCAF, the police, or their Islamist proxies, while protesting these same institutions on the streets can lead to life in prison.
Dissolution of parliament: On the grounds that the parliamentary elections of Nov. 2011-Jan. 2012, breached the constitution (which prohibits party candidates to run for "individual" seats), the Supreme Administrative Court ruled them invalid in February 2012. On June 14, the SCAF-controlled Supreme Constitutional Court confirmed this decision and dissolved parliament. In retrospect, it appears that SCAF, which oversaw those elections, intentionally allowed Islamists to break the law so as to have an excuse at will to dissolve Egypt's fraudulent parliament.
Establish the premise for martial law: SCAF issued a constitutional declaration on June 17 that formalized its intention to prolong the military's 60-year-old rule. Article 53/2 states that, in the face of internal unrest, "the president can issue a decision to direct the armed forces – with the approval of SCAF - to maintain security and defend public properties." The basis for a complete military takeover could hardly be more baldly asserted; Morsi's plan to reconvene the dissolved parliament could justify such an action.

Morsi took the oath of office before the Supreme Constitutional Court and not before the parliament. Score another symbolic victory for SCAF.

If foreigners are largely blind to SCAF's power play, Egyptians widely recognize this reality. The liberal April 6 Youth Movement called its recent actions "a soft coup d'état." Journalist Zainab Abu El-Magd bitterly noted that "political coups these days are done through 'fair elections'." Ziad Abdel Tawab of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies calls the dissolution of parliament a "blatant military coup." One Egyptian newspaper called Morsi "president without powers," while an Islamist compared him to Queen Elizabeth II of Britain.
SCAF is struggling to perpetuate the status quo, whereby the officer corps enjoys the good life and the rest of the country serves its needs. Making Morsi the apparent president of Egypt cleverly saddles him with responsibility as the country's economic problems worsen. But SCAF's tricks run great dangers and could backfire, for a population fed up with tyranny and backwardness finds itself with more of the same. The next explosion could make the uprising of early 2011 look tame.
To help avoid that next explosion, Western governments should adopt a policy of pressuring SCAF gradually to permit increasing genuine political participation.

Mr. Pipes is president of the Middle East Forum and Taube fellow at the Hoover Institution. Ms Farahat, a fellow at the Forum, also works at the Center for Security Policy and Coptic Solidarity. © 2012 by Daniel Pipes and Cynthia Farahat. All rights reserved.

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Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Leader Calls for Jihad on Israel.

Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Leader Calls for Jihad on Israel.(TCJR).By Raymond Ibrahim. This would be the same “leader” of Egypt’s new president, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Muhammad Morsi—and the man whom some have even portrayed as the true power behind Egypt’s presidency, with Morsi acting as his puppet. According to last Thursday’s edition of Al Wafd, during his weekly sermon, “Muhammad Badi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide, confirmed the necessity for every Muslim to strive to save al-Quds [Jerusalem] from the hands of the rapists [Israelis] and to cleanse Palestine from the clutches of the occupation, deeming this an individual duty for all Muslims.”
More specifically, he “called on all Muslims to wage jihad with their money and their selves to free al-Quds”—the same exact language one finds in al-Qaeda’s tracts. If this is the position of the Supreme Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, what can one expect from the Muslim Brotherhood president of Egypt?Hmmm..........Obama: "“We will hold sacred the beliefs held sacred by others.”Read the full story

Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders brings his crusade against Islam to Colorado conservative confab.

Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders brings his crusade against Islam to Colorado conservative confab.(TCS).By Ernest Luning. Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders brought his crusade against the Islamic religion to Denver last weekend, warning an audience at the Western Conservative Summit that Europe and the United States are vulnerable to an insidious takeover by what he termed a “dangerous, totalitarian ideology” masquerading as a religion. “If we do not stop the Islamization, we will lose everything: our identity, our culture, our democratic constitutional state, our freedom, and our civilization,” Wilders told an audience of roughly 1,000 gathered in the main ballroom at the downtown Hyatt Regency Denver on Saturday. The annual summit, in its third year, is sponsored by the Lakewood-based Colorado Christian University’s Centennial Institute and had an estimated 1,300 attendees over three days. While the reaction to Wilders was mixed — he received repeated standing ovations during his 45-minute talk, but perhaps a third of the audience members remained planted in their seats throughout — one Colorado lawmaker said Americans should take the Islamic threat seriously and consider prohibiting the construction of mosques in the state.
Wilders, the founder and head of the far-right Party for Freedom, now the third-largest political party in the Netherlands, has lived under constant guard since 2004 and is the author of the recently published “Marked for Death: Islam’s War Against the West and Me.” He has been targeted “for criticizing Islam,” he told the avid crowd after describing some of the security measures required to protect him and his wife. “My view, in a nutshell, is that Islam, rather than a religion, is predominantly a totalitarian ideology striving for world dominance,” he said. “I believe that Islam and freedom are incompatible.” CCU president and former U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong launched the summit on Friday by proclaiming it open to members of all faiths. “Of course, those of us at CCU are followers of Jesus, but in the room tonight are men and women of not only the New Testament but the Old Testament, and of other religious and philosophical traditions as well. You’re all welcome, we’re delighted you’re here,” Armstrong said.Former radio talk-show host and Denver attorney Craig Silverman introduced Wilders, but first told the crowd that he stood before them “in all humility to you conservatives for confession and forgiveness,” and admitted that he voted for Obama in 2008. Silverman said he has since seen the error of his ways. “I thought Barack Hussein Obama was ideally situated to speak simple truths to the Islamic world,” Silverman said, adding that instead, the president “wouldn’t do it, he did not do it, and he will not do it.” Saying he feared for America’s safety and for the very survival of Israel, Silverman declared that he has read few books in recent years that affected him as profoundly as Wilders’ memoir. “Geert Wilders is a great man,” Silverman said. “He refuses to be intimidated. He is a profile in courage.” Hmmmm.......Wilders “I believe that Islam and freedom are incompatible.” he might be right when it comes to 'Democracy and Islam' - Fatwa issued February 28, 2010 by Sheikh Nasser Al-Din Al-Baghdadi, a member of the shari'a committee: "The elections are based on the system of democracy, and democracy is a religion that is not the religion of Allah... [Participating in them] is blatant heresy... It is [our] duty to eliminate [the system of] democracy, which contravenes our religion, and cleave to the real and pure monotheistic faith."Makes you wonder why they vote?Read the full story here.

