Posted on 07/25/2013 6:19:46 PM PDT by don-o
(Reuters) - A deeply polarized Egypt braced for bloodshed on Friday in rival mass rallies summoned by the army that ousted the state's first freely elected president and by the Islamists who back him.
Both sides warned of a decisive struggle for the future of the Arab world's most populous country, convulsed by political and economic turmoil since the 2011 uprising that ended 30 years of autocratic rule by Hosni Mubarak.
Army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has called Egyptians into the streets to give the military a "mandate" to confront weeks of violence unleashed by his July 3 overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.
A military official said the army had given Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood a Saturday deadline to end its resistance and join a military-set roadmap to fresh elections, signaling a turning-point in the confrontation.
The Brotherhood fears a crackdown to wipe out an Islamist movement that emerged from decades in the shadows to win every election since Mubarak's fall, but was brought down by the army after barely a year in government.
The movement, which has manned a street vigil for almost a month with thousands of followers demanding Mursi's return, has called its own counter-demonstrations. Confrontation appeared inevitable following a month of clashes in which close to 200 people, mainly supporters of Mursi, have died.
The army threatened to "turn its guns" on those who use violence. The Brotherhood warned of civil war.
"We will not initiate any move, but will definitely react harshly against any calls for violence or black terrorism from Brotherhood leaders or their supporters," the army official told Reuters.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Syria 2.0
Take cover, Coptics. I’ll be praying for you.
Time to Lock and Load Egyptian Army! Do it!
There is no easy solution for Egypt. The majority of the population is rural, poorly educated, impoverished and Islamic. The Egypt that Americans like are the urban secularists that the Western media usually interviews and covers. However they are a minority. Unless there is a consensus achieved between the two opposing groups (highly unlikely), there will be no peace or economic progress in Egypt. However we may devoutly wish, political Islam will not disappear and it cannot be permanently suppressed despite the powerful Army. Also Mursi has not been seen or heard since July 3. If he died resisting the coup, there will be chaos. In any case the prospects in Egypt are not good and the US should not get further entangled in the affairs of that foreign country. Egypt is destitute and will become economically prostate if widespread violence occurs. Also it is highly doubtful that the oil rich Arabs will subsidize Egypt for very long. IMHO there will soon be hordes of impoverished but fervent refugees pouring into the West or the lands formerly known as Christendom.
The news media has been prefacing their remarks with the line “Egypt’s duly elected president”. Don’t they remember that Hitler was a “duly elected president “ also
Bring it on ping.
Thanks don-o.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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