Archive for Asharq Al-Awsat

Brotherhood leaders: Morsy’s declaration has popular support

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November 27th, 2012

President Mohamed Morsy will not step back from the constitutional declaration he issued on Thursday, prominent Muslim Brotherhood figures told the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper Tuesday.

“The president will not step back from the constitutional declaration, as there are no other alternatives,” Mahmoud Hussein, the group’s secretary general and member of the Guidance Bureau said, adding that the president's office made the decision, and not the bureau.

Hussein acknowledged that the decision was a “surprise” to the media, but said it had been discussed by the president and his advisers and that the decision couldn't be announced in advanced because of the president's "opponents."

He also said that the Supreme Constitutional Court had set 2 December to rule on the legitimacy of the Constituent Assembly. Morsy's constitutional declaration protects the Constituent Assembly from being dissolved, as well as the Shura Council, provoking a fierce backlash from the Egyptian political opposition and many members of the judiciary.

Hussein also lashed out at Constitution Party founder Mohamed ElBaradei’s depiction of Morsy as a new pharaoh, calling it “reckless and cruel," and rejected calls for Western intervention, in an indirect rejoinder to Elbaradei's statement.

Asked if Morsy’s declaration had united liberal forces against the Muslim Brotherhood, Hussein claimed Egyptians supported the decision, and that some groups that had demonstrated at the presidential palace in support of Morsy were not Brotherhood members but still backed him.



Brotherhood Spokesperson Mahmoud Ghozlan agreed with the sentiment, saying, “President Morsy’s decisions express a real popular will. People who supported him taking such decisions will not accept him stepping back.”

Leaders of the group and its Freedom and Justice Party are increasingly under pressure by the Brotherhood’s youth members, who want a response to the recent attacks against the group’s headquarters in some governorates, he said.

“Our members ask why we don’t defend ourselves. 'Why do we stand idly by against such frequent attacks? Until when?' However, we call on them to be patient," Ghozlan said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Jama’a al-Islamiya leader: Islamists, regime may try to assassinate liberals

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November 25th, 2012

Jama’a al-Islamiya senior leader Nageh Ibrahim has warned that liberal political figures may be targeted for assassination during the next month.

In an interview with London-based Asharq al-Awsat, the senior figure from the once-banned Islamist group said that the assassinations would come as a result of the increasingly tense political atmosphere, speculating that the assassinations would be carried out jointly by the ruling regime and Islamists.

Ibrahim also expressed support for Morsy’s recent decision granting himself sweeping powers, saying, “Morsy had to take those decisions. He will never retreat.”

He also called on Morsy and his supporters to take on a more inclusive approach to governing, saying that the president failed to include liberal politicians and political movements in his coalition.

“If Morsy had asked [liberals] to take part in the Hesham Qandil Cabinet, they wouldn’t have reached such a degree of enmity with him. He kept them out, despite their participation in the 25 January revolution,” he said, adding that political parties should prioritize national interests to reduce the risk of violence and political division.

He added that Morsy should not lead the country exclusively from the Muslim Brotherhood’s point of view, saying, “Islamist movements governing the country should be leading through the mentality of the state. They should allow others to participate even if they are different.”

Major conflicts have taken place between Islamists and liberals over the constitution draft, and the split has widened since Morsy’s constitutional declaration Thursday immunizing the Constituent Assembly against court rulings.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Interior Ministry: We take threats to destroy Pyramids and Sphinx seriously

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November 12th, 2012

An Interior Ministry source told London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper on Monday that the state is taking a Salafi sheikh’s calls to destroy the Giza Pyramids and Sphinx seriously, particularly as he took part in demolishing a Buddha statue in Afghanistan 10 years ago.

In a television interview with host Wael al-Ibrashy on Dream 2 channel on Saturday, Sheikh Murgan Salem al-Gohary said, “Muslims are charged with applying the teachings of Islam, including the elimination of idols, as we did to the Buddha statue.”

Gohary, 50, is well-known in Egypt for his advocacy of violence. He was sentenced twice under former President Hosni Mubarak, one of the two sentences being life imprisonment. He subsequently fled Egypt to Afghanistan, where he was badly injured during the American invasion. In 2007, he went to Syria, which then handed him over to Egypt. After Mubarak's fall in early 2011, he was released from prison by a judicial ruling.

The Pyramids of Giza are Egypt’s most important tourist attraction, and tourism is a major source of national income. However, tourism workers have been worried about the growing influence of Islamic movements in the wake of the January 2011 revolution, with some Islamists calling for restrictions on tourists, such as the banning of alcohol and women’s swimsuits.

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Islamist lawyers accuse ElBaradei of insulting pro-Sharia protests

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November 12th, 2012

Islamists filed 40 complaints to the public prosecutor Sunday against Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the Constitution Party, accusing him of slandering the pro-Sharia protests held over the past two Fridays.

