E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSEgypt's President Morsi is expected to meet with the country's top judges after he granted himself sweeping legislative powers, a move opponents say is reverting the country to a dictatorship. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports from Cairo.
Responding to violent protests over the last four days, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi insisted that he assumed control of the judiciary to stabilize the country – not to concentrate power.
Protesters say that Morsi, who became the country’s first democratically-elected president on June 30, issued a decree of near-total executive power to elevate himself to Pharaoh-like status. They also worry that Morsi and his supporters will draft a constitution that will put Egypt on track to becoming like Turkey or religiously conservative Iran.
Morsi’s supporters say his control of the courts is temporary – a necessary move, they say, because the courts are governed by former President Hosni Mubarak appointees who have blocked the country's transition to democracy.
According to the BBC, a statement by the presidency emphasized that Morsi's measures were implemented to avoid “attempts to undermine democratically elected bodies and preserve the impartiality of the judiciary."
Egyptian Presidency / AP
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi speaks to supporters outside the presidential palace in Cairo. As judges strike against the president for assuming control of the judiciary, protesters say that Morsi is trying to grab power. Morsi insists he's trying to ease the country's transition to democracy.
Regardless of Morsi’s intent, the fallout has been acute. Six of his aides resigned Sunday, and stock markets plunged by 10 percent in Egypt. Youth protesters attacked the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party – with which Morsi is affiliated – killing one and wounding 60. Fights have even broken out between journalists covering the escalating tension.
The BBC’s Jon Leyne wrote that Morsi’s actions – whether naïve or over-confident – could result in sectarian struggle. Morsi issued his decree on Thursday, the day after he was lauded by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for helping to negotiate a truce between the Palestinians and Israel.
In Cairo’s Tahrir Square, NBC’s Jim Maceda reported that Egyptians are understandably nervous, given their political history. Mubarak maintained military rule for three decades before he was overthrown during the Arab Spring revolution in February 2011.
That sentiment was reflected in a statement by the liberal Constitution party, according to the Guardian: "We are facing a historic moment in which we either complete our revolution or we abandon it to become prey for a group that has put its narrow party interests above the national interest."
Morsi says he is committed to finding “common ground” with other political parties, and he plans to meet with senior judges on Monday to work toward a compromise, the BBC reported. Meanwhile, both sides have called for mass protests in Cairo on Tuesday.
As Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi said he took the power of the courts to impose stability, protesters argued he is becoming a dictator. NBC's Jim Maceda reports.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland weighed in on Friday, Al Jazeera reported, saying that Morsi’s declarations “raise concerns for many Egyptians and for the international community.”
"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," Nuland said.
More world stories from NBC News:
Leave a Comment:
Liar, liar....pants on fire....you JUST DID IT.
Look out your window and on the streets. Those folks are not
protestingrioting because of rotten fruit.What gets me is that, this is The Muslim Brotherhood. Did nobody else see this one coming? Because I could have sworn that was what half the talk was about, when The Muslim Brotherhood was "elected".
I'm neither surprised or shocked that this happened.
And almost half the people in America voted for Romney? It's unbelievable how so many people could be so stupid!
It's possible to debate the relative merits and demerits of fundamentalist democracy vs. secular autocracy, but a fundamentalist autocracy is easily the worst of all worlds.
It is high time that this pile of @!$%# Morsi and all others like him be eradicated.Enough BS dealing with those terrorist groups. If you kill them all, they cannot make a comeback.
What did the Egyptian Protesters/Revolutionaries think they were going to get after ridding themselves of Hosni Mubarak?
The Muslim Brotherhood, disguised as Terrorists, and now Morsi showing his true loyalty, becoming another Decadent Dictator in the Middle East---the people will uprise (already have), and be killed.
Mubarak was not even close to being the kind of Dictator Morsi will be---Words to the US Admin/Hillary Clinton were promised to oversee Peace with Israel, and others---Iran again sticking it's nose and support into Egypt's Government.
That closes the Chapter on how Egypt will now Function. A Brutal Dictatorship. Sorry for the Citizens who believed they were getting a true Democracy, or close to what they believed it could be--the first voting of President Mohammed Morsi in office must have been a fraud.
