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A protester runs to throw a tear gas canister back to riot police during clashes in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Tuesday. President Mohammed Morsi's declaration last week of new powers for himself has sparked days of demonstrations.
CAIRO — Egyptian protesters and police clashed in Cairo on Tuesday just hours ahead of a planned massive rally by opponents of the country's Islamist president demanding he rescind decrees that granted him near-absolute powers.
Police fired tear gas and hundreds of protesters pelted them with rocks at a street between the U.S. Embassy and Tahrir Square, birthplace of the uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian regime nearly two years ago.
The protesters have been staging a sit-in at the square since Friday night to demand President Mohammed Morsi revoke his decrees.
By midday, hundreds were starting to gather in Tahrir, chanting against Morsi's decrees and the Brotherhood. A new banner in the square proclaimed, "The Brotherhood stole the country."
"We are here to bring down the constitutional declaration issued by Morsi," said one protester at Tahrir, Mahmoud Youssef.
Egypt's Morsi, top judges compromise to defuse soaring tensions over decree
Hundreds of lawyers meanwhile gathered outside their union building in downtown Cairo ahead of their march to Tahrir. "Leave, leave," they chanted, addressing Morsi.
The rally planned for later Tuesday, with marches from various parts of Cairo to converge on Tahrir, is to be a significant test of the opposition's ability to bring out supporters and the public against Morsi's edicts issued last week.
The opposition says the decrees give Morsi near dictatorial powers by neutralizing the judiciary at a time when he already holds executive and legislative powers. Key parts of the judicial system have denounced the measures.
After encountering a wave of protests in response to a decree from Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi that would have raised his edicts above judicial review, Morsi moved quickly to contain the damage. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
Morsi, in office since June, says the decrees are necessary to protect the "revolution" and the nation's transition to democratic rule. His declaration made all his decisions immune to judicial review and banned the courts from dissolving the upper house of parliament and an assembly writing the new constitution, both of which are dominated by Islamists. The decree also gave Morsi sweeping authority to stop any "threats" to the revolution.
Morsi's supporters canceled a massive rally they had planned for Tuesday, citing the need to "defuse tension" after a series of clashes between the two camps since the decrees were issued Thursday.
But a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, the fundamentalist group from which Morsi hails, said demonstrations supporting the president could go ahead outside the capital and that supporters would form human chains in some provinces to protect Brotherhood offices. Morsi's supporters say more than a dozen of their offices have been ransacked or set ablaze since Friday.
President within his rights?
On Monday, Morsi met with the nation's top judges and tried to win their acceptance of his decrees. But the move was dismissed by many in the opposition and the judiciary as providing no real concessions.
Riot police use tear gas on protesters during clashes in Tahrir Square on Tuesday.
Presidential spokeman Yasser Ali, said Morsi told the judges that he acted within his rights as the nation's sole source of legislation, assuring them that the decrees were temporary and did not in any way infringe on the judiciary. He underlined repeatedly that the president had no plans to change or amend his decrees.
According to a presidential statement late Monday, Morsi told the judges that his decree meant that any decisions he makes on "issues of sovereignty" are immune from judicial review.
The vaguely worded statement did not define those issues, but they were widely interpreted to cover declaration of war, imposition of martial law, breaking diplomatic relations with a foreign nation or dismissing a Cabinet. Morsi's original edict, however, explicitly gives immunity to all his decisions and there was no sign it had been changed.
Photoblog: Protesters in Tahrir Square hold funeral for activist killed in clashes
The statement Monday did not touch the immunity that Morsi gave the constitutional assembly or the upper chamber of parliament, known as the Shura Council. It also did not affect the edict that the president can take any measures he sees as necessary to stop threats to the revolution, stability or public institutions. Many see that edict as granting Morsi unlimited emergency powers.
The Shura Council does not have lawmaking authorities but, in the absence of the more powerful lower chamber, the People's Assembly, it is the only popularly elected, national body where the Brotherhood and other Islamists have a majority. The People's Assembly was dissolved by a court ruling in June.
