Frank Spano
IPT News
http://www.investigativeproject.org/4072/morsi-is-out-muslim-brotherhood-downbut-is-it-out
After millions of Egyptians took to the streets to protest the Muslim
Brotherhood's Islamic rule, the Egyptian military, under the command of
General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, removed
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi from office Wednesday. In his place,
the army's transition plan calls for Chief Justice of the Egyptian
Supreme Constitutional Court Adly Mansour to take over until new
elections can be held.
According to Egypt's Al Ahram, el-Sisi said the army plan calls for:
1. "Suspending the constitution;
2. Holding early presidential elections. The High Constitutional Court head will be in charge of the country until then;
3. Forming a national coalition government; and
4. Forming a committee to look into amendments of the constitution."
Morsi's whereabouts were not immediately known, but El-Sisi's televised remarks prompted cheers
and fireworks throughout Cairo's packed Tahrir Square. El-Sisi was
joined by Ahmed El-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University – a
bedrock of Sunni theology, and Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II.
Copts increasingly found themselves under physical and legal attacks
during Morsi's year in office. The Constitutional Court, meanwhile has
stood in staunch opposition
to Morsi in the past and may be in position to develop a more diverse
and moderate government focused on Egypt's economic needs.
Morsi was seen as failing in that regard, distracted by attempts to
consolidate power for the Muslim Brotherhood and impose religious law on
Egypt's 80 million citizens.
Here's what we know about Mansour; born in 1945 and a 1967 graduate from Cairo Law, Mansour was appointed to the high court by Morsi to replace outgoing Chief Justice Maher el-Beheiry. He has served on the court since 1992 but just took over as chief justice on Monday.
In addition to Mansour, the Supreme Constitutional Court has 10
additional justices. As a proactive force in the Egyptian legislative
process, the court has the duty to review all legislation for constitutionality and approves or rejects election laws before they go before parliament and the president.
While many Muslim Brotherhood media outlets remain offline and under
the control of Egyptian military forces, a Twitter feed speaking for
Morsi called the army's action a coup "rejected by all free men who struggled for a civil democratic Egypt."
And a popular Muslim Brotherhood website had this to say:
"Urgent: Conspiracy against legitimacy…A military coup which thwarts
the people and returns Egypt to tyranny…Millions respond sit in the
squares of Egypt in support of legitimacy...and Ulema (educated Muslim
legal scholars) condemn the coup and stress the obligation of supporting
the elected President..Figures of the former regime are returning to
the scene on the blood of the martyrs of the revolution of January
25..'For, God always prevails in whatever be His purpose: but most
people know it not.' (Quran 12:21)"
Similarly, Mohamed El-Betagy, a member of the Brotherhood's ousted
Freedom and Justice Party, questioned the legitimacy of the coup and called
for a "rejection of the coup with complete peacefulness and adhering to
our just position." El-Betagy went on to paint the Muslim Brotherhood
as the victim of attack and mob-rule that could have been accomplished
through "peaceful democratic mechanisms."
But the Egyptian military's move, and the massive euphoria it
generated, marks a stark rejection of Muslim Brotherhood rule and makes
the 80-year-old Islamist movement's future unclear. It remains the best
organized political group in Egypt and likely will remain viable in some
way. But how it reacts to Morsi's ouster may determine whether it
retains any political influence.
Frank Spano serves as the Director of National Security Policy for The Investigative Project on Terrorism.
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