‘No to the Brotherhood’ protest expected in Egypt’s Tahrir Square.

‘No to the Brotherhood’ protest expected in Egypt’s Tahrir Square.(AA).Egyptian activists are planning to take to Cairo’s central Tahrir Square on Friday to protest against the Muslim Brotherhood, in a planned million-man demonstration titled “No to the Brotherhood.” 
The protests have been reportedly planned by the Maspero Youth Union, a revolutionary Coptic group, and a number of military supporters. The armed forces, which had transitionally ruled the country since Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown last year, handed over power to President Mohammed Mursi, who came from the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood last week.
The groups taking part in Friday’s protest are asking for Mursi to leave power, according to reports from Al Arabiya TV. Last Friday, Mursi joined tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square on Friday to celebrate his victory and keep pressure on the nation’s ruling generals to restore the parliament and hand power over to a civilian government. “There is no power above people power,” Mursi declared to wild cheers from the crowd. Mursi, who won a run-off election earlier this month against Mubarak’s last premier, was received with applause by the tens of thousands of people gathered in the square. He paid tribute to “the square of the revolution, the square of freedom,” addressing “the free world, Arabs, Muslims... the people of Egypt, brothers and sisters... Muslims of Egypt, Christians of Egypt.”
This Friday, Tahrir will also be accommodating the protests of another group: Egyptian women protesting against the rising sexual violence in the country. A page on Facebook, titled “Safe Tahrir for Women,” has called on both men and women to join forces to demonstrate against violence directed toward women in the iconic square under the theme.
 “We want strong people to act as guards to protect women from thugs who have been abusing them in the square. We want to catch these criminals who are destroying the reputation of the revolution, expose and shame them, and bring them to justice,” the statement on the Facebook page read. The campaign has been launched after dozens of violent attacks against women in Tahrir last month. Female protesters and journalists say the assaults are becoming commonplace in the Square, with groups of men attacking a women’s march against sexual harassment in an incident in June. “We want to say, ‘Enough, No!’ to the terrible assaults against women which have been happening in Tahrir. We believe them to have been carried out by state-sponsored paid thugs: let’s catch them, and prove that the people of Tahrir are amongst the noblest in the world,” their statement added. Hmmmm.....can't wait to hear the Obama admin condemn the protests.Read the full story here.

Egypt’s new TV channel featuring only niqab-wearing women to kick off in Ramadan.

Egypt’s new TV channel featuring only niqab-wearing women to kick off in Ramadan.(AA).The first Egyptian satellite channel completely managed by women wearing the ‘niqab’ (full face veil) will be launched on July 20, which will mark with the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, an Egyptian daily reported on Thursday. All workers in the new channel – named Maria – as well as the guests to be hosted in its programs will all be women wearing the ‘niqab’, according to Safaa al-Refaie, who is in charge of the channel. “Niqab is a red line that cannot be crossed,” Refaie was quoted as saying by Egypt’s state-run al-Ahram daily. She refused to reveal the source of the channel’s funding.
Maria is the name of one of Prophet Mohammed’s (PBUH) wives, who was an Egyptian Copt. Most of the new channel’s programs will focus on religion and marital life. “Our message will be directed at Muslim women, to teach them the Sunna (legacy) of the Prophet Mohammed,” Refaie said.
This channel was opened “to regain the dignity of women in niqab who have been persecuted and were subject to dismissal from work over the past decades,” Refaie told al-Ahram. The hijab (headscarf), which is common in Egypt, was banned on Egyptian TV channels during former president Hosni Mubarak’s era. Female presenters were not allowed to appear on screen in the hijab If the channel airs a program about an issue and cannot find an expert wearing the niqab, then, according to Refaie, the channel will host the “non-niqabi” experts and give them two options: either to wear the niqab temporarily during the program, or to have their faces blurred out while the program is being aired.
Yasser Abdul Aziz, an Egyptian media expert, was quoted by Egypt Independent daily as saying that he predicted the channel would not be able to continue with the same conditions and work requirements for long, although it might attract a considerable number of viewers. Meanwhile, the new channel Maria was described as a “legitimate exercise of the freedom of opinion and expression” by rights activist Negad al-Boraie He was quoted by Egypt Independent as saying that barring unveiled women from the programs of Maria “was not a form of discrimination.” Egyptian society should be open to all ideas and should not judge citizens according to what they are wearing, but what they are saying, he added. “Protecting freedom of expression and opinion requires making room for both women in niqab who launch their own channel, and those who believe in other ideas,” he told the Egyptian daily.Hmmmm......The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, head of Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni world“The niqab is a tradition and has nothing to do with Islam,” said Sheikh Tantawi, vowing to ban it in Al-Azhar schools.After the girl complied he insisted she should not wear it any more.“I tell you again that the niqab has nothing to do with Islam and it is only a mere custom. I understand the religion better than you and your parents.” The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar imam vowed to issue a ban against the face-veil in all schools linked to Al-Azhar.“Read the full story here.