It will be a matter of time to see Egypt turn into a Hell Hole like the rest of the ME/N. African Countries.
It is a true loss for others elsewhere, that the Wonders of the World, the Pyramids, ancient ruins will most likely never be toured again. It will be too dangerous to travel to Egypt.
Confussed:
What are you commenting about? Romney?
I think you made a mistake posting on the wrong board. This is about President Mohammed Morsi taking full Power over Egypt.
Please clear your statement so everyone can understand why Romney's name was mentioned.
"Morsi, who became the country’s first democratically-elected president on June 30, issued a decree of near-total executive power to elevate himself to Pharaoh-like status."
Morsi is a dangerous front cover for the Sunni Saudi bigoted MB.
Protestors should attack all these liars and Sunni Islamic religious Nazis, MB.
Throw out Morsi too.
If these dangerous Nazis win, it will be bad days for females, Christians, liberals, Israeli Jews and ultimately all Egyptians including Sunnis.
Confussed, the other half of the country believes it was stupid to vote for even more of the same failures as the last four years.
Confussed-1578043---Tell me how half the country is wrong because they did not vote for the boy-king. Your complaint of idiocy creates the impression you live in fear of opposition not due to lack of intelligence but lack of trust in someone elses ability to be right in the face of your wrong. Fear driven drivel is neither intelligent of insightful, it is only fear. Morsi is taking power to cement his parties position and strength, you do not get freedom by denying others their rights, you get freedom by giving power to many in hopes that one will not have it all.
On rare occasions a dictator is needed, but this is not one of those. Just because you are having some problems does not mean chit, there will always be problems. Many times those problems are a "good" thing since most of humans are imperfect and are not exactly right about everything. Our brains can only hold so much and we need to hear opposing view points, it is part of the learning process.
Egyptians learned that maybe they should not vote based on religion, but on actual merits/abilities. Morsi was elected the same as Hitler was. Hitler also consolidated power under the guise of saving/protecting Germany and look what happened there. This is bad P.R. for the M.B. plain and simple and it will weaken their power. Many of the posters here should be happy, but that is never the case. There is no way they can take over to rule like Mubarak did the people and the world would not allow it.
They have a responsibility to the nation/people of Egypt and they have been failing in some areas. They bit off more then they could chew is all, leading people or a nation is never easy, are bound to make some mistakes, but that is what happens when the people elect a religious group and there is not a separation between the state, and the church/mosque. There is only one way to fix a mistake like this, covering it up is not an option as it should be.
@Tad why stop at only 4 years and not the over 30 years of failures we previously have had? Trickle down Reaganomics DOES NOT WORK, high effective tax rates are needed to keep the wage gap in check or else all the money gets vacuumed up to the top never to be seen again. If workers were paid a fair wage then there would not be a need to entitlement programs or to pay wasteful middle man fees to the government, but some people are to stupid to understand that. Shipping jobs overseas does not work or giving tax breaks to companies that do. Allowing people to hoard tons of money in offshore bank accounts does not help either. What "other" choice did we have for president morons? Talk about voting for the same failures as before... Maybe if there were more then two horses to bet on...if only. Who supports the two party system again and why do we pay middle man fees to the unions known as "R" and "D"? Why do you complain about waste, but insist on paying middle man fees to an insurance company? How much cheaper would medical coverage be without insurance companies and the amount of money they waste?
Mohammad's Koran is the dictator. Morsi and his brotherhood want to drag Egypt back into Iranian style 7th century "values". At one time I thought this revolution had a chance to throw off the shackles of the past. The Imams will surely snuff out any forms of modern culture as being "un-Islamic". There will emerge a class of restrictive religious zealots that will compete for power by exhibiting the most religious piety rather than persue progressive ideas such as science, energy, sustainable population growth, resource management, economic growth, and quality of life.
The Koran is a bully book that has denuded all other forms of creativity and expression, to the point that Islam, terrorists, ancient ruins, and natural resources are all that middle eastern countries offer the rest of the world. Unfortunatly you can scratch off ancient ruins. The organization that inspired the Luxor massacre of tourists is now in power.
TAQUIYA!!!
