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AFP - Getty Images
The Egyptian parliament meets in Cairo on Tuesday, after being summoned by new President Mohamed Mursi in an open challenge to the generals who dissolved it last month.
CAIRO – Egypt's Islamist-dominated parliament opened a new front in the country's leadership showdown on Tuesday by meeting in defiance of orders that disbanded the chamber last month. The move brought new President Mohammed Morsi in direct conflict with both the powerful military and the highest court.
The legislators – except for some liberal members of parliament who boycotted the session they considered unconstitutional – passed a decision to refer a previous move declaring 30 percent of parliament illegitimate to a court of appeals.
The session lasted just five minutes, suggesting that lawmakers sought to take more of a symbolic stand, rather than a full-scale backlash, against rulings that invalidated the chamber over apparent irregularities in Egypt's first elections since the fall of Hosni Mubarak 17 months ago.
Symbolic or not, something very real is at the heart of the parliamentary tussle between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military: control of the body tasked with writing Egypt's new constitution.
The so-called constituent assembly will determine the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches of government, and the degree to which Islamic law is applied.
Mohammed Asad / AP
Egyptian lawmakers greet each other at a brief session of Parliament, the first since the country's high court ruled the chamber unconstitutional, in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday.
In showdown with new president, Egypt's top court says ruling on parliament final
Constituent assemblies have a troubled history in Egypt. The first, which was two-thirds hard-line Islamist, was dissolved when its Christian, secularists, moderate Islamists, liberals and female members withdrew, saying that the body did not represent them.
The second constituent assembly, appointed just three weeks ago, has also been called biased, despite being half Islamist and half secular. But it has continued to meet, albeit fitfully.
Because the parliament has been dissolved, the validity of the current constituent assembly is also in question and its status will be determined in court on September 4. Morsi has asked parliament to stay on until 60 days after a new constitution is drafted and put to a public referendum, at which time new parliamentary elections would be held.
Both sides backed down from the brink Tuesday – the military removed most of the security from the parliament building and allowed members of the dissolved legislature to enter the building.
Mohammed Morsi officially became the president of Egypt on Saturday, as a new era of government takes shape. NBC's Kate Snow reports.
A crowd of around 200 people demonstrated their support for the newly elected president and the Brotherhood on a street in Cairo on Tuesday evening by chanting: "The people and the parliament are one hand" and "only the president has legitimacy."
As Morsi takes symbolic oath, many fear the 'Islamization of Egyptian society
Messages of support for Morsi's move also populated the Muslim Brotherhood's website.
"I support President Mursi's decision to return legislative power to the parliament rather than the military council," renowned writer Alaa al Aswany wrote. "It is the first step on the right path."
Hamdi Kandil, journalist and commentator asked: "Do the people who reject the reconvening of the parliament want the military council to assume legislative power?"
But the political brinkmanship angered others.
"It's not right to go against the judiciary. Maybe [Morsi] will decide to release [former President] Mubarak," taxi driver Haitham Mahmoud told NBC News. "Maybe he will decide to ban judges from supervising the polling stations in the next elections. The first three days of his presidency were all Morsi. After that it was all Mohamed Badie [the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood]."
Journalists Mona Eltahawy and Ethar El-Katatney provide updates on the developments in Egypt where newly elected president Mohammed Morsi has assumed power over the country.
Some feel that Morsi is working for Muslim Brotherhood – which counts for the support of around 5 million out of more than 80 million Egyptians – not the well-being of all his countrymen.
"I don’t like this. He doesn’t respect the law," Samia Hallen, a 45-year-old business administration teacher, told NBC News. "I am not sure if it is his decision or that of the Muslim Brotherhood. People have a right to be angry with his decision."
Hallen pledged a backlash if Morsi continued on the same confrontational path.
"We will give him 100 days. If we don’t like his performance, we will go back to the street."
NBC News Ayman Mohyeldin, Joanna de Boer and Taha Belal contributed to this report.
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If they want to have an Islamic government who are we to stop them?
Good thing we stopped Vietnam from being a Communist country right? Oh wait no, we just lost 50,000+ American lives for something that was going to happen anyways, because it's what the MAJORITY of the Vietnamese PEOPLE wanted.
Pakistan doesn't represent what a democracy is supposed to be about? Wow, I wonder why... Oh, maybe because they DON'T WANT A DEMOCRACY!
Yes, how dare the Pakistanis want to have their religion enforced as law. Good thing people don't try to do that with Christianity here in America!! Oh, wait, they do...they're called the Christian Taliban and Tea Bagger Fundamentalists who shove their Biblical values down peoples throats!