Forty lawyers from the Egyptian Islamist Lawyers Association had filed the reports as part of one petition to the top prosecutor, Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, London-based paper Asharq Al-Awsat reported Monday. The petition included accusations that ElBaradei, a longtime reform advocate, insulted and humiliated Islamists.

Thousands of ultraconservative Salafis protested Friday in Tahrir Square, calling for strict implementation of Sharia into the constitution, which is currently being drafted.

The lawyers’ reports allege that ElBaradei, during a conference held by his party in Aswan last week, used anti-Islamist words, and that he described them as “puppets who trade in religion.”

The reports consider those words “libel and slander,” and the lawyers called on the prosecutor to interrogate him.

Local media outlets reported that ElBaradei had criticized Salafi sheikhs who attack liberals and secularists, saying they were not less religious than the Salafis but more so, and that they included both Muslims and Copts.

“We should reach people in villages. We have a project. We will not distribute oil and sugar [among voters],” he said, referring to Islamists, who are often accused of buying votes by distributing food.

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Security source warns of possible retaliation by ‘terrorist cell’ members

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November 4th, 2012

A security source warned against revenge attacks by members of an alleged terrorist cell that was based in Nasr City, Cairo who remain at large.

Several members of the cell were arrested at the end of October.

In statements to London-based Asharq al-Awsat, the same source said security authorities are tracking down a number of members who evaded arrest.

The source added that security authorities are on “extraordinary alert” after 17 jihadi members of “terrorist cells” were arrested in a number of governorates. Several other suspects have fled and security authorities have yet to arrest them.

A statement issued by the Interior Ministry had said that the Nasr City terrorist cell was composed of 14 members, while only eight members appeared before the prosecution on Saturday.

Members of the cell are charged with targeting churches and vital establishments in the country. Investigations indicate that, Ali al-Saeed, a Tunisian member of the cell, is an explosives expert and he was making bombs that were going to be used in the attacks; charges which Saeed has denied.

Several of the suspects in the case said they wanted to support the fighters in Syria and that they smuggled weapons from Libya into Egypt for that purpose. Investigations did not suggest any links between members of the cell and Al-Qaeda or attacks in Sinai.

All of the suspects have denied the charges against them, and two have reported that they were tortured during interrogation.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

 

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Presidential adviser: Egyptians have desire to implement Sharia

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September 4th, 2012

 

Bassam al-Zarqa, one of the advisors to President Mohamed Morsy, said the Egyptian people have "an overwhelming desire to implement Islamic Sharia, and not only its principles."

Zarqa, who is the secretary of the Salafi Nour Party in Alexandria and a member of the constitution-writing assembly, told London-based Asharq Al-Awsat that while the majority of Egyptians want Islamic Sharia implemented, Article 2 of the Constitution states that only the principles of Sharia represent the main source of legislation. He said that the word "principles" may have several interpretations, including one from the Constitutional Court saying principles need conclusive evidence, which could lead to a disregard of some authentic prophetic traditions, jurisprudential rulings and even a part of the Quran.

Zarqa added that he rejected "loose descriptions."

Since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak, the popularity of Islamists has been rising and they won a majority in Parliament, which was later dissolved. In August, protests were staged to express rejection of the political hegemony of Islamists, and particularly the Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party. Egypt's newly elected president, Mohamed Morsy, also belonged to the Brotherhood.

Meanwhile, concerning Egypt's new constitution, Zarqa said 95 percent of the articles of the constitution will be passed by consensus, adding that there are disagreements on two or three articles, one of which is Article 2.

Zarqa also emphasized the importance of transforming the presidency from an institution controlled by one individual to one that operates on a collaborative basis, during his first meeting with Morsy. He added that this should also be the case with all state institutions. The meeting also tackled how the advisors and assistants will work together to give proper advice to the president.

Concerning the role of the presidential team, Zarqa said that he was picked as an advisor to follow up on the political issues related to investment, adding that the presidential staff is only an advisory panel with no executive powers.

Zarqa added that the president briefed his advisors on the development of the military operations in Sinai, as well as on his visits to China and Iran and his upcoming visit to the US.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Hamas vows to help Egypt identify militants in Rafah

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September 2nd, 2012

Egyptian sources told London-based Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas has pledged to track down radicals in Palestinian Rafah who have been launching missiles from Sinai.

Following meetings with senior Egyptian officials in Cairo on Saturday,  a Hamas delegation pledged to tighten security measures at the border with Egypt, diplomatic and Muslim Brotherhood sources said.

The measures include clamping down on radicals concentrated in Palestinian Rafah. The sources added that most of them are Palestinians and that it is also believed there are Egyptians and other Arabs among them.

Sixteen Egyptian security guards were killed at the border on 5 August in an attack believed to have been perpetrated by militants based in Sinai and Gaza. Since then, Hamas has intensified communication with Egypt to prevent an Egyptian response that would lead to the closure of the Rafah border crossing.

In a previous interview with Egypt Independent, Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar, who also serves as the foreign minister for the Hamas-led government in Gaza, reiterated that there is no proof yet that Gaza militants were involved in the attacks.