America has a wanna be dictator in the White House. Why can't Egypt have a wanna be dictator too?!
After all, isn't this just:
ANOTHER RESOUNDING TRIUMPH FOR OBAMA'S FOREIGN POLICY?!! ROTFLMAO!!!!
Well, gotta give the guy credit. He is following Obama's strategy, which followed followed Chavez, which followed Castro, which followed Hitler, which followed Stalin...... Just say that you are for the "people" and what you are doing is for them and they will eat it up.
does not anyone notice, he did this 1 day after his meeting with Hillary; he now is a dictator, fundamental Islam's,anti-American, Anti -west, Anti -Israel, and wants to institute sharia law; he has dissolved the courts, Parliament,and is appointing brotherhood members in all top positions, he is armed with the latest American weapons, another 1.8 billion on the way; does not anyone understand who is his target, he has called for the elimination of Israel, he is allowing Iran to drop ship missiles to Gaza ,using Egyptian ports, have we lost our ever-loving minds.
I'm sure Morsi's predecessor said the same thing!
"power would not be overly concentrated in the hands of any one person or institution"
Yeah, and I'll respect you in the morning!
RoadKill, so true! Morsi also seems to have forgotten the old saying:
"The road to Hell is always paved with good intentions!"
Ed-NavDoc:
That is what Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood want the outer world of the ME/N. Africa to believe.
Americans/our Allies are quite smart when it comes to what the Muslim Brotherhood Meant---Terrorist Regime; the Egyptian people did not--
Now Egypt and HAMAS are definitely in cahoots with each other, supported by Iran--The Cease Fire NEVER existed between HAMAS and Israel. Israel knew this, and is patronizing the US's Treaty for a while, until the next Missile lands in a Major City there---Peace Treaty's in the ME are futile.
It will be back to the Old War again, with Morsi's support for HAMAS---Treacherous.
Marchant:
Agreed. It certainly seems like this is the case.
Ed-NAVYDOC:
2 in agreement! Good deal. Morsi, the Newly Declared Brutal Dicator of Egypt. What a pity for the Egyptians.
The Military may swing over on Morsi--they are not in Agreement with Morsi's full Power there. It will be Chaos for a long time in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood--what a Political front for Terrorists!
Apparently some Egyptians don't want the draconian Shar'ia law that the Muslim Brotherhood is trying to force upon them...
Sunni Saudi and other Sunni Arab League rulers' hater fronts are Salaffi and Wahhabi versions.
Their killer fronts are MB, al Qaeda, Taliban, Salaffi and other ones.
These are the most intolerant, barbaric and beastly versions of Islam not seen in the history till now.
Egyptians should not tolerate the most dangerous Sunni Islamic bigoted beasts led by Morsi!
Look at that primary culprits, House of Saud.
House of Saud, a strict Wahhabi, is not even tolerating Prophet Mohammad’s heritage places. House of Saud consists of a megalomaniac, despotic and bigoted ruler and highly corrupt, despotic, bigoted seventh century mindset 5000 princes and princesses.
In Mecca, the house of one of the wives of Mohammed was demolished and converted into public lavatories. Mohammed’s birth place may vanish with plans to have skyscrapers, mega shopping malls and a Grand mosque!
In Medina, ten years ago a mosque of grandson of Mohammed was dynamited and the religious police were celebrating on this. There are plans to pull down three seventh century mosques in future.
Even Allah is furious with these Sunni Saudis and co. He does not want to save them.
Why could people not see this coming? Morsi just admitting that he is part of the muslim brotherhood should have told these people something. I can only hope that Egyptians are not stupid, just brain washed by the evil virus known as islam. The koran surely spreads this disease and mohammed is surely patient zero. If you live your life by an fictional, evil book written about a murderer of innocents, a liar, a thief, an adulterer and a child fornicator, this must surely be the most ignorant thing a human being can do. If this is your idea of a prophet, you quite obviously have nothing to contribute to a civilized society and you have my permission to end yourself. Please do it quickly and leave the rest of the intelligent citizens of the planet out of it. The sooner the stench created by these virus carriers leaves the planet, the better for all of humanity.
very well said Seven i am sick of islam
dale, thanks.
