A new rift between the Field Marshall Tantawi and Akhwaans as Muslim Brotherhood claims victory in Egyptian presidential elections. We got rid of one devil and got 19," said Mohammed Kanouna, referring to Mubarak and the members of the military council as he voted for Morsi after night fell in Cairo's Dar el-Salam slum. "We have to let them know there is a will of the people above their will." Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood would restore the Caliphate of the "United States of the Arabs" with Jerusalem as its capital and that "our cry shall be: 'Millions of martyrs march towards Jerusalem.'' The group said Morsi took 51.8 percent of the vote to Shafiq's 48.1 percent out of 24.6 million votes cast, with 98 percent of the more than 13,000 poll centers counted.
Army is apprehensive about the Brotherhood's credo which is, "God is our objective; the Quran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way; and death for the sake of God is the highest of our aspirations." In today's world Morsi should know that welfare of any state is inversely proportion to its Jihadist propensity.
APP reports that just before the election, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has ruled since Mubarak's fall, slapped de facto martial law on the country, giving military police and intelligence agents the right to arrest civilians for a host of suspected crimes, some as secondary as obstructing traffic. Then came Thursday's ruling by the Supreme Constitutional Court dissolving parliament, followed by the interim constitution declaration just after polls closed Sunday following two days of voting.These kind of words send shudders down the spine of Egyptian Military; the Muslim Brotherhood's victor for Egypt's 2012 Mohamed Morsy was seen nodding his head in agreement as the Egyptian cleric Safwat Higazi speaking in a recent rally for the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Mursi said, that Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood would restore the Caliphate of the "United States of the Arabs" with Jerusalem as its capital and that "our cry shall be: 'Millions of martyrs march towards Jerusalem.'' The army understand its limitations in starting a new hot border with Israel. It is hoped that the economic challenge and not rearrangement of the present sensitive alliances and agreements within Middle East will be destructive roadmap for the incoming President. Providing the Egyptians with a great future should normally the first priority of the incoming President.
But as they claimed victory over Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq in the election, the Brotherhood has challenged the military's power grab. The group warned that it did not recognize the dissolution of parliament or the military's interim constitution - or its right to oversee the drafting of a new one. Egypt cannot support wage a war on itself, it is a very sophisticated and country with a rich society, they need to stumble on a framework to get of this quagmire with the army. Brotherhood today in Egypt should concentrate on reviving economy of Egypt suffering under the dark clouds of future prospects of the nation. The strategic realignment is not the priorities of Egypt. The old slogan of supporting Palestinian struggle will start another altercation with no end in sight.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recently demonstrated a rare expression of sympathy for Turkish generals; this may signal a split with Turkey’s most powerful religious movement, undermining the unity of his government. Tayyip Erdogan’s actions was a reprimand focussed at Imam Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish imam based in the U.S. and leader of a movement widely seen here as a driving force behind the prosecutions. Curbing the army’s power has been a key policy for Erdogan, who has presided over record growth after ending an era of fragile coalition governments. Erdogan, who has backed a series of inquiries into alleged coup plots that have left hundreds of army officers in prison, was critical of the latest probe, saying it was “unsettling” the country. Previously, he blocked an attempt by one of the investigations to interrogate Turkey’s intelligence chief. Now, the premier and Gulen may no longer share the same goals. For Erdogan’s economic success and stability comes first and Turkish army should not be destroyed as it provides a bulwark against instability. Economic success and stability should come first for Morsi, why to waste time!
To avoid a situation that may inflame; the Generals in Egypt with the help of the Constitutional court have laid the skeleton for future; the 'establishment' is trying to ease the pain from revolution to a civilian rule. This points to a potential struggle over authority between Egypt's two strongest forces. The Brotherhood has campaigned on a platform of bringing Egypt closer to a form of Islamic rule, but the military's grip puts it in a position to block that. Some give and take has to happen.
