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Subscribe to RSSFresh from winning praise for brokering the Gaza cease-fire, Mohammed Morsi sets Egyptian politics ablaze by granting himself sweeping new powers. NBC's Jim Maceda reports.
Updated at 5:05 p.m. ET: Opposition protesters clashed with police in several Egyptian cities Friday after new Islamist President Mohammed Morsi awarded himself sweeping new powers.
Police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse tens of thousands of protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the center of anti-regime protests that ousted longtime U.S.-backed leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
"The people want to bring down the regime," shouted protesters, echoing a chant used in the anti-Mubarak uprising. "Get out, Morsi," they chanted.
State TV also said Morsi opponents set fire to Muslim Brotherhood offices in the Suez Canal cities of Suez, Port Said and Ismailia.
Clashes also erupted between police and opposition protesters in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, the southern city of Assiut and in Giza, the sister city of the capital. In Alexandria, Morsi opponents hurled stones at Brotherhood supporters outside a mosque and stormed a nearby office of the group.
However, Muslim Brotherhood backers gathered in front of the presidential palace in northern Cairo to support Morsi -- illustrating a widening gulf over Egypt’s future.
Tarek Fawzy / AP
Protesters opposed to President Mohammed Morsi break into the offices of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, in Alexandria, Egypt, on Friday.
Wide powers
Buoyed by accolades from around the world for mediating a truce between Hamas and Israel, Morsi on Thursday ordered that an Islamist-dominated assembly writing the new constitution could not be dissolved by legal challenges.
Other changes give Morsi power to take security measures to protect his position, which rights groups say are like new emergency laws.
Protesters have burned a CSF (police truck) tear gas very heavy now, #Egypt #Tahrir
— Bel Trew - بÙ� ترÙ� (@Beltrew) November 23, 2012
Morsi belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood until he ran for the presidency and still depends on the group for political support.
On Friday, Morsi confirmed that he will move forward on his plans because he insisted they were for the good of the country.
Complete coverage of the Middle East & North Africa
"I am for all Egyptians. I will not be biased against any son of Egypt,'' Morsi told the crowd outside the presidential palace, adding that he was working for social and economic stability and the rotation of power.
"Opposition in Egypt does not worry me, but it has to be real and strong,'' he said in response to his critics.
Morsi also said Friday that his government would pay $5,000 to the families of those who died in the protests to oust Mubarak and $3,333 to those who were injured.
Tahrir square is flooding with protesters. Street battles on at least two streets. #egypt twitter.com/ibnezra/status…
— joseph dana (@ibnezra) November 23, 2012
'New pharaoh'
The changes, announced late Thursday, prompted outrage among secularists and liberals.
Critics accuse Egypt president of trying to become 'new pharaoh' with decree
Mohammed ElBaradei, a prominent pro-democracy figure and former head of the U.N.'s nuclear agency, accused Morsi of declaring himself a "new pharaoh."
Morsi today usurped all state powers & appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh. A major blow to the revolution that cld have dire consequences
— Mohamed ElBaradei (@ElBaradei) November 22, 2012
"Morsi today usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh," ElBaradei said on Twitter. "A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences."
"Morsi a 'temporary' dictator','' was the headline in the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm.
By ousting military chiefs, Egypt's Morsi shows he's a force to be reckoned with
The U.S. State Department signaled its concern Friday over Morsi’s declarations.
"One of the aspirations of the revolution was to ensure that power would not be overly concentrated in the hands of any one person or institution," said spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. "The current constitutional vacuum in Egypt can only be resolved by the adoption of a constitution that includes checks and balances, and respects fundamental freedoms, individual rights, and the rule of law consistent with Egypt's international commitments."
Nuland called for calm and for all parties in Egypt to resolve differences through "democratic dialogue."
Meanwhile, the United Nations expressed serious concerns Friday about human rights and stability in Egypt.
Tarek Fawzy / AP
Protesters hurl stones during clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi in Alexandria, Egypt, on Friday.
"We are very concerned about the possible huge ramifications of this declaration on human rights and the rule of law in Egypt," Rupert Colville, U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay's spokesman, told a news briefing at the United Nations in Geneva. "We also fear this could lead to a very volatile situation over the next few days, starting today in fact."
Morsi's decree is also bound to worry Western allies, particularly the United States, a generous benefactor to Egypt's army.
NBC News' Charlene Gubash, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Countries get the government they deserve. Apparently, although the U.S. has done something pretty bad to deserve Pharaoh 0bama, the Egyptians must have done something even worse.
Lotsa luck, guys.
Why don't you give it up and quit with the bashing of Obama. I'm getting tired of you right wing nuts with your hate and stupid name calling. Grow up!
Ahh CPH, What's wrong puddin' pop? You called Romney all sorts of names far worse than a liar and basically denegrated a good man and now you want to complain that we are calling Obama out on his horrible foreign policy and his allegiance to the Muslim Brotherhood? Really!?!
I hoped you looked real closely at the pictures of the protestors. It looks like the are throwing Obama phones!
Iran is behind Mosri and Egyptians aren't fooled.
This kind of rebellion has been going on in most of the countries in the middle east for thousands of years so why expect it to stop now? This is the way they live, killing each other in the name of God.
Liberals and secularists have shown that they are nothing more than savages and animals, just like Mubarak said.
Good move by Morsi.
In a time of crisis and turmoil, as bad as it is, even the US President Bush expanded his powers and created the HOMELAND SECURITY office, and made significant changes to privacy rights, practically monitoring all land line calls, cellular, email, etc. He also locked up all "interested parties of 9/11" off the shore of the United States, where they have no rights, or trial privileges, etc., they are still locked up to this date. Our United States Supreme Court has upheld these actions, as well as our Congress.