I have said this before but I think it bears repeating.
"Once you have placed a label on the box you have created from your beliefs, you cease to possess the ability to perceive outside its constraints".
Steven, Egyptians are no difference than Americans. You voted in Obama, obviously you have no clue whats coming for us here.
Was it me, or did this new fella just promote himself pharaoh of Egypt? Must be delusions of grandeur because it sure looks like someone seized control and thinks he has the right to rule like those old pharaohs long ago. All he is missing is the scepter, crown and robes. Then again, he can just stroll on down the road and step into the Cairo museum and slip into something comfortable during the night I imagine when no one is watching. Try on King Tut's mask, feather robe and look at himself all fancy, and nice looking.
Of course how the people of Egypt will feel about his new status might make all the difference. It has been awhile since any new temples have been built by slaves, or new statues to a pharaoh. Perhaps any new ruler might want to check out how the people of the land feel about enforcing his power over them. Seems these new modern folks just might protest any ideas he might have trying to make himself god like.
I imagine Egyptians won't take too kindly to being used and taken advantage of by any leader who thinks they are just hanging about for the sole purpose to serve those in power. Because if anyone thinks that, watch out. The masses have learned from history and finally broken the chains which bound them to past dictators. Within the masses Egyptians have found power to stand up against those who would oppress them. They are willing to see civil war before allowing another dictator to rule. If this latest decision isn't temporary, we will see bloodshed. Our President had best stay clear and not involve our troops. Let us hope those people don't have to fight once more for democracy and freedom.
The problem with the middle east is simple. Separation of church and state. democracy can not exist with out this are peace.
Arg, first of all my name is Seven....my real name. Second, no I did not vote for Obama. I could never vote for someone who has blamed four years of failures on the person who had the job before him. Do you know any other high level important job that you could get away with this? Can you get away with this on your job? Of course he can no longer do this as the person who had the job for the previous four years was him! BTW I am not aligned with any political party.
As far as Egyptians being the same as Americans...... I highly doubt it. Almost half of the people in the US did not vote for Obama but I have not seen them rioting like animals in the streets because of it.
Like Morsi, didn't Obama say that he would use presidential mandates for the good of the country too. Just like in Egypt, it is too late to make a change.
The egos of a few will always think they know what is best for everyone.
Obama did the same thing just didn't brag about it. but he is in total control.
You have got to be kidding ... comparing this take over of the judicial branch to Obama. Seriously joking. And I think people around the world who have no rights would be offended by your comparison ... trivializing their lack of rights. And btw the fact that you can even discuss it on this website and we can read it shows that Obama is not in total control. You are ridiculous. Go live in Iran and then talk to me about it.
Most did not expect Sunni Saudi front cover Morsi led hijacking the rule after overthrowing Mubarak.
During massive protests against Mubarak, few had heard the name of Morsi. Just see how he and his MB have jumped in!
He will be as dangerous as Turkey's Erdogan or Ayotallah of Iran!
Morsi and his MB will only bring hatred and bloodsheds not seen in Egypt till now.
Don't tolerate Morsi and MB for a moment!
Egyptians should beat them up and drive them out of Egypt and if required kill them wherever they see them.
Also, wherever possible, Jews of Israel should help the opponents of Morsi and MB.
is it just me, or does this guy's head look like the head of a gorilla?
Pass the popcorn, and buckle your seat belts, we're in for a real ride.
Egypt is clearly "in transition" and, like our stock market, is going to have huge swings up and down, on a daily basis.
Obama's Arab Spring foreign policy is just substituting brutal secular dictators that are not enemies of the United States with brutal radical islamic dictators that will be enemies of the United States.
In a few years when these radical dictators team up with a nuclear Iran (enabled by Jimmy Carter) they will launch world war three on the west. We can then all thank Barry "Neville Chamberlain" Obama for the war.
i'm curious what YOU would have done for foreign policy that would have resulted in anything different? How is obama responsible for any of the dictators (other than perhaps libya) being deposed?
Criticism is easy, intelligent policies that will actually work are a bit harder.
enlighten us?