But let me guess, it's OK because Christians worship the right imaginary person and Muslims don't?
@Tea Troll,
By your reasoning, shouldn't we have Christian majority rule here in the U.S. seeing as most Americans are Christians? In other words, why shouldn't abortion be outlawed, gay marriage be outlawed, the ten commandments enshrined in all offical courts, etc. If that's what most Americqns want then why shouldn't we have it? I should add that it's not what I want, but you seem so eager to hand Egypt over to Islamic fundamentalism. Why? Why not hand America over to Christian fundamentalism? You have a very curious and hypocritical double-standard that you seem to be embracing, i.e. that fundamentalism is great for Egypt (if that's what the majority there wants) but not for America (if that's what the majority here wants).
Tea Slut,
Great post!
If they are in need of a constitution perhaps they might consider a previously used one (The United States Constitution). By virtue of it being horribly broken, and beyond repair, its value has diminished much like the principles it once stood for.
@Tea Slut,
Although I tend to agree with letting a nation decide it's government, the notion that South Vietnam wanted a Communist government is completely preposterous. I recall photos of tens of thousands of South Vietnamese civillians scrambling to get abord US choppers and hundreds of boats carrying refugees to American warships before Saigon fell to the Communists in May of 1975...
president obama Husein, please stop supporting evil muslim brotherhood, you are killing Christians in the middle east, i am sure you do not care.
If that is the case, why did we save with Iraqi wars the barbaric and beastly highly corrupt, despotic and bigoted Kuwaiti, Saudi, UAE and other rulers from Saddam?
What business do we have in Syria and Iran?
It appears that it is profitable to dance and jump as beastly Sunni Islamic religious Nazis Saudis and co, oil companies and their lobbyists want!!!
If they are in need of a constitution perhaps we could make them a good deal on a used constitution (the United States Constitution). By virtue of it being out of order and beyond repair it doesn't appear to have much value these days.
The title of this article is completely wrong (re: Future constitution at heart of Egypt power-struggle). This is really about the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) taking over every branch of government, the military and Police as quickly as possible. To the MB this has nothing to do with Democracy. It does have everything to do with finishing the revolution as quickly as possible. The sooner one eliminates ones enemy the sooner the MB can start installing it's Sharia based, extremist government. And, you can sure bet democracy will not be at the core of their new government.
Sharia is totally incompatible with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. Meaning the MB have no intention of forming a democratic government. In fact, Muslim countries and scholars have long recognized this incompatibility. This, the reason Islam, issued it's own human-rights schemes, such as the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights, 1990, and adopted by 45 foreign ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, and the Universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights of 1981.
Under Islam, sovereignty lies with God. Whereas (as an example) under the United States Constitution, sovereignty lies with the will of the people.
The MB has had the same motto since it began. Here it is: "Allah is our Objective, Muhammad is our Prophet, The Qur'an is our Law, Jihad is our Way, and Dying in the name of Allah is our highest Aspiration!"
If the MB succeeds they will not be a friend of the US. What makes this worse is the fact that Mustafa Barack Hussein Obama is well aware of this. Yet, he directly helped the MB to come to power.
You have covered half the issues.
Most of the US, British and many European nations foreign policies and actions are directed by Sunni Saudis and co, oil companies and their lobbyists. If Bushes, McCains, Romneys speak, then it is this lobby. Christian right also play their short-sighted roles!
Can anyone say: what business we had in Iraq?
In the US, Jewish lobby plays a major part! If Hillary, Libermanns jump and dance, then you can be rest assured that it is Jewish lobby doing its job!
What we have to do Syria and Iran?
Barack Obama is not much in all these lobby business.
In Egypt, just watch how the Sunni Saudi bigoted MB, Salaffi and other groups march to their seventh century desert tribal days.
When most don't care for religion much these days, followers of Islamic cult, especially Sunni Saudi inspired Islamic radicals and militants (al-Qaida, Salaffi, Wahhabi, MB and other label ones), are fast marching backwards to their seventh century desert tribal days of rapings, lootings, killings and genocides of non-Muslims and Muslims.
The Islamic religious Nazi dances and dramas have just begun in Egypt.
Actually, Barack Hussien Obama has in many ways been Iran's best friend. Under BHO, Iran will get the bomb. Each any every action BHO has taken against Iran is because his hand was forced. Even now, BHO continues to stall on any and every action that involves Iran. BHO wants Israel to have to do the dirty work. That way BHO and the world can then come down on Israel while at the same time BHO can continue appeasing his buddies (the Muslim world).
From another point of view one could say BHO has been Iran's best friend since Jimmy (hide-in-the-Rose-Garden) Carter.
