generalspeaking

Living In Interesting Times

Egyptians are living through interesting times. Interesting representing a hugely understated state of beleaguerment that Chinese philosophy understands very well indeed. But they are a long-suffering hardy lot and they will persevere. Perhaps not without the advent of a dreadfully troubling civil war, given the extent of the fanaticism involved and the numbers of Egyptians whom the Muslim Brotherhood have prevailed upon to riot and rampage on their behalf and that of a self-respecting Sharia State.

Tensions were high, and they have risen even more precipitously. When these social upheavals occur, the most vulnerable of Egypt's minorities know full well that they will bear the brunt of accusations and upon them will fall the smiting hand of Muslim wrath. No Egyptian Christian can be immune from the threat of paying with life and limb for that responsibility of having provoked public social unrest, even if they feel they had nothing whatever to do with the removal of Mohammed Morsi from office.

Churches have been torched, Christian shops looted, clergymen assassinated, innocents killed and wounded. A ten-year-old child shot dead in the street returning home from Bible class at the Ahmed Esmat Street Evangelical Church. A place of Christian worship where she felt particularly comfortable since her uncle is its pastor. A single shot to the chest. A message. A warning. Christian Cairenes are mourning Jessi Boulus, innocent of wrongdoing but complicit in offending Islam.


"We are here standing up to a world of infidels that refuses to follow Islam", shouted one sit-in speaker. "Victory may come late because society is not equipped to accommodate righteousness, goodness and justice represented by the nation of the faithful", read a sign beside a tent housing men deep in discussion over Sharia law. "The people here are on the right side of history. We are not going to let go of the revolution. We are here for as long as it is needed. It is all up to the will of the people", claimed Gehad el-Haddad a Brotherhood spokesman.

Roughly ten thousand people were permanently encamped outside the Rabash al-Adawiya mosque and across town near Cairo University, the two major sit-in sites. Their numbers swelled to 40,000 on the week-ends and evenings. Many representing poor rural Egyptians. In the camps large tents bore signage identifying the province occupants represented. Many of the protesters were not from Cairo or Alexandria, the Brotherhood bused them in from outlying districts.

They are the faithful, the indigent Egyptian rural dwellers whose miserable poverty has been eased over the years by the magnanimity of the Muslim Brotherhood, who provided for them food, cooking oil, medicine, medical attention, assistance with housing. In exchange for fealty, which the grateful fundamentalist-leaning Islamist poor are pleased enough to render.

In the meanwhile, the interim government was not idle; it busied itself swearing in 20 new provincial governors, reinforcing their leadership and by that process effectively removing all of the Muslim Brotherhood appointees installed in the posts by Mohammed Morsi. Shaking up the sit-ins was not the only agenda; the business of government was advanced despite the Islamist Brotherhood rejecting talks or the possibility of cooperation with the post-Morsi transition.

The Brotherhood leaders contend that Supreme Council of the Armed Forces head General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and his political cohorts are not sincere in their expressions of interest in power sharing, in any event. And, in any event the key demand of the Brotherhood is the release of top Brotherhood leaders who have been charged with the incitement to violence among their followers. Quite aside from their insistence on the reinstatement of Mohammed Morsi.

The charges of failing to govern inclusively, of mismanaging the economy, of acting only on behalf of the Brotherhood is rejected by Morsi supporters. And now, the sit-ins that they so energetically and triumphantly called into position are dispersed, as promised. Dispirited but not entirely defeated protesters are attempting to set up their tents, generators, satellite receivers elsewhere in an effort to set up new sit-in camps, but they too will be dispersed as they erupt.

Egyptian Minister of the Interior Mohamed Ibrahim confirmed the clearing of the main sit-in sites in Cairo and Giza. Nationwide violence resulting from that action left 43 members of the police dead; 18 officers and 25 soldiers killed thanks to roof-top snipers charged with that peaceful duty by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Kerdasa police station in Gaza was attacked by rocket-propelled grenades that killed two police officers.


"Many protesters fired excessively from roof tops [at Rabaa sit-in i Nasr City] on security forces", explained Mr. Ibrahim, while security forces in their turn and obeying orders "only used tear gas to disperse the protests." The pro-Morsi protesters were behaving as would an "armed gang", adequately proven by the fact that scores of weapons had been confiscated during the dispersal. Grenades, guns and bullet-proof vests were collected from the peace-loving, defenceless Islamists.

And only seven churches were torched.

Of course when push came to shove and rooftop sharp-shooters began to strut their stuff the troops opened fire. An estimated 149 Egyptians were killed, and another estimated 1,403 were wounded in the violent chaos. The positions have hardened between Egypt's 80-million population comprised of Morsi backers and Brotherhood deniers. A state of emergency was imposed, and it has been planned to last a month, during which time it is hoped that normalcy will re-assume its uncertain presence in the country.

And the embattled Egypt's interim vice-president, Mohamed ElBaradei chose to resign in distress over the disorder: "The beneficiaries of what happened today are those who call for violence, terrorism and the most extreme groups. It has become difficult for me to continue bearing responsibility for decisions that I do not agree with and whose consequences I fear. I cannot bear the responsibility for one drop of blood."

Obviously the hard choices and tough decisions will be left to others made of sterner stuff. Whose visceral reaction and conscience will guide them in their actions on behalf of this great, troubled country.

Labels: Conflict, Egypt, Human Relations, Islamism, Muslim Brotherhood

posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, August 14, 2013