Boelifer is right to criticize the current administration. The same thing that happened a year ago is happening now: no clear definition to the American people as to the policy of this administration. I support our President, but I want to know his policy on the events that are occurring. There needs to be a public stance on the issue. Does the US support the regime or are we against this grab for power? C'mon Mr. President, tell us the administrations position.
Allowing actions to simply play themselves out is no position at all.
STOP giving them our money!
Yep....Shar'ia compliant...
because freedom of speech is UN-Islamic...
Well the people of Egypt have something in common with American voters. It shows they were dumb enough to buy Morsi's lies just like the people of the U.S. were dumb enough to buy into Obama's lies.
yawn. more obama hatred nonsense...long on hatred, short on specifics. sour grapes, anyone? :)
Americans used votes, Muslims used riots...
Egypts voted for Morsi. Reread the article.
Mubarak was ousted after 18 days of demonstrations during the 2011–2012 Egyptian revolution[
Pulsar Morsi was elected by the Eqypian people. Shows they are just as smart as the people that voted for Obamination.
yawn. more obama loving nonsense...long on liberal ideology,short on accomplishments,Vermont ,pure liberal line towing state , hard to reality with Barry's ears pulled over your eyes
john: your post is stupid. I said nothing about obama, positive or negative, so to characterize what I said as "obama loving nonsense" is, well, stupid as I said. :)
clue for the clueless; pointing out the stupidity of others doesn't imply anything in the other direction. :) I just find the haters to be most amusing.
PS - when I see people "attacking" vermont as you did, I know they are desperate and lame..is if everyone in a given state has the same beliefs, and as if the poster's state has anything to do with the content of their posts. lol, how stupid is that? :)
"john: your post is stupid"...hahaha...all of your posts point to your ideology , pretty simple m, and yes the state you live in has brainwashed you into the cult of personality that is Barry , I simply pointed it out
well, I explained very simply why it was stupid (although perhaps not simply enough for you to understand, but read slowly and maybe it will come to you...). Your "rebuttal" hardly disproves my post. hahaha. :)
ah, I see you edited your post.
"all of my posts point to my ideology" = "I've got nothing, i'm just going to repeat my own worthless, biased opinion". lol.
and again, anyone who claims that everyone from a given state has the same beliefs is just plain stupid. :)
didn't edit anything , don't know how , your tin foil hat must have slipped...happens sometimes
The real backers of the Egyptian revolution were hardline Muslims wanting to make Egyptian a totally Islamic state ala Saudia Arabia with Shar'ia law as the law of the land...and by doing so, it would be easier to rid the country of non-Muslims...you know, Christians, Copts, Jews and any other non-Muslims they could round up..
the "real backers" of the revolution were a lot of different folks not just the hardline muslims.
The hardline Muslims were controlling everything...stoking the fires of revolution making it easier to get their people into positions of power from which they would gain an iron fisted control....an iron fisted Islamic control governed by the Qur'an and the Shar'ia law...once in control they would be hard to remove..They will remove any constitution or law that is not Islamic enough..
again, there were moderates and secularists and all sorts of folks behind the revolution. EVERYONE (well, except perhaps the military) wanted the military dictator removed.
The fact that one group played it better and "won" doesn't mean they were the "real" backers, just perhaps that they were the "best organized" backers.
Trying to portray this as ONLY something supported by "hardline muslims" is just plain wrong.
Boelifer:
Let us be very clear; Obama did not put Morsi in office, the Egyptians did. Just because we don't like who they elected does not mean that we can then go in and enforce our ideas of democracy on them (like we did in Iraq). We sat back and let the Egyptians choose their first democratically elected government in 30 years; which is exactly what we should have done. I am probably being naive but I am going to hold out hope that Morsi is exactly what he says he is and really does want to put a democratic government in place. After all, they offered George Washington the crown to the brand new USA and he turned it down in lieu of democracy.
Please don't compare Mohammed Morsi to George Washington. A more apt comparison would be to Adolf Hitler who also took part in democracy until he saw the right opportunity to become the all-powerful Fuhrer, and seized it.
Yes, they did vote for him and he got in. If, however, the move is truly temporary - to provide stability - then I would look for a cut-off date, a date of completion, yes? So far, I see nothing to indicate that he has a specific timeline for establishing even the beginnings of stability much less making it a fait accompli.
