Egypt: Azhar descends into chaos
Egypt: Azhar descends into chaos
Staff writer, Al Arabiya News
Monday, 9 December 2013
Monday, 9 December 2013
Al-Azhar University students, members of the Muslim Brotherhood and
supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi, set fires during
clashes inside the university, in Cairo Dec. 9, 2013. (Reuters)
Egypt’s al-Azhar University Chairman Osama al-Abd on Monday asked
security forces to intervene with more force in order to suppress a
student protests that went violent in and around the historic
institution’s Cairo campus.
The call came following a meeting between the university chairman and the police to review measures of responding to the violence.
Cairo Police Chief Osama el-Saghir went to the university on Monday after reports surfaced that four police vehicles were set on fire.
An interior ministry statement said about 200 students belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood “blocked roads outside the university, pelted stones and Molotov cocktails at citizens and police forces.”
“The police forces dealt with the protests with great care to avoid casualties.” said the statement obtained by Al Arabiya News.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party said in a statement that the “military-backed police forces are waging a war of extermination against the students of al-Azhar University.
“The brutal and ferocious security response...which led to the killing of one student and the arrest of more than 100 others will not prevent the will of the Egyptians to renew their great Jan. 25 revolution.
Amid heavy security presence in the Egyptian streets and the closure of several main protest squares, such as Tahrir, Rabaa al-Adawya and Ennhada, universities have become key battle grounds for students who oppose the military-backed authorities.
The unrest that followed the ouster of former President Mohammad Mursi on July 3 has led the death of more than 1,000 people. Over 2,000 others were reportedly detained, including top Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
The call came following a meeting between the university chairman and the police to review measures of responding to the violence.
Cairo Police Chief Osama el-Saghir went to the university on Monday after reports surfaced that four police vehicles were set on fire.
An interior ministry statement said about 200 students belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood “blocked roads outside the university, pelted stones and Molotov cocktails at citizens and police forces.”
“The police forces dealt with the protests with great care to avoid casualties.” said the statement obtained by Al Arabiya News.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party said in a statement that the “military-backed police forces are waging a war of extermination against the students of al-Azhar University.
“The brutal and ferocious security response...which led to the killing of one student and the arrest of more than 100 others will not prevent the will of the Egyptians to renew their great Jan. 25 revolution.
Amid heavy security presence in the Egyptian streets and the closure of several main protest squares, such as Tahrir, Rabaa al-Adawya and Ennhada, universities have become key battle grounds for students who oppose the military-backed authorities.
The unrest that followed the ouster of former President Mohammad Mursi on July 3 has led the death of more than 1,000 people. Over 2,000 others were reportedly detained, including top Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
Last Update: Monday, 9 December 2013 KSA 18:06 - GMT 15:06
Labels: Conflict, Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood
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