By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
DailynewsegyptDailynewsegypt
  • Home
  • Business
    BusinessShow More
    German ambassador to Cairo calls for more privatisation of public companies
    German ambassador to Cairo calls for more privatisation of public companies
    June 7, 2023
    $513m increase in Egypt’s foreign-exchange reserves to $26.686bn in May 2023
    $513m increase in Egypt’s foreign-exchange reserves to $26.686bn in May 2023
    June 7, 2023
    Qatar Investment Authority wants to fully acquire Telecom Egypt’s stake in Vodafone Egypt via subsidiary: Sources
    Qatar Investment Authority wants to fully acquire Telecom Egypt’s stake in Vodafone Egypt via subsidiary: Sources
    June 7, 2023
    7th annual Capital Markets Summit to be launched on 20 June
    7th annual Capital Markets Summit to be launched on 20 June
    June 7, 2023
    CBE receives 21 offers worth $644.1m to cover dollar-denominated T-bill issuance
    CBE receives 21 offers worth $644.1m to cover dollar-denominated T-bill issuance
    June 7, 2023
  • Politics
    PoliticsShow More
    Egypt’s Al-Sisi starts African tour to Angola, Zambia, and Mozambique
    Egypt’s Al-Sisi starts African tour to Angola, Zambia, and Mozambique
    June 7, 2023
    Egypt, Serbia hold round of consultations to discuss strengthening bilateral relations
    Egypt, Serbia hold round of consultations to discuss strengthening bilateral relations
    June 7, 2023
    All civilians in Sudan are in danger: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
    All civilians in Sudan are in danger: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
    June 7, 2023
    Arab League calls on Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities, oblige Israel to end occupation
    Arab League calls on Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities, oblige Israel to end occupation
    June 5, 2023
    Institute of Diplomatic Studies holds training course for diplomats from South Sudan
    Institute of Diplomatic Studies holds training course for diplomats from South Sudan
    June 5, 2023
  • Interviews
    InterviewsShow More
    EFG Finance to launch unified platform gathering all its financing services: Alaa Al-Afifi
    EFG Finance to launch unified platform gathering all its financing services: Alaa Al-Afifi
    May 31, 2023
    I changed my artistic path to create ‘state of wonder’: Tarek Lotfi
    I changed my artistic path to create ‘state of wonder’: Tarek Lotfi
    May 25, 2023
    I adore Ramadan drama, ‘Telt Al-Talata’ series achieved great success: Ghada Abdel Razek
    I adore Ramadan drama, ‘Telt Al-Talata’ series achieved great success: Ghada Abdel Razek
    May 8, 2023
    We aim to establish Egypt as nearshore centre for Software AG for MET region: Rami Kichli
    We aim to establish Egypt as nearshore centre for Software AG for MET region: Rami Kichli
    April 29, 2023
    Egypt-Spain relations witness remarkable development in recent years: Spanish ambassador in Cairo
    Egypt-Spain relations witness remarkable development in recent years: Spanish ambassador in Cairo
    April 18, 2023
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
Reading: A crisis of trust
Share
Notification
Latest News
Chimpanzees' communication development echoes human infants
Chimpanzees’ communication development echoes human infants
Science
Does multimorbidity impact chronic disease treatment?
Does multimorbidity impact chronic disease treatment?
Science
German ambassador to Cairo calls for more privatisation of public companies
German ambassador to Cairo calls for more privatisation of public companies
Business
$513m increase in Egypt’s foreign-exchange reserves to $26.686bn in May 2023
$513m increase in Egypt’s foreign-exchange reserves to $26.686bn in May 2023
Business
Egypt’s Al-Sisi starts African tour to Angola, Zambia, and Mozambique
Egypt’s Al-Sisi starts African tour to Angola, Zambia, and Mozambique
Egypt Politics
Aa
Aa
DailynewsegyptDailynewsegypt
  • Home
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Interviews
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • Home
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Interviews
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Advertise
© 2023 DNE News. All Rights Reserved.
Dailynewsegypt > Blog > Opinion > A crisis of trust
Opinion

A crisis of trust

Shahira Amin
Last updated: 2012/11/28 at 11:35 PM
By Shahira Amin 7 Min Read
Share
Shahira Amin
SHARE
Shahira Amin

A controversial constitutional declaration issued by President Mohamed Morsy last Thursday putting him above the law has infuriated revolutionary activists, political forces and liberals, deepening divisions between Egypt’s secularists and Islamists.

Muslim Brotherhood supporters expressed their solidarity with the president’s edict in a rally last Friday outside the Ittihadiya Palace in Heliopolis. Addressing the crowd, President Morsy assured his supporters that the sweeping powers were “necessary to protect the revolution”, adding that they were temporary, lasting only until a constitution is in place that determines the powers of the president.

A day earlier, President Morsy had dismissed the Mubarak-appointed General Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud replacing him with Tala’at Abdallah who formerly led the Movement for Independence of the Judiciary.

Faced with mounting pressure from critics, President Morsy met with senior judges on Monday in a bid to avert an escalation of the political crisis. Following the talks, presidential spokesman Yasser Ali appeared on Egyptian State Television to explain the presidential decree. He said that the powers would be limited to “sovereign matters” only but did not elaborate. He added that former regime henchmen charged with killing protesters in the January 2011 uprising would be retried if new evidence emerged.

Morsy’s political opponents remained unconvinced. A million-person rally called earlier by the opposition was staged as planned on Tuesday and was reminiscent of the January 2011 revolt that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. By mid afternoon, tens of thousands of activists had gathered in Tahrir Square to demand that President Morsy revoke his decree . There were also calls for the president to step down.