Adam...
i didn't compare Morsi to Washington, I said he has the same chance to show his true worth. I am willing to give him a chance to put his money where his mouth is. Also, I would never compare anyone to Hitler (except Pot Pol maybe) who was responsible for 12+ million deaths.
and by doing so he probably kept Egypt from becoming a suburb of Tehran..
doubtful. Iran is shia, egypt is sunni. In case you haven't been paying attention, those two don't mix very well. Not to mention geographic distance and cultural differences.
you are correct...I should have said Riyadh....
now, that is a lot more possible, although SA is actually a pretty good ally of ours in the middle east in many ways, letting us base troops there, so that might have been a good thing.
It's more the Salafists who yearn for Saudi-style back to the 7th Century fundamentalism. Muslim Brotherhood types are more sophisticated and nationalistic, but also harbor dreams of a pan-Arab Islamic Caliphate that will "restore" Islam above the Dar al-Harb and -- among other things -- destroy Israel. On this latter point they are most certainly in tune with Iran, but the Sunni-Shia rift is always a problem.
i hope one dat the Jews get tired of the s@#$ and clean house in the middle east. that is the only way for them to there
They do not have the power to clean the entire Middle East. I hope Americans do not end up fighting another War in the Middle East. We already back Israel financially, that is enough.
thinkingmom - Obama threw Murbarak under the bus and therefore is responsible for the results.
so what could obama have done to prevent his being deposed? I love these fox news talking points that are meaningless: "obama threw him under the bus". lol. As if obama has some magic and if ONLY he had said "egyptian people, please please please retain your brutal military dictator because i'm asking nicely" and the people would have obligingly gone home and given up all idea of replacing him. lol.
If ANYONE "threw mubarek under the bus" it was his fellow military folks, who made him the sacrificial lamb to mollify the angry crowds. Its not like the military has given up much control in the country yet.
Boelifer...
How, exactly did President Obama throw Mubarek under the bus? the Egyptians are responsible for Morsi, not our President, they had the courage to overthrow a brutal dictator. Perhaps you should consider expanding your news sources from Fox to well... just about anything else... because you probably don't want to go around with egg on your cyber face. Really, enough with the "it is all Obama's fault"... what are you 10?
It's all Bush's fault ... remember ?
On one hand we have Oblabla bragging about getting Bin Laden and telling the world Al Qaeida is on it's heels. And the lemming leftist believed it and re elected him.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Al Qaeida is stronger than ever as evident in the middle east.....everywhere!
Thanks Barry, and all you stupid people that voted for a muslim that is empowering our enemies everyday.
your screen ID is wrong. Anyone who is posting that "obama is a muslim" nonsense isn't intelligent. :) Of course, you probably think that al quada and the muslim brotherhood, for example, are the same things. lol.
Fitzgerald: Obama is not a Muslim. He's a naif.
Obama’s policies since he became President have revived suspicions that he is secretly a Muslim. He's not a Muslim. He's a naif. But so are a great many people in Washington. They are like high school kids who, when asked by an inquiring reporter what they intend to be, say with absolute conviction: "An astrophysicist." This despite not having any understanding of what kinds of study that would entail, and most of them are incapable of such study.
The previous Administration ended up squandering money on the sentimental messianism of what metamorphosed into a Light-Unto-the-Muslim-Nations Project, where "freedom" would be brought to "ordinary moms and dads," in Bush's unforgettably comic formulation. “Freedom” was defined as mere head-counting at election time, not as a resulting advanced Western democracy with guarantees for minorities and solicitude for individual rights, and with the Shari'a as the ultimate authority -- the Shari'a that in letter and spirit contradicts the most important principles of advanced Western democracy.
Then the plan became something less ambitious, which was, and is: Iraq as a state that would remain unified, and even become prosperous. Why "unity" in Iraq is good for Infidels has never been explained. Nor has it ever been explained why Iraq should not be seen as the ideal place in which to observe, and do nothing to prevent, the pre-existing sectarian fissure between Sunni and Shia from widening, and having effects outside of Iraq (in Lebanon, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Pakistan) and even drawing in, from outside, men, money and materiel from co-religionists on both sides.