This is not the time to listen to Safwat Higazi. Morsi should learn lessons from Algeria and contemporary Turkey to avoid the fate of Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) of Algeria. FIS had won the 1991 elections, and was then banned after the elections' cancellation by the military, the tensions between Islamists and the government erupted into open fighting, which lasted some 10 years in the course of which some 100,000 people were killed. It was only twelve days after the first-round FIS electoral victory in January 1992 that fliers displayed in the documentation center of the Algiers prefecture yielded some insight into the promised Islamic state. "Wealth redistribution, taking from the rich to provide for the needs of the people" stands out in the program. But the economic program remained opaque. This was abundantly commented upon by the Financial Times, when it pointed out that "the FIS has never published a detailed economic program" and that "a total uncertainty reigns regarding its stand on the future of the economic reforms launched by the government."
According to a copy of the document obtained by The Associated Press, the generals would be the nation's legislators and control the budget. They also will name the 100-member panel tasked with drafting a new constitution, thus ensuring the new charter would guarantee them a say in key policies like defense and national security as well as shield their vast economic empire from civilian scrutiny. The president will be able to appoint a Cabinet and approve or reject laws. I will arguewhere is the detailed economic program of Muslim Brotherhood to reignite staled Egyptian economy? Same old rusted argument of revoking peace treaty and inane Palestinian struggle, what has these aged, corroded, tarnished slogans given to Egypt until the 1978 peace treaty? Only monumental defeats and a state of self denial to a great nation of Pharaohs. This should not be the Egyptian fate. A joint framework where army gradually withdraws is the answer.
To avoid this the Cabal of the Generals under a document issued have made a new parliament election subject to a new constitution, meaning an election in December at the earliest. In the constitution-writing process, the military can object over any articles and the Supreme Constitutional Court - which is made up of Mubarak-era appointees - will have final say over any disputes "We got rid of one devil and got 19," said Mohammed Kanouna, referring to Mubarak and the members of the military council as he voted for Morsi after night fell in Cairo's Dar el-Salam slum. "We have to let them know there is a will of the people above their will."
Morsi's opponents, fear that the Brotherhood will take over the nation and turn it into an Islamic state, curbing freedoms and consigning minority Christians and women to second-class citizens. NYT in 2006 had reported that "While many secular critics fear that the brotherhood harbors a hidden Islamist agenda, so far the organization has posed a democratic political challenge to the regime, not a theological one."; and another report praised the MB for an "unmatched record of attendance", forming a coalition to fight the extension of Egypt's emergency law, and generally attempting to transform "the Egyptian parliament into a real legislative body, as well as an institution that represents citizens and a mechanism that keeps government accountable".
The real test of intentions will be if Brotherhood unconditionally or conditionally dissolve Egypt's 32-year peace treaty with Israel. It is disputed within the Brotherhood. While the deputy leader of the Brotherhood has said the Brotherhood would seek the dissolution of Egypt's 32-year peace treaty with Israel, a Brotherhood spokesman has said that the Brotherhood would respect the treaty as long as "Israel shows real progress on improving the lot of the Palestinians."
The aged generals, owe their ranks to the ancient regime. Activists from the pro-democracy youth groups that engineered the anti-Mubarak uprising question the will of the generals to hand over the power, they suspect a long night of the generals arguing that after 60 years of direct or behind-the-scenes domination, the military was unlikely to relinquish its perks. The presidential race was acidic. Shafiq, a former air force commander and an admirer and longtime friend of Mubarak, was seen by opponents as an extension of the old regime that millions sought to uproot when they staged a stunning uprising that toppled the man who ruled Egypt for three decades. Morsi also disagrees with higher court judgement of sentencing Mubarak. He says that "The Egyptians will insist on electing a president that would renew the trial and avenge the blood of the martyrs, "warning that another revolution can happen in Egypt following the sentence. Another revolution means confrontation with the army and that can take Egypt back to square one like the Algerian 1991-92 catastrophe with demands of Islamic egalitarianism under Shariah. I hope sensibilities prevail and the new incoming civilian regime avoids the FIS fate, they can even look at Erdogan of Turkey for guidance, a fine balance between slogans and realities.
Clerics like Safwat Higazi of Egypt and Imam Fethullah Gulen from Turkey are spent forces of intellect, they are good enough for sloganeering but they can only deliver hate and war in the region. Nation building does not come from the belly of renegading on treaties and reinstitution of archaic and obsolete strictures from times gone by.