Egyptian Coptic activists declare creation of Christian Brotherhood to 'counter' Muslim Brotherhood.

Egyptian Coptic activists declare creation of Christian Brotherhood to 'counter' Muslim Brotherhood.(AA).A group of Coptic activists in Egypt announced the establishment of the Christian Brotherhood to counter the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood especially after their candidate Mohammed Mursi won the presidential elections. The idea was first initiated in 2005 by lawyer Mamdouh Nakhla, head of al-Kalema Center for Human Rights, and political analyst Michel Fahmi. It was then adopted by Amir Ayad, member of the Maspero Youths Union for Free Copts, the group established after clashes with military forces in front of the TV building in the Cairo district of Maspero left more than 20 Copts dead.
The Christian Brotherhood has branches in 16 governorates in Egypt as well as four branches outside Egypt, three in Europe and one in Australia. “The idea started in 2005 with the rise of Islamist groups, but it had not been put to action since then,” Michel Fahmi told Al Arabiya in a phone interview. Fahmi explained that it was the victory of Muslim Brotherhood candidate presidential elections that necessitated taking steps towards creating the new Brotherhood. “It was then important to establish a body that can resist the Islamist tide.” Fahmi stated that he has no problem calling the Christian Brotherhood a sectarian group since the idea of the Muslim Brotherhood is also sectarian. “We created our group to create a balance in the Egyptian political scene.”
The new group, Fahmi pointed out, is not meant to compete with Muslims but with the rise of political Islam and its members are not after power. “Muslims are something and Islamists are something else and it is not true that we wanted to a Copt to take part in presidential elections.” According to Amir Ayad, members of the group decided to put their ideas into action when they felt that the hope of having a civilian state was gone.“With Mohammed Mursi’s victory, we felt that Egypt is about to turn into a religious state so we decided to create the group as a means of peaceful resistance against Islamist powers,” Ayad was quoted as saying by the Egyptian newspaper al-Youm al-Sabea. This resistance, which Ayad likens to that adopted by Mahatma Gandhi, will be basically through chronicling all sorts of violations and discriminatory acts committed against Copts across Egypt. “We will then use all available legal channels to make sure the perpetrators of these actions do not get away with them.”Hmmmm.....Read the full story here.

"The 'Charm' of Sharia law" - Religious vigilantes claim to have killed student in Suez.

"The 'Charm' of Sharia law" - Religious vigilantes claim to have killed student in Suez.(EI).Religious vigilantes claimed responsibility for the death of a Student in Suez on Facebook Monday, after attacking him for walking with his fiancée. The student passed away in Ismailia University Hospital, the state newspaper Al-Akhbar reported. Suez security chief had received reports that Ahmed Hussein Eid, an engineering student, died of stabbing wounds.
Al-Akhbar said that victim, a 20-year-old engineering student, was walking with his fiancée and cousin towards a minibus stop in the Arbaeen neighborhood, when three bearded men wearing white Galabeyas on a motorcycle stopped him. They asked him about the girl accompanying him. When he told him that she is his fiancée, they warned him against walking with her because it is "haram, and it is an abomination.” The student shouted in their faces and told them that he is free to do what he wants and it is none of their business. One of the three men then stabbed him in the groin with a knife and they ran away with their motorcycle. 
The Facebook page “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Authority” that adopts the Saudi model for religious police, who search for those violating Sharia, said on Monday that they are responsible for the killing of the student. The page said that the killed student was standing with a woman and they were advising him not to do that. But the student insulted them and they later attacked him with the knife, killing him. The victim did now know the men, according to his father, who Al-Akhbar said suffered a nervous breakdown after hearing of his son’s death. The incident comes amid increasing reports of attacks against individuals by some religious men. Last week two middle-aged men were killed by “bearded people” because they work for a musical group. The victim’s brother, Mohamed, told the same newspaper that the murderers stopped Ahmed and his fiancée and told him that she should not walk alone with him without a “mahram,” a woman’s father, brother, or son. When Ahmed shunned them, they stabbed him with a metal object, he said.Hmmmm......Arab Spring 'knife'?Read the full story here.

"Islam 101" - Anushirvan: "The Koran determines who is a genuine Muslim and Who isn't!"

"Islam 101" - Anushirvan: "The Koran determines who is a genuine Muslim and Who isn't!"(TT).Tundra Tabloids’ commentator, Anushirvan comments to a previous post on the Jordanian cleric who admonishes tough treatment on apostates from Islam. He elucidates for us the Islamic understanding of absolutism (driving a nail into the idea of the ”many paths in Islam) and the defining of ”who’s a Muslim”.
text-align: justify;">The Quran itself contains provisions with regards to determining who is a genuine Muslim and who isn’t. The core concept of Islam is called Tawhid, the religion’s most fundamental concept and holds Allah is one and unique. The Qu’ran asserts the existence of a single and absolute truth that transcends the world; a unique, independent and indivisible being, who is independent of the entire creation.

The indivisibility of Allah implies the indivisibility of Allah’s sovereignty which, in turn, leads to the concept of a just, moral and coherent universe, as opposed to an existential and moral chaos. Tawhid is a moral absolute and defines the inherent impossibility of the average human (Muslim or otherwise) to create laws that are binding or legitimate in any way. Such laws would be automatically diluting and corrupting the ultimate moral authority Allah represents.

Hence, total adherence to Islam within the constrains of Tawhid has to be just as absolute. 