And this business of making sure that Muslims should become "prosperous" because, you see, if they are poor they tend to sign up for the Taliban and such-like, would, as a policy, if continued, logically force the entire Infidel world to supply endless aid to all the Muslims who forgot to be born with oil and gas under their soil, and to do this forever and ever, lest they become...."dangerous." And, paradoxically, those who are truly poor, and have no rich relatives as the Muslim poor do, would see aid that might go to them go instead to Muslims, as a bribe to keep those Muslims from becoming...."dangerous." The confusion, the illogic, the sheer craziness of American policy is something we can't wait, alas, for sober historians to analyze and hold up for ridicule. We need to change that policy, now.
Obama is a naif, for what else could he be? He had a biological absentee father whom, he knows, was called a "Muslim." He does not know, apparently, that to be Muslim fifty years ago in Kenya meant, and means today, something very different from being, say, a Muslim from an Arab country, where ethnicity reinforces rather than plays against Islam. The easygoing syncretistic Islam of its practitioners in West Africa and East Africa may be under assault from the Saudi-financed true-blue Muslims who are attempting to engage in ideological epuration, and thus making Islam in sub-Saharan Africa ever more dangerous because ever more true to the real thing, undiluted by time and custom and distance from the Middle East's fanatics.
But to take this, or to take Obama’s stay from the ages of 6 to 9 in a most atypical school in a fancy part of Jakarta four decades ago in Indonesia, as showing that he has some real knowledge of Islam, is even more naïve. Indonesia is the one Muslim state that was conquered not by Muslim warriors, but by traders from the Hadramaut who came to Java and established trading entrepots on the coasts. They then turned these into military centers, as was natural for Muslims, and then slowly expanded them, but in the main sought to win power through converting the leaders of Java and Sumatra, who then ordered their subjects to convert. And the continued presence of the monuments of the Hindu and Buddhist past, the pre-Islamic sites such as Borobudur, as with Persepolis in Iran, keep reminding people that they were not always Muslims, though of course the purest Muslims would just as soon raze to the ground any reminder of the pre-Islamic or non-Islamic elements in Indonesia.
Obama is a dab hand at presenting himself as thoughtful. He's a good speaker. But he keeps failing, and looking absurd, in the innocence, and arrogance, of such proposals as an "Islamic summit" where he, Barack Obama, would attend and presumably preside. He should try to exercise his imagination, and picture the reaction of sensible people to some Muslim leader claiming that, because he had, say, spent a few years as the son of a diplomat in London (or perhaps, like so many rich Gulf Arabs, gone to boarding school in London), he was going to call a "Christian summit" of leaders from countries in Western Europe and North America, and iron all those little differences and misunderstandings and misapprehensions out.
I agree in large part with what Fitzgerald has written. Just read Obama's speech in Cairo in 2009 which is closer in tone to Jimmy Carter's "noble" quixoticism than anything else. And with similar consequences.
As if intelligent people were not expecting this?? DUH!! And I am sorry but Obama wants to be the king of USA..He is worthless!!!
I haven't met anyone who was really surprised by all this turmoil and politics, why do you suggest that anyone was surprised?
and I am sorry, but repeating fox news talking points like "obama wants to be king of the USA" just makes you look silly. :)
your post is worthless!!!!!
I am a veteran of the US Armed Forces and live overseas....two things that should be asked:
1. explain IN DETAIL your plans Mr. Morsi
2. If you can't Mr. Morsi, who are YOU trying to bullsh*t sir!! I am liberal but saw this coming!! Glad to See the Egyptians are up in arms about this!! I hope the populace give em hell!!
If this guy gets away with becoming a dictator Obama will follow, pray that Morsi fails and is thrown out of office.
right, because obama and morsi are identical, and so are the US and egypt. brilliant! lol.
Where have you two been Obama has done that already. He has skirted the laws of this country since he got into office and nobody has the nerve to stand up to the guy. He is not the Masahai he is nothing but a con man and a good one, he scammed the foolish American People of this fine country twice.
so, smokie, you claim that obama is a dictator? lol, that's funny. "skirting the laws" is not the same as being a dictator. Every president "skirts the laws". where have YOU been? :) For example, all of bush's "signing statements" that detail how he was going to interpret the law.