1. Remember Iran's Green Revolution? You know the precursor to today's Arab Spring. BHO said and did absolutely nothing when the people or Iran were up fighting their government. BHO finally did pay lip service to it after the other leaders of the free world criticized him for leading from behind.
2. Remember BHO saying "that he is not convinced Iran is after the nuclear bomb." Just after BHO came into office.
3. Remember BHO's reaction to Iran sending M-300 Grad missiles to Hezbollah? - nada, zip, ... just more lip service.
4. Remember the Iraqi War that we won and BHO "inherited". FYI - Under BHO Iran is now the winner in Iraq. In short, BHO allowed Iran to become the dominate foreign political power in Iraq by doing nothing.
5. Remember the new SOFA agreement BHO failed to get signed after 3 years in office? Remember BHO wanting to leave 3,000 sitting targets in Iraq? By his failure (and Hillary as Sec of State) the 4,500 who lost their lives were for nothing.
5. Remember BHO sanctions against Iran, the weakest set of sanctions yet and he took 16 months of dithering before BHO finally got them in place. FYI - Everyone knows it takes years for sanctions (sometimes decades) to work, if ever.
6. Remember Iran just two months ago trying to blow up Saudi, Israeli in America? BHO said this was unacceptable. Only to completely back of on all actions, even sanctions for this. Then BHO said he would have to check with the internatioanl community. Finally, BHO said he would not take any action since it might hurt the world's recovering economy.
7. Remember Afghanistan? Under BHO, Afghanistan will fall the very same way Vietnam did. The winners Pakistan and you got it! - Iran.
8. BHO, just two months ago BHO also had a known Terrorist, paid by Iran, and a leader in the Kobar Towers bombing at the White House. The BHO Admin claims they did not know it. B.S. - No one gets to see the president without the Secrety Service at least checking a visitors back ground out.
9. Heck! Recently, Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, Hailed BHO's Comments As 'Window Of Opportunity'
10. Under BHO's policy toward Iran, which will be his "greatest failing, from a foreign policy standpoint. Surpassing his helping all those countries he helped "free" in North Africa to become extremist states.
11. The EU, with BHO leading from behind, recently threw some real sanctions against Iran. What does BHO do, BHO authorizes exceptions to 10 countries. Under mining the full strength of the new sanctions.
12. BHO, seeing the EU is getting even more serious, stalls "new" sanctions by suggesting Iran be allowed to Enrichment nuclear materials to 5%. Iran is not going to agree to monitoring but, you sure can be Iran will use it to stall again. BHO's own tactics to stall EU sanctions have now been going on for three months now. Only in this case, neither side has even decided what to discuss, this is stalling BHO style!
13. BHO, at the end of June 2012, exempted 20 countries buying oil from Iran. These countries can buy oil from Iran, in turn helping Iran and weakening the sanctions.
14. In July 2012, we find out the US is probing shipment of high-tech gear to Iran (and N. Korea) by the U.N. agency WIPO. OBama's response: “We’re working with both the Director General and other member-states to institute reforms in the UN. Bottom line ... Iran has the computers, Obama does nothing about it (again).
All the poorly-informed anti-Muslim rhetoric aside, this is a very serious game of cards being played right now.
1) Morsi was elected President of a country with no Constitution, no sitting Parliament, a High Court that is under the thumb of the secular military, and a military that has been in the past violently anti-Muslim Brotherhood. He is just trying to assert himself and try to pull something together. Otherwise, he will do nothing, the military will write the Constitution and the new elections will not allow Muslim Brotherhood candidates.
2) The military holds all the cards except one right now. They had the Parliament disbanded and there will be no overturning that. Too big a loss for the military and the High Court. But the military also knows that the public elected Morsi, not becanse they wanted an Islamic government, but because they did NOT want holdovers from the military and the Mubarak regime running the country. You have to remember that the military still believes that the Muslim Brotherhood had Sadat assassinated (and Mubarak wounded), influenced by the same blind MB Sheik that is in prison for the first WTC bombing and that Morsi is calling for his release.
3) The military does not want the MB in charge (or Islamic rule for that matter.) The military, since Nasser, has always made a great deal of being a guarantor of secularism ala Ataturk. The military knows that if the MB is in charge it will aggravate the situation with Israel. Then it gets complicated. The military believes that in any future war it will beat Israel --- but only if they make the same choice Grant made in the Civil War, to leverage your strengths and turn a war of tactics into a war of attrition. Egypt knows, just as Grant did, that the results are always a horrendous number of casualties on both sides. (And before the pro-Israeli trolls jump on me --- remember that Egypt has 80 million people to Israel's 7.6 million. Egypt has more Christians than Israel has people.)