Meanwhile, the group Jamaat Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis accused three Sinai Bedouins of helping Israelis kill one of its members in Sinai. The group added that Sinai suffers a security void due to the small number of Egyptian forces based there since Egypt signed the Camp David Peace Accords with Israel.

The same group had declared responsibility for the repetitive bombing of the natural gas pipelines that export Egyptian gas to Israel following the fall of ex-President Hosni Mubarak.

A local Sinai official, meanwhile, said that accusations made by the group are groundless, adding that investigations are still ongoing. Security sources in Sinai said jihadists in Sinai and Gaza have exploited underground tunnels at the border and lax security in Gaza to launch attacks against Egyptian authorities in Sinai and against Israel from Egypt.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the group said three Egyptians from Sinai colluded with four Mossad officers to kill a man named Ibrahim Oweida Braikat by planting a bomb on the road leading to his home.

Braikat died on Sunday when his motorbike exploded on his way back to his home, located at the Egyptian-Israeli border. Radical groups in Sinai accused Israel of killing Braikat with a missile, while Egyptian authorities said the attack was still being investigated.

A statement issued by Jamaat Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis on Saturday claimed that “three Egyptian spies watched the victim and facilitated the attack for Zionist officers.”

Egyptian security sources said that Operation Eagle has dealt a severe blow to radical groups after a suspected wanted for checkpoint attacks was arrested while hiding in in his home.

The sources added that the arrested man had been sentenced to death last month for killing army and police officers.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Coptic tourism minister denies nomination for vice presidency

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July 8th, 2012

Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour has dismissed reports that he has been nominated for the post of Egypt's vice president. Abdel Nour is a Coptic Christian, and said the aim behind such reports is to appease concerns about Islamists dominating power.

In statements published on Sunday, Abdel Nour told London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party had not contacted him about the vice presidency.

Abdel Nour, who is also secretary general of the Wafd Party, said he would agree to work in a coalition government headed by an independent national figure.

Ahmed Al-Deif, a political adviser to President Mohamed Morsy, told CNN in the end of June that Morsy promised to appoint a Copt and a woman as vice presidents.

Morsy has been in negotiations with various politicians and groups over forming a new government to replace Kamal al-Ganzouri's cabinet.

Abdel Nour also told Asharq Al-Awsat that he anticipated an increase in Egypt's tourism revenues from US$12 billion to $25 billion over the next six months. He said the tourism sector is too important to be harmed by any ruler, especially in a democratic atmosphere in which the president is aware he is accountable and under parliamentary scrutiny.

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NDP founder rejects ‘feloul’ label

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July 4th, 2012

A former Alexandria University president and former senior member of the previously-ruling National Democratic Party called on Wednesday for a national reconciliation in line with the call made by President Mohamed Morsy during his Cairo University speech on Saturday.

Mohamed Abdellah, who co-founded the now-dissolved NDP with late President Anwar Sadat in the 1970s but quit the party before the January 2011 revolution, told London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper he is ready to take part in reconciliation efforts, provided that they be based on accepting differences in opinion.

Abdellah described the term “feloul” as a mere fad. The word is Arabic for remnants of a defeated army and has been used to refer to vestiges of the ousted regime of former President Hosni Mubarak.

He also expressed frustration with the term “generals’ rule” which is commonly used by anti-military protests.

“That’s an inadequate phrase to use for the revered institution that protects Egypt’s security and which played an essential role in the transitional period,” he said.

Abdellah said Morsy's statements to political forces have been comforting, voicing confidence that the new president would work to reunite Egyptians, who Abdellah said are divided following the presidential elections.
   
      

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Hamas, Fatah in contact regarding govt formation

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June 26th, 2012

Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas are making contacts to arrange for a meeting that would discuss efforts to form a coalition government, news reports said Tuesday.

The London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat quoted an informed Palestinian source as saying that the communications are seeking to settle recent disagreements that surfaced when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah said the new government formation should coincide with setting a date for presidential and legislative elections.

Fatah and Hamas are seeking to bridge a five-year rift created in 2006 after Hamas won legislative elections to the dismay of Fatah.

The same sources told the paper that Hamas vehemently objects to arranging for the polls without an environment that allows it to equally compete in the polls. They explained that while Abbas persists in holding the elections six months after the new government is declared, Hamas demanded that Fatah cease its security crackdown on its cadres in the West Bank, as well as obtaining international assurances that Israel stops detaining its leadership.

Hamas also demanded that Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem be allowed to nominate and vote in the elections, according to the sources.

The sources added that settling the disagreement between both factions would be contingent on the role to be played by Egypt under its newly-elected president, Mohamed Morsy.

The sources told Asharq al-Awsat that the Egyptian sponsorship of the Palestinian reconciliation should be transferred from the intelligence services to the government in Cairo, so as to make it easier to press for eliminating differences.

The sources ruled out that Morsy's electoral win would strengthen Hamas's position in the reconciliation talks, stressing that the new Egyptian administration will be extremely keen on maintaining neutrality between both parties.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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