Just what we need ... another god for us to worship and to kill for. Shallow thoughts and shallow people create gods.
Obama lied and people died!
I thought pharaohs were extinct?
The breaking news wasn't that there is protest in Egypt or a break in the truce between Israel and Gaza. The real breaking news according to the video was Jeb Bush running for President in 2016. Here we go again with another Bush era. Haven't we learned our lesson yet?
Apparently we haven't learned our lesson; we reelected a socialist, tax and spend ill-prepared individual to lead us down the spiral path for four more years.
Judging by the pictures I thought I was looking at ANOTHER article about black friday shopping....
Is there not ONE decesnt and respectful human being in the Middle East Countries??? Everyone is power mad and hungry to take control as dictators. Can't they find just one fair and honest person to respect the rights of ALL people!!! The Middle East is falling apart.
I think you ask a fair question. The problem is that we judge people based on Western standards. People in other areas of the world live by different standards that they are apparently comfortable with. Its us who must respect their way of life and not try to force our civility on them.
I laughed when the Obama administration said that democracy would take time to get a foot hold in Egypt. And now I will, once again, repeat myself. Democracy as we know it will never take place in the Middle East, period. They're idea of a democracy is to hold elections and the electorate suffer the consequences of those that were elected. Our own president has even stated that elections have consequences, and that just because a candidate runs on one platform it doesn't necessarily mean that is the real platform. The Muslim Brotherhood was elected and in their minds the Egyptian electorate had chosen to be ruled by a Theocracy. Why is this a surprise? This may not have been what the Muslim Brotherhood had run on but it is what the Muslim Brotherhood has always represented. Now there are two choices, suffer the consequences of what the Egyptians had elected or there will be, like Syria, civil war.
Who wants to bet Obama WILL NOT ask Morsi to step down like he did with Mubarak?
I will take some of that action. In fact, who wants to bet that Obama gets named to a cabinet position in Morsi's government and vice versa?
And the new cry heard in the U.S. as the great, great, great, great, great, great grandson of Paul Revere was heard saying as he drove his Prius down the road..."The terrorist are coming, the terrorist are coming! Get ready for Sharia Law in the Untied States!"
In other news, Susan Rice to have both Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons locked up for the workout videos sent to the Middle East saying they caused a riot.
My my, what a surprise. Another Arab grabbing total power for himself. Who woulda thunk it from such noble and civilized people. Ya just never know do ya.
And of course we, like a bunch of idiots ourselves, send these throwbacks to barbarism a billion dollars a year. Makes us even dumber than they are.
That entire area of the world is used to being governed by a monarch, king, or ...OK pharoah. Egypt selects(lI know bad choice of words) an official voted in by the people. First chance he gets he claims absolute power. Stupid is curable.....someday.
well to begin with obozo is prt to blame for how egypts elections turned out and he had no legal right being involved in them.As I predicted all that would happne would be likking and revolting and thats exactly whats happened.The egyptian people do not want muzzies in their government and I do not blame them,they will end up revolting and running or kiling them all and the egyptial military is not gonna back the gov,it's gonna back the egyptial peopl because they don't like it either
Jimmy Carter helped midwife theocratic Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini.
Barack Obama helped midwife the Muslim Brotherhood to power in Egypt.
Thankfully Carter only had one term to do his damage.
Obama has another four years to magnify his screw-ups (which includes Libya!)
Which video caused this?
Every Muslim needs to die. We would have a Utopian society around the globe if this were to occur. Not popular opinion...but true. Also, take the Kardashians with you when you go.
Thanks
If you think that would happen with man still on earth... you would be the one to start then next political religion of hate. (I mean Fundie Christian in that statement, too) Clueless... history continues to repeat.
Yous aid not against any son, meaning you are nice to Christians! Quran says to believe the Bible, is a test. Fail it and go to hell as Quran says!
Wow. Thie whole freedom thing has really worked out well. I just wonder where the idiot supporters of the revolution are now as they are not on here any longer. Either that or they cant admit they are wrong.
Seeing the Muslim Brotherhood was disband by the last regime...and now they are in power. It won't be long before they blame Christians and Jews and of course the USA, that it will cause genocide on the Christian, killing the Jews, and blame the USA for all there troubles. It will either cause a civil war again or it will be an Islamic nation that will rival Al Qadia and Iran. To bad for the citizens that just had tasted freedom to be eliminated from the face of Egypt cause of Muslim ideals and beliefs. Another tyrants who uses Allah as why he should lead them. Dresses in western attire, but wait, soon he will be wearing the same clothing thobe when he starts to address everyone with either you are with me or I kill you.
This comment will bring all the Muslim apologists out from under their rocks for sure. The people of Islam on the whole, I know there are exceptions but they are the few, are unable to govern themselves without a more civilized colonial power such as France or the UK. The people of this region have no experience locally or worldwide to know how to govern or how to police their people. Without even the most rudimentary knowledge to accomplish what they desire they are destined to either fail or once again be under the control of other people such as the Chinese or the Russians. Time will tell but history has an odd way of repeating itself. Islam alone cannot govern, the people of Islam live under a failed delusion and they cannot change without going against their quasi religion/political system.
Its time my countrymen stop voting in crusty prunes as president if egypts fututre is to be bright we must get the young SANE kids into office not these old men. and by young I mean 21-30
Like the US has room to talk after reelecting that a$$hole?
You said it!
You can bet he is taking notes on how it is done. Does this sound familular, it is happebning as we speak to our own Military"
"In June, the then ruling military council issued a decree as Morsi was being elected that sought to rein in his powers, but he struck back in August issuing a decree as president revoking that, giving himself those powers and sacking top generals.
The new army leaders are now appointees of Morsi and have stepped back from politics. The military still wields hefty influence through its huge business interests and security role. But one analyst said the generals had been "neutralized."