Last but least, the level to which Muslims adhere in practice to Tawhid has to be measured against the backdrop of two concepts: Shirk (defined as polytheism/idolatry) and bid’ah (heresy within Islam).

As we have already seen, Shirk can be used to determine who the “default infidels” are (non-Muslims in general), ( http://tundratabloids.com/2012/02/r-e-s-p-e-c-t-islam-demands-it-but-never-gives-it.html) and in fact, it is an equally useful concept to sort the Sunni wheat from the Sunni chaff (genuine Sunni Muslims vs. false Sunni Muslims, AKA Munafiqun) in terms of Salafi moral supremacism. (bid’ah on the other hand is a criterion that solely applies to the distinction between Sunni Muslims vs. non-Sunni Muslims)

In the Salafi view, the average Munafiq can also be designated as a default apostate, and thus equally kafir like the default infidel. To the average Salafi, there’s no real distinction to be made between a Munafiq and a Murtad, both imply the same thing in practice: the individual does not attain the moral standards related to Tawhid, he/she is inherently immoral to the core and can be persecuted without any reservations.

The converging concepts of Tawhid, Shirk and Bid’ah have lead to a particular Salafi viewpoint relating to what does or doesn’t constitute legitimate rule, called Al Wala’ Wal Bara’ (literally: Loyalty and Separation) that is commonly understood among Salafis as “Love and Hate for Allah’s Sake”. 

Al Wala’ Wal Bara’ is derived from Quranic verses demonstrating that violence against Munafiq Sunnis can be equally justified as in the case of violence directed against non-Muslim infidels (Christians, Jews, Bhuddists, Hindus, atheists,…et al.) or non-Sunni Muslims (Shi’ites of different subdenominations, Ahmadiyya, Ibadi,…etc.)

In order to demonstrate that Al Wala’ Wal Bara serves as an explicit justification and permissible incitement to direct violence against Muslims, (even if they are Sunni) we need to scrutinize the line of reasoning behind this concept and take the definition from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. A google search of Al Wala’ Wal Bara will for instance yield a lot of results linking to different Muslim forums that explain the concept in great detail. (http://quranicverse99.tripod.com/islamicways/id15.html).

The conclusions we can draw from this are manifold:

1) Salafism rejects the idea that infidels can be instrumental in furthering the cause of Islam. Infidels have to be avoided in first instance, they corrupt Muslim doctrine and instill Western decadence in Muslims.

2) Muslim regimes that ally themselves in any way with infidels are de facto illegitimate. (for example: Mubarak’s Egypt and the USA) Salafism clearly defines “the enemy within Islam” by Al Wala Wal Bara.

3) Impermissible idolatry (shirk) includes the integration of non-Islamic concepts into the doctrine (like Western secular-oriented socialism or nationalism in Nasserism, Ba’athism and Kemalism) Secular- influenced regimes in the Muslim world are de facto illegitimate. (Ben Ali’s Tunisia, Mubarak’s Egypt, Assad’s Ba’athist Syria).

4) Solidarity between Muslims can only exist between ‘genuine’ Muslims that submit themselves to Tawhid as Salafis define it, all shirk and bid’ah has to be discarded.

5) Integrating Western ways of life into the life of the Muslim individual is forbidden. Every activity that relates to leisure time amusement or Western materialism is a type of corrupting idolatry. (hence, the “no fun in Islam” tenet is absolute in Salafism).

6) Non-Salafi Sunnis are (alongside Shi’ites, Sufis, Ahmadiyya…etc.) de facto infidels, they have to be persecuted, war can be waged on them and it is perfectly justified against both Munafiq temporal rulers and average citizens going about their daily business, alike. This explains why Muslims kill Muslims all the time.

7) The converging concepts of Tawhid, Shirk and Bid’ah are explicitly inscribed in the Quran to demarcate the moral boundaries between those who can be considered genuine Muslims and those Muslims who are considered “morally corrupt” and are therefore deemed apostates and infidels. These provisions in the Quran are tools to establish a greater level of Islamic uniformity across the global Muslim world, and have given rise to the Al Wala Wal Bara core tenet of Salafism as a tool to violently reinforce this doctrinal uniformity in practice. Which demonstrates that Islam can in no way be considered as a moderate doctrine or a benign religion. These core issues are specifically designed in order to stave off any type of Islamic reform in the first place ! Thus, Islam can NOT be modernized in any way. Islamic reform constitutes corruption and defilement of the doctrine.

8) If Salafism becomes mainstream in the West (and to a certain extent it is becoming increasingly mainstream already), then these so-called Arab Spring Movements (which are decidedly Salafist by nature) will eventually also mobilize against illegitimate infidel rule across Europe and the Anglosphere. In other words, we can expect Salafi revolutions on our own doorstep !Read the full story here.

Salafi leader: Brotherhood agrees Sharia, not principles, to be legislative source.

Salafi leader: Brotherhood agrees Sharia, not principles, to be legislative source.(EI).Prominent Salafi leader and preacher Yasser Borhamy has said that the Muslim Brotherhood has agreed with the Salafi vision to have a constitution that cites Sharia as the main source for the legislation, rather than the principles of Sharia. Article II of 1971 Constitution, which is copied into the current Constitutional Declaration, reads "Islam is the religion of the state. Arabic is its official language, and principles of Islamic jurisprudence (Sharia) are the main source of legislation." A 1979 amendment had replaced "a main source" with "the main source."
According to legal experts, deleting the word "principles“ means that Sharia will play a bigger role in drafting legislation. In an interview with Al-Shorouk newspaper on Saturday, Borhamy said, “we insist that the article states that 'Islamic Sharia law is the main source of legislation,’ not ‘the principles of Sharia.' We will not give up on this matter. The Muslim Brotherhood assured us that they agree with us on the formula of Islamic Sharia law without [mentioning] ‘principles.'” The Salafi preacher said,

“What is disturbing in the Islamic Sharia law, is Sharia bothering anyone? We do not say ‘our views on Sharia,’ but we say that we want the Sharia law revealed by God. Would anyone be afraid of the Sharia that establishes justice, [public] interest and wisdom? This is very strange. How is it said that people are afraid of Sharia?”