4) The military in Egypt is quite corrupt. That is why US military no longer is in cash. It's easier to keep track of F-16 than millions of dollars. They simply do not want to give up the mansions and money that come with being a Colonel or above and return to a pay level where a 1-star general gets about the same pay as a US Army First Lieutenant. Regardless of who wins Morsi's standoff --- Egyptian corruption will be the final victor.
5) Morsi really has a limited time to do something. When new elections are held after a new constitution is ratified, he will not be re-elected if a secular candidate without links to the military or the Mubarak regime is run against Morsi. A young professional would be ideal to run against Morsi.
6) The ill-informed rants about the Muslim Brotherhood are just stupid statements by people who have absolutely no idea of anything about the MB except what they have seen on Fox. The MB is a very complex organization that presents a lot of different faces to a lot of different people. The assumption that they have any animus against the US or that they are "jealous of our freedoms" is simply poorly thought out propaganda that serves no purpose. Ditto that for Sharia Law --- which is very close to Talmudic Law which doesn't bind Americans any more than Sharia Law binds Muslims. The Bible requires that those who eat shellfish be stoned to death, but I really haven't seen the Tea Party outside Red Lobster with baskets of rocks. Until I do, the remarks about Sharia Law are simply ill-informed childish rants by poorly informed people. And the comments about Obama are just anti-Black racist lies.
I don't care for religious political parties, but what the liberal parties is doing is truly despicable. They think that if they side with the anti-democratic army against the Muslim Brotherhood and support the army's dissolution of the democratically elected legislature, they will do better in a new round of phony elections organized by the army. This is a real betrayal of Egypt's fledgling democracy.
The Middle East is so messed up. They do not know who is right from wrong. Egypt needs a new constitution that represents all of their people. Let the people decide on a vote for what they want for Egypt.
I always thought all Egyptians drove cabs or sold fake antiquities or did both. I never thought they were capable of such complexities as Chris pointed out. I visited the Egyptian museums in Berlin in the 1980's and became acquainted with excellent examples of ancient Egypt culture and never desired to go to the actual country then and don't now. US think tanks always envision the game of dominoes. If Egypt falls to Muslin Brotherhood, another country will fall to Muslim Brotherhood and before you know it all the middle eastern countries will be Muslim. It reminds me of the same Ivy League thinking of the 1960's.
In ancient history Egypt was the cultural center of the world and most certainly of the Mediterranean countries. But that was well before the rise of islam, which was about 1,300 years ago and since then the muslims have taken Egypt from being a leader, culturally, artistically, as well as in commerce, innovation, and quality of life to being today nothing more than another failed illiterate ( think 50%+ illiteracy) corrupt ME nation. Thank you islam! Wake up world, the ignorant, confused, hate filled muslims will continue to destroy what was once a beautiful nation.
Similarly, Afghan region had great civilization earlier.
I just wish our own country adhered to our own constitution. It seems that the Supreme Court goes virtually unchecked. They rule whichever way they want to with a total disregard for the rule of laws set in place by congress.
Our constitution could use a few new tweaks as well such as new rulings on severe punishment for those who enter our country illegally, or remain in our country illegally.
Destroying our flag should become illegal within the United States as well.
Profiling should become legalized.
All U.S. citizens should have fingerprints in a database so when fingerprints are obtained for whatever reason, illegal aliens could be captured and punished, then sent home and banned for life from re-entering the United States.
Organized religion may well be the fissile material with which humanity will destroy itself. If we cannot develop some equitable method of moderating the reaction, it will consume us. You cannot reason with those who hate you for what you believe, just as you cannot negotiate with a runaway nuclear reactor.
While there is still time, find a way to quench the flames. Hint: You won't find the answer in a book.
@TeaSlut
As much as I agree with a nation being able to choose its government, the idea that the South Vietnamese wanted a communist goverment is completely preposterous. I seem to recall picture of thousands of South Vietnamese citizens scrambling onboard overcrowded US choppers and photos of hundreds of boats filled wtih refugees heading toward US warships before Saigon fell in May of 1975...
"The so-called constituent assembly will determine the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches of government, and the degree to which Islamic law is applied."
Write as many theories as you want. Egypt may write many constitutions as it wants!
The Saudi Sunni Islamic religious Nazis slowly will take control and then it may be replica of Islamic rules in Saudi Arabia, Iran or some thing similar!
Constitution will be in some drainage!
Sunni Saudi Islamic track record won't be much different!!!
Bad days for Christians, Israel and other nations around Egypt!