Reiterating some of the signature slogans of the January revolution, the protesters chanted, “erhal! Leave!” and “the people demand the downfall of the regime.” They also chanted anti-Muslim Brotherhood slogans such as “Sell the revolution Badie” (a reference to the Brotherhood’s supreme guide) and “Oh Ikhwan, you are the NDP all over again” ( areference to the former ruling party). Riot police fired tear gas at protesters in the nearby Simon Bolivar Square after scuffles broke out between them.

Meanwhile, clashes between President Morsy’s supporters and opponents erupted in the industrial city of Mahalla, Alexandria, Port Said and Mansoura, leaving scores injured, some with gunshot wounds. At least five offices of the Freedom and Justice Party have been torched in different governorates across the country over the past week.

Moreover, a Muslim Brotherhood supporter has been killed in the Nile Delta city of Damanhour .The Muslim Brotherhood called off a rally they had planned for Tuesday in a bid to avoid a potential confrontation with the Tahrir protesters.

The crisis is one of mistrust. A legacy of fear of the Brotherhood , long demonised by successive Egyptian regimes as the bogeyman, is behind the deep skepticism felt by thousands of Egyptians toward the moderate Islamist movement. “People fear us because they don’t know much about us,” said Dr Sabbah Al-Sakkary, a leading member of the Freedom and Justice Party. “Many refuse to give President Morsy a fair chance. If it were a liberal president making the same decisions, he would have become a national hero.” Revolutionary activists have for months accused the Brotherhood of “stealing the revolution” after Islamists won a majority of seats in parliamentary and presidential elections. Suspicions of the Brotherhood deepened after the Brotherhood rescinded pledges not to field a presidential candidate. Mubarak loyalists in the independent media have meanwhile continued to vilify the Islamists, pouring fuel on the fire.

Members of the Brotherhood on the other hand, are convinced that former regime loyalists are conspiring against them and are plotting to unseat the president. In an interview broadcast on an independent satellite channel on Tuesday, leading Muslim Brotherhood member and former MP, Dr Mohamed Al-Beltagy accused members of the defunct state security service of hiring thugs to wreak havoc . “No reforms can take place without purging the interior ministry and other state institutions of corrupt former regime figures,” he argued.

Head of the National Democratic Party, Osama Ghazali Harb, has admitted that relations between liberals and Islamists are mired in suspicion and has called for national reconciliation dialogue to “break the ice and overcome the differences between the two camps.”

Pakinam El Sharkawy, a presidential aide for political affairs, has vigorously defended the Presidential edict. “It is necessary to protect the Constituent Assembly and the Shura Council; both of which are under threat of being dissolved by court order next week. In the absence of state institutions, we would have to start from scratch,” she said, adding that Egypt’s courts were governed by Mubarak appointees who were hampering any kind of progress. El Sharkawy further noted that the president’s constitutional declaration was necessary for the country to move out of the current bottleneck and begin rebuilding the economy.

Ambassador Mohamed Rifaah, chief of the presidential bureau, on Tuesday asserted that the president would not backtrack on his decision. Meanwhile, opposition activists were just as steadfast in their position. As the rift between Islamists and non-Islamists widens, fears are growing that the divisions may plunge the country into deeper political and economic turmoil. Observers warn that if the violence continues, the situation may quickly spiral out of control and perhaps even escalate into all-out civil war. If this happens, there will be no winners on either side.

The deadly clashes witnessed in recent days between President Morsy’s supporters and opponents are a wakeup call, alerting us to the dangers of this crisis. If tensions continue unabated, all Egyptians will pay a heavy price. It is a must that all political forces come together and immediately start reconciliation dialogue to resolve their differences and rebuild the lost trust.

You Might Also Like

Opinion| Russia and China promote stability in the Middle East after the US withdrawal from the region

Opinion| The American debt crisis and the 2024 elections

Opinion| Tips for startups operating in the tough environment of emerging markets

Opinion| Behind the scenes of the US-China conflict over Taiwan’s chips

Opinion| G7 Summit mobilizes Asian countries against China, while Beijing strengthens its position in Central Asia

TAGGED: decree, Morsy, opinion, shahira amin, supporters, Tahrir
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
By Shahira Amin
Shahira Amin is an award-winning freelance journalist and former Deputy Head of Nile TV. She quit her job at the height of last year's uprising in Tahrir Square in protest at State TV's biased coverage of the revolution. Amin is also a longtime contributor to CNN International.
Previous Article Ahmed Fouad Negm: A new revolution is under way
Next Article Opening up to Islamists
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ad image
Ad image

Stay Connected

Facebook Like
Twitter Follow
Instagram Follow
Youtube Subscribe

Latest News

Chimpanzees' communication development echoes human infants
Chimpanzees’ communication development echoes human infants
Science
Does multimorbidity impact chronic disease treatment?
Does multimorbidity impact chronic disease treatment?
Science
German ambassador to Cairo calls for more privatisation of public companies
German ambassador to Cairo calls for more privatisation of public companies
Business
$513m increase in Egypt’s foreign-exchange reserves to $26.686bn in May 2023
$513m increase in Egypt’s foreign-exchange reserves to $26.686bn in May 2023
Business
//
Egypt’s only independent daily newspaper in English. Discuss the country’s latest with the paper’s reporters, editors, and other readers.

Quick Link

  • Home
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Interviews
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

© 2023 DNE News. All Rights Reserved.

Join Us!

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts etc..

Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?