Borhamy stressed that the Supreme Constitutional Court’s interpretation of the word "principles" means what is "extremely certain and constant," which empties the article of its real practical content, because every verse and word bears interpretative variation, on the level of linguistics or jurisprudence.” According to Borhamy, “this word, 'principles,' was for the purpose of repealing the article all together. Someone said one day that it's a dictatorial article. It was so in the former regime, something that we do not accept and that we consider a betrayal of Sharia and the will of the nation. What brought the Brotherhood and the Nour Party to the majority in the parliamentary and the presidential [elections] is that they seek the application of Sharia.”Hmmmm........Welcome to life in A.D. 630?Read the full story here.

Egyptian diplomat suggests gays are ‘not real people’.

Egyptian diplomat suggests gays are ‘not real people’.(PN).By Benjamin Weinthal.Egypt’s chief diplomatic representative to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva declared last week at a meeting about the universal right to association that gays do not warrant protections and are considered not to be “real people” in the Middle East. The liberal Egyptian web news outlet Bikya Masr first reported on Omar Shalaby’s homophobic remarks. According to a transcription of Mr Shalaby’s presentation, he said: “Finally, concerning the highly controversial notion of sexual orientation, we can only reiterate that it is not part of the universally recognized human rights.” Last year, US Sectary of State Hilary Clinton, however, told the UN body in Geneva that “It should never be a crime to be gay.” Mrs Clinton told the diplomats in Geneva in December that: “Gay rights are human rights.” Mr Shalaby further stated: “We call on Mr Kiai [UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and association] not to undermine the credibility and legitimacy of his important work in the eyes of real people who actually need it, especially in regions where such concepts are rejected by both its Christian and Muslim inhabitants like the Middle East.”The UN webcast of Mr Shalaby’s anti-gay comments can be viewed here.
In an email statement to PinkNews.co.uk on Wednesday, Klaus Jetz, the executive director of Germany’s Lesbian and Gay Association, wrote: “LGBT rights are human rights, they are universal and indivisible. They apply to LGBT people all over the world and to LGBT people in Egypt as well, they are not negotiable. Denying human rights to LGBT people means attacking human rights.”
PinkNews.co.uk emails seeking a comment from Egypt’s embassy and consulate in Germany were not immediately returned. Egypt’s government has over the years severely cracked down on gay life in the country, including mass show trials of men to ratchet up a climate of fear against sexual minorities. According to Human Rights Watch, twenty-three men were convicted in 2001 in a “politically motivated trial” for their alleged sexual orientation.
Though homosexuality is ostensibly not legally codified as a crime, there are widespread anti-gay barriers in Egypt that prevent the free expression of the LGBT community.The UN Human Rights Council told PinkNews.co.uk: “The Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body which provides a space for a wide range of views from States, NGOs, civil society and other participants. The comments made by the Egyptian delegate on 21 June during a discussion on a report of the Special Rapporteur on peaceful assembly, Maina Kiai, expressed the views of the Egyptian delegation, and should certainly not be interpreted as an endorsement by the Council as a whole.Hmmmm......."CHANGE" Egyptian style.Read the full story here.

'Please God, make it stop!' British female journalist describes horrific sexual assault in Egypt's Tahrir Square.

'Please God, make it stop!' British female journalist describes horrific sexual assault in Egypt's Tahrir Square.(DailyMail).A British journalist was brutally sexually assaulted in Cairo's Tahrir Square as thousands of Egyptians gathered to celebrate the nation's presidential election results. Natasha Smith, 21, has detailed how she was violently attacked by a 'group of animals' who stripped her naked, scratched and clenched her breasts and 'forced their fingers inside her'. She only escaped by donning men's clothes and a burka and being whisked away to safety by two other men.

Writing on her blog, she said: 'All I could see was leering faces, more and more faces sneering and jeering as I was tossed around like fresh meat among starving lions.' The incident occured on Sunday when Egyptians flooded the area celebrating the announcement Mohammed Morsi would be the nation's first democratically elected leader.'Men had been groping me for a while, but suddenly, something shifted. I found myself being dragged from my male friend, groped all over, with increasing force and aggression. 'I screamed. I could see what was happening and I saw that I was powerless to stop it. I couldn't believe I had got into this situation.' A friend eventually reached her and managed to guide her to a medical tent. Local women helped protect her as she put on the burka and clothes. She said: 'The men outside remained thirsty for blood; their prey had been cruelly snatched from their grasp. 'They peered in, so I had to duck down and hide. They attempted to attack the tent, and those inside began making a barricade out of chairs. They wanted my blood.' She then escaped by posing as a stranger's wife and walking out hand-in-hand with the man. She added: 'The women told me the attack was motivated by rumours spread by trouble-making thugs that I was a foreign spy. 'But if that was the cause, it was only really used as a pretext, an excuse, to molest and violate a blonde young Western girl'.Read the full story here.