Patriotic girl, I sure hope you are out there trying to heal all the evils of the world since you are obviously so clear eyed about wold and National events.
King of the USA? HAHaHAHaHa... that is a good one. You are just bitter because we are no longer paying for your health care. You have to pay for it yourself now. King of the US? LMAO Thanks for the chuckle.
"All of our murders are misunderstood... we're the Muslim Brotherhood..."
He won't be a Pharaoh but he will be a puppet.
The Muslim Brotherhood needs to stop turning the other cheek and hit back hard against these secularists and upper middle class elite. Burning down buildings is a serious offense and needs to be dealt with by an iron fist.
LOL Yeah, *sarcasm sign* Go Muslim Brotherhood....
pffft...
Please, I hope the Muslim Brotherhood kill every one of themselves.
"Burning down buildings is a serious offense and needs to be dealt with by an iron fist."
I'm not sure if you've noticed this or not... but I think every offense taken by an authority figure in an Islamic nation IS dealt with by an Iron fist.
.
The Muslim Brotherhood has never turned the other cheek..
some of their plans include:
1 December 1982 document found during a raid in Switzerland by Swiss authorities on 7 November 2001. The target of the raid was Youssef Nada, director of the Al-Taqwa Bank of Lugano, who has had active association with the Muslim Brotherhood for more than 50 years and who admitted to being one of the organization’s international leaders. The 14-page document outlines a 12-point strategy to "Establish an Islamic government on earth." (more)
and one of their stragetic goals would be:
"The process of settlement [of Islam in the United States] is a "Civilization-Jihadist" process with all the word means. The Ikhwan must understand that all their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and "sabotaging" their miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and Allah's religion is made victorious over all religions. Without this level of understanding, we are not up to this challenge and have not prepared ourselves for Jihad yet. It is a Muslim's destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes, and there is no escape from that destiny except for those who choose to slack."
Morsi earned his Ph.D. in materials science from the University of Southern California in the U.S. in 1982. He entitled his dissertation "High-Temperature Electrical Conductivity and Defect Structure of Donor-Doped Al2O3."[10][11] He was an Assistant Professor at California State University, Northridge, from 1982 to 1985.
He is a product of California universities, a great bastion of liberalism.
i'm not sure of your point here, since california is also the "great bastion" of atheists, pot smoking, car driving, silicon valley, wine, etc. And he studied engineering, which isn't typically thought of as a "great bastion of liberalism", engineers often stick to, well, engineering, especially foreign students who are there to get a degree, not worry about politics.
amazing how religious fanaticism can change a person
Anyone else smell another "Arab Spring" coming? Out of curiousity, anyone know the count of countries in the region, and then of those same countries how many have had civil wars in the last year?
Ha, Ha, Ha!!! Lord, Obama's new found friend, Morsi, has taken lessons from Obama. Just do what the hell you want to do and the Congress and the Supreme Court stands in the shadows. The new American way of running a country. The same can happen in Egypt and it has. I love it when a plan comes together. Stabilize the Middle East endorse a Radical Islamic Group to run a country. That's the way to do it and you people re-elected Obama to continue this nonsense.
if obama has done something illegal feel free to file suit.
I can understand wanting to gain control to establish order....thing is can you trust the guy to relinquish when he says he will.
How's this: If he's sincere, he should hire opposition militia men for his body guard corps; swear them to escort him out of office on the appointed day.
"Power corrupts, abosolute power corrupts absolutely." To answer your question.
And I don't think he's going to hire any opposition guards, no dictator would be so foolish.
Smithy-3708823===Gee, you actually believe what you just typed. This is the Middle East we are talking about. The only way things happen is at the end of a gun barrel or a rocket from the Gaza Strip. Please pick up a history book and read just a little bit about this region of the world. Israel should be getting all of their troops called up to arms after these actions by the Muslim Brotherhood. The now open border to the Gaza Strip is a very real threat to them now. Not to worry though Hillary has a piece of paper in her little hands saying it will be OK, approved by the Brotherhood. Damn, what in the hell did they expect?