Answer in the 'official Muslim Brotherhood press from the Egyptian Journalists for Reform: Assault on Foreign Journalist in Egypt is Unrepresentative.(IW).Egyptian 'Journalists for Reform' movement condemned vicious attacks on foreign journalists doing their duty in Egypt during the recent period. The British newspaper "The Daily Mail" journalist, 21-year-old Natasha Smith, described that a group of men in Tahrir Square attacked and sexually assaulted her as she walked around the square filming celebrations of the election results on Sunday, June 24. The 'Journalists for Reform' youth movement is run by young journalists from the Muslim Brotherhood, and has been playing an important supervisory role over the performance of the press in Egypt during the recent period.
In a statement to Ikhwanweb, the journalist Hassan Kabbani, a member of the movement, said: "This behavior has nothing to do at all with the spirit and values ??of Tahrir Square. We demand the protection of our fellow Western journalists who carry a mission we should all support and protect". Islam Tawfik, coordinator of the movement, pointed that the law should be applied firmly against the perpetrators of such heinous crimes against journalists and the press at large. Expressing hope for a big role in this for the journalists' union, Tawfik urged the British journalist to lodge a formal complaint with the Egyptian Press Syndicate to take all necessary actions. "Egyptians respect foreign journalists. What happened is certainly not representatives of Egyptians; it is a totally absurd incident."Hmmmm......Could it be that the whole idea behind these 'assaults' is to get women of the streets?The 'Wet dream' of some Islamic extremists.Read the full story here.

Video - Egypt - Obama's 'favorite' Muslim Brotherhood Party Representative Won’t Speak to Israeli Journalist.

 HT: France24.Egypt: who's in charge? He’s Egypt’s first civilian president but president of what? François Picard’s panel speculate over Mohamed Morsi’s ability to claw back prerogatives recently confiscated by the outgoing generals.Second part of the debate here.

A View on the Egyptian Elections results by a Coptic writer.

The face of Mu'allem Ta'qub Hanna, the Great Coptic hero.By French artist Vivant Denon.

A View on the Egyptian Elections results by a Coptic writer.(ONCOPTIC NATIONALISM في القومية القبطية).By DioscoresBoles.IN THE MORNING AFTER THE ADVENT OF THE ISLAMISTS TO POWER IN EGYPT, WE WOULD LIKE TO REMIND THEM WHO THE COPTIC NATIONALISTS ARE, OUR NATIONAL DEMANDS, AND THE TWO OPTIONS WE HAVE AND THEY MUST KNOW.


In the morning after the advent of the Islamists to power in Egypt, the Copts feel apprehensive. We say to them, be of good cheer. It is a win-win situation for us. The Muslim Brotherhood winner in the Presidential Election 2012, Mohamed Morsi, has promised to work for all Egyptians. We shall watch and see if he delivers. Whether he delivers or not, we shall overcome. As the Muslim Brotherhood start their tenure of government, we would like to remind them of who we are, our demands, and the two options we have and they must know.
The Coptic nationalists work for a civilian, secular democratic Egypt for all Egyptians regardless of religion, sex, colour or nationality. But this is only about individual rights. We believe that Egypt is formed of three nations, Arabs, Copts and Nubians. We work also for the collective rights of the Copts within a multinational Egypt.
Within that context, the demands of the Coptic nationalists are:

1. Establishment of a secular, civilian, democratic Egypt that is just for all. This means Egypt with no Islamists or military in power. It also means getting Islam out of politics in Egypt. Let that be clear.
2. Guaranteeing of the individual (civil and political) rights of the Copts within Egypt.
3. Guaranteeing of the collective rights of the Copts. This means a large degree of a non-territorial autonomy with a separately elected Coptic cultural council that possesses exclusive legislative power over religion,[i] education[ii] and cultural[iii] matters, and the right to represent the interests of the Copts to the state.

If the demands of the Coptic nationalists are not met, we shall fight for secession and the establishment of an independent Coptic State. When and how the second option becomes first option is frankly in the hands of our compatriots, the Muslims of Egypt. A special burden falls on the shoulders of the moderate Muslims – they must discard their lethargy, apathy and join us in an anti-Islamist front. There can be no more dangerous enemy to Egypt’s democracy and progress other than the Islamists – their harm touches moderate Muslims and Copts alike. The Islamists are not anti-Copts only but are, in addition, anti-women, anti-liberties, anti-human rights. 
Let us be honest and frank about one thing: not only Egypt’s democracy and progress are being endangered by the advent of the Islamists, but also its national and territorial unity. Let Egyptians learn the lesson of Sudan!
We count on the understanding and help of the moderate Muslims in Egypt, and its women and Nubians, and all those who love justice, equality and democracy in Egypt, the region and the world.
For more on our demands, read: THE THREE DEMANDS OF COPTIC NATIONALISTS مطالب القوميين الأقباط http://copticliterature.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/the-three-demands-of-coptic-nationalists/

Video - Michael Coren and Daniel Pipes: "Making Sense of the Egyptian Presidential Election."

Egyptian Copts await Anxious the election result for the second time

Egyptian Copts await Anxious the election result for the second time.(AA).Egyptians will learn the winner of a divisive presidential election Sunday after the results were delayed following victory claims by both candidates that have sparked tensions between the rival camps. The electoral commission overseeing the contest between Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi and former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq said it would announce the official winner at 3:00 pm (1300 GMT). By Saturday evening, hundreds of Brotherhood supporters determined to occupy Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square until the election result was published, had been joined by others, swelling their numbers to the thousands. “Mursi, Mursi, God is the Greatest,” the protesters chanted in anticipation of a victory for their candidate.Morsi’s campaign have put him the winner by a 900,000 vote difference from the primary results they have gathered. Across the city, in the Nasr City neighborhood, thousands of Shafiq supporters held up pictures of their candidate and of military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, chanting “the people and the army are one.” “Down with the rule of the Supreme Guide,” protesters shouted, referring to the head of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Both Mursi and Shafiq have claimed victory in the election for a successor to Hosni Mubarak with tensions deepening after the electoral commission delayed announcing the official outcome. A huge security plan has been put in place in the capital to prevent unrest when the result is announced, an interior ministry official told AFP. On Friday, the SCAF warned it would deal “with utmost firmness and strength” with any attempts to harm public interests. The Brotherhood, for its part, warned against tampering with the election results, but said it had no intention of instigating violence. It has rejected a constitutional declaration by the military that strips away any gains made by the Islamist group since the popular uprising which forced Mubarak to stand down in February last year. The document dissolves the Islamist-led parliament and gives the army a broad say in government policy and control over the new constitution. It was adopted just days after a justice ministry decree granted the army powers of arrest. Those changes mean that even if Mursi wins the election, the Brotherhood is left with no parliament, no say in the constitution and a powerless president. “It’s a problem which we are trying to resolve,” one Brotherhood official said. By contrast supporters of Shafiq, 70, who was Mubarak’s last prime minister in his final desperate days, kept a low profile, although he did declare publicly on Thursday he was confident. A victory for Shafiq, who won backing in the run-off from many who decided they liked religious rule even less than a candidate drawn from the familiar military establishment, could spark protests from well-organized Islamist movements, which the army and security forces might confront on the streets. Reformist politician Mohammed ElBaradei said he had been in contact with the army and Mursi’s camp to avoid a showdown, but said he was worried that, if Shafiq ere declared winner, “we are in for a lot of instability and violence ... a major uprising.” His comments were carried by CNN on Saturday. CAIRO: As Egyptians patiently wait until 3 PM on Sunday for the official election results from the presidential run-off that ended a week ago, tensions remain high in the country over the future. On Saturday, Christian leaders, led by billionaire business man Naguib Sawiris’s Free Egyptians Party lashed out at the Muslim Brotherhood, ostensibly throwing their support behind the military junta in the country. The press conference angered many activists and heightened tension between the revolutionary powers in the country and the military, which on Friday had blamed the Brotherhood, and their candidate Mohamed Morsi, for the uncertainty and political turmoil in the country. “It is really a strange time right now in Egypt and I don’t know what is going to happen,” said Brotherhood supporter Omar Khaled. He said that if military strongman and jailed dictator Hosni Mubarak’s last Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq is named president, “the tension and anger could become very strong and people will not allow the military to take complete control of the country. The revolution lives on.” The announcement on Sunday afternoon will be read by Farouq Sultan, the head of the election committee. Both candidates’ camps have already announced victory and their supporters have already started celebrating.Hmmm..... The Brotherhood said it had no intention of instigating violence.Brotherhood supporter Omar Khaled: "people will not allow the military to take complete control of the country. The revolution lives on."Read the full story here.

Egypt military SCAF: "Prematurely announcing the results of the elections is creating political confusion." defends constitutional amendments.

Egypt military SCAF: "Prematurely announcing the results of the elections is creating political confusion." defends constitutional amendments.(BM).CAIRO: Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) said the Muslim Brotherhood’s premature announcement of the victory of their candidate Mohamed Morsi has caused political confusion and is to blame for the political instability in the country. “Prematurely announcing the results of the elections is the reason behind the political confusion we are going through,” the statement accused of the FJP party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, in being behind the recent unrest in the country. The FJP and the group announced Morsi as the winner of the presidential election run-off held last weekend as early results appeared to give their candidate the victory. Military man and old regime loyalist Ahmed Shafiq, who is running against Morsi, has also claimed victory, doing so one day after the FJP announced their win. Shafiq was the jailed ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister. SCAF issued the statement Friday at noon as Cairo’s Tahrir square was already receiving tens thousands of people to take part in the “Friday of Refusal of the Military Coup” where 15 political parties and groups called for a protest against the amendments that have expanded the council’s power over the country. SCAF defended its decision, saying it was important to bring about. “The new declaration [and] amendments are a necessity that was brought by the running of the affairs of the country in this critical period,” read the statement.Politicians, public figures and activists came out in a strong united voice against the declaration and protests in Tahrir have been non-stop since the announcement. “SCAF is only driven by the high interest of the nation and doesn’t work for personal gains,” SCAF said, defending itself against great internal criticism. But the statement, like many of the council’s, was tough worded and promised “vandalizers” a fierce response. “We will face any attempts to endanger private or public interests with great force through police and security forces,” said the statement.Hmmmm......Waiting for a 'scorching Arab Summer'.Read the full story here.

Video - Egyptian Cleric Muhammad Hussein Yaaqub: MB Presidential Candidate Muhammad Mursi Told Me that the Shiites “Are More Dangerous to Islam than the Jews”

Following are excerpts from an address by Egyptian cleric Muhammad Hussein Yaaqub, which was posted on the Internet on June 13, 2012.

Muhammad Hussein Yaaqub: The Shura Council of the Islamic Scholars [convened], and decided unanimously to support Dr. Muhammad Mursi for president. Do you have another solution? Do any of you have any other solution? There is no other way.
But I told him [Mursi] all the things that you want. I said to him: I want a Salafi president, [who follows] the Koran and the Sunna like the early Muslims.
He said: “Yes, ours is a Salafi call.” He said so.
He said this, and it is recorded on video. He said it.
I asked him about the Shiites, and he said that the Shiites are more dangerous to Islam than the Jews. He said so. I told him that I wanted a president who is not afraid of America, and he said: “I am not afraid.” What more do you want?Source:  Memri.

Egypt delays poll result to study appeals from Mursi and Shafiq.

Egypt delays poll result to study appeals from Mursi and Shafiq.(AA).The body overseeing Egypt’s presidential election said it would not announce the results on Thursday as planned, saying it needed more time to study appeals from the candidates, but did not say when they might be ready, the state news agency reported. The Egyptian presidential run-off pitted the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Mursi against Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force commander who was Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister. Both claim to have won and have filed appeals against each other.
 “The (election) committee has decided to continue to examine the appeals, which involves looking at records and logs related to the electoral process, and this will necessitate more time before announcing the final results,” it said in a statement on Wednesday. Earlier, Committee Secretary-General Hatem Bagato told Reuters he could not say when the results would be announced. “We are at the stage of listening to the representatives,” he said. “The committee will meet afterwards to decide on whether to accept the appeals or not. After that, there will be a time set to announce the final result,” he added, speaking by phone. On Tuesday, a U.S. election monitoring group said it was unable to say if Egypt’s presidential election was free and fair as it had not been given sufficient access, accusing the military leadership of hampering a transition to democracy. Beyond the election itself, the group - the Carter Center - said a court’s decision to dissolve the Islamist-dominated parliament and a decree from the ruling military council limiting the future president’s powers increased the risk that Egypt was not becoming the democracy that many had hoped for. Omar Salama, a legal advisor and member of the election committee’s secretariat, said Morsy had filed over 150 complaints against his rival Shafiq. Al Ahram newspaper said on its website that Shafiq had submitted 221 complaints about the results. No official figures have been announced, but candidates had representatives at polling stations and were able to make their own tallies. “We must give both sides all the time they need to ensure that the process is fair and prevent any claims later on that not enough time was given to both sides,” Bagato explained.Read the full story here.

Video - Bosnian Salafist Preacher Bilal Bosnić Sings Songs of Jihad: “With Explosives on Our Chests We Pave the Way to Paradise”.

Following are excerpts from various songs performed by Bosnian Salafist preacher Bilal Bosnić, which were posted on the Internet on May 22, 2009, on July 21, 2011, and on January 30, 2012.


May 22, 2009:


Bilal Bosnić: The beautiful Jihad has risen over Bosnia,


and the Bosnian started calling “Allah Akbar” and praying.


[...]


American had better know that I am performing da’wa.

God willing, it will be destroyed to its foundations.


Amen.


Crowd: Amen.


Bilal Bosnić: American had better know that I am performing da’wa.


God willing, it will be destroyed to its foundations.


If you try to harm the mujahideen once more, oh infidels,


Our Taliban brothers will come from all over,


And they will sentence you with their swords.


[...]


Know, oh Bush, that Bosnia will be the end of you.


Don’t you touch our brother Hamza.


Know, oh Bush, that Bosnia will be the end of you.


Don’t you touch our brother Hamza.


[...]


January 30, 2012:


Jihad is our destiny and our only desire.


Jihad is our destiny and our only desire.


We raise the banner of Islam.


To You we belong, and to You we return.


We raise the banner of Islam.


To You we belong, and to You we return.


We shall become Your martyrs, we do not fear death.


We shall become Your martyrs, we do not fear death.


[...]


July 21, 2011:


Jihad, Jihad, oh Allah, will be the redemption of the believers.


Jihad, Jihad, oh Allah, will be the redemption of the believers.


[...]


America and all the other tyrants had better know


that all the Muslims are now like the Taliban,


that all the Muslims are now like the Taliban.


Jihad, Jihad, oh Allah, will be the redemption of the believers.


Jihad, Jihad, oh Allah, will be the redemption of the believers.


Allah Akbar. Allah is my Lord.


Allah Akbar, oh my Lord.


Allah Akbar. Allah is my Lord.


Allah Akbar, oh my Lord.


Listen, all my brothers, believers from all the world,


With explosives on our chests we pave the way to Paradise.


[...]


The mujahideen of Palestine give their lives for the sake of martyrdom.


When they reach Paradise they will take pleasure in it.Source: Memri.

Salafi Leader: No Freedom in Islam; Apostates Must be Persecuted

Salafi Leader: No Freedom in Islam; Apostates Must be Persecuted.(MEF).By Raymond Ibrahim.Jihad Watch.

Last month, Sheikh Yassir al-Burhami, a prominent figure in Egypt's Salafi movement—who also hates Christian Copts, hates Mother's Day, and is an advocate of taqiyya—appeared on the Egyptian show Al Hayat Al Youm ("Life Today"), giving his views on the presidential candidates. At one point, the host asked Burhami which of the policies of Abu al-Futuh—the "liberal" Islamist candidate who lost out to the more "conservative" Muslim Brotherhood candidate—he especially rejected.
Burhami started vaguely, saying "There were some things we were concerned about," adding that they met and discussed these matters with Abu al-Futuh, and how the latter had clarified his position, finally agreeing that he might need to revise his opinion.
Then Burhami made clear what the issue at hand was: Apostasy—if Muslims have the right to leave Islam and convert to other religions. In the words of Burhami:

Is it the right of the Muslim to convert to Christianity or another religion? Of course this is not a right; this is a matter that Sharia has clearly addressed, according to the agreed upon hadiths. It is impermissible, for any reason, for a Muslim to leave the community. Of course, you cannot coerce any infidel to enter into Islam [Koran 2:256]—except for the apostate. It is impossible to let the apostate remain in [a state of] apostasy, deeming it a form of "freedom."

For the record, the "agreed upon hadiths" that Burhami indicated, are, in fact, unequivocal in regards to the crime of apostasy. The most canonical and oft cited among them simply has Muhammad saying: "Whoever leaves his religion, kill him."

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