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It should be: "kick, kick" and not "leave, leave" alone.
The turn of events in Egypt has marched fast backwards to dangerous levels. Egyptian should act now and later it will be only hates, tears and killings.
Sunni Saudi front, MB is a dangerous Sunni Islamic hating and killing organization. Sunni Saudi sects, Salaffi and Wahhabi are the worst Islamic Nazi beasts and barbarians.
Muslim Brotherhood is a Muslim Blood hounding organization. It a bad news for liberal Egyptians/Muslims, females, Christians and Jews of Israel.
Without mercy, sane Egyptians should attack MB offices and drive them out. Don't leave a trace of MB anywhere.
Morsi should be kicked out of power and should be jailed for hijacking the Egyptians struggle against Mubarak.
Egyptians did not struggle and sacrifice for these Sunni Islamic mad religious scoundrels to seize power.
Egypt has just traded one dictatorship for another .....and I do believe the zealots will be far worse.
What Morsi is doing is placing himself above the law and the judiciary to do a he pleases without any constraints or review. This is not how a democratically elected leader behaves, this is how a dictator behaves. Morsi is trying to consolidate power to ensure that he and his Muslim Brotherhood retain control over everything that happens in Egypt. He is trying to keep the group writing the constitution in place because it is made up almost entirely of Islamists and they are writing a constitution that will guarantee the Islamists control over Egypt. They are even looking at making it so that you need to be Islamic to run for president or any other office. This move by Morsi has nothing to do with moving Egypt forward in its transition from Mubarak's regime to a new democratic government, it is about the Islamists consolidating their hold on the country and ensuring that they can never be voted out.
JS ....just what did you think was going to happen? Should anyone be surprised by this?
Morssolini?
A new Pharaoh makes the scene in Egypt. Peasants expected to experience a transitional period of civil unrest.
Egyptian Independent
But just as Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Mao, and Castro realised. Circumstance "beyond their control", prevented them from avoiding the "unfortunate objective realities" they faced. And a "temporary" use of absolute power, was the only way to save the nation from itself.
Egypt is just lucky they have such a man to seize the day, and lead Egypt down a glorious path.
read more at http://kpr37.newsvine.com/_news/2012/11/23/15389599-the-great-mans-burden-egypt-morssolini
Oh God, where is Mubarak? I forgot, they exchanged him for "Islamist democracy".
King Tut would roll over in his grave if he was still in it.
Hopefully this lesson sticks in the minds of Egyptians when it comes to electing fundamentalist Muslims as their leader.
Muslims don't care about democracy, only spreading their religion - often by any means necessary.
There is no tradition in 10,000 years of Egyptian history of anything other than dictatorial or monarchical governance. They can play act at having a democracy but they have no idea what it means. Making up Their own definitions as they go is not correct. They need a large number of scholars and determined souls who educate themselves on democracy who then must lead and convince the masses to accept their recommendations and use it to form a constitution. Then they must live by their decisions. But they are so fractionalized they cannot do this. Too many hate each other and cannot be calmed. They will get another dictator, as they always have. He could be a benevolent dictator or he could be a monster. But there will be paychecks in it for some people to help the dictator put down the others and that is the way of the middle east. They never have peace. Only periods of control when a dictator crushes the opposition and controls them until he eventually dies or gets overthrown. They would rather do this than build schools and hospitals. They would rather do this than invent things, develop things, treat each other graciously. We need to stay out of it.
For a Democracy to grow correctly there must be a secular part of govt. The Egyptians made the wrong choice. I posted many months ago that they would pay for making the wrong the choice. Now they are.
They must use the vote and the law to kick them out of office and stop his decress. Their goals are just, their methods are not, as far as establishing rule of law. The MBH is obviously giving more power to the Islamist bloc, and going back on his word to stay impartial.
All new Democracies go through growing pains, the problem here is that they chose Islamists to start the growth. We knew from the beginning that religion is a wrench in the system of Democracy. Egypt unfortunately will learn this the hard way.
looks like the Arab spring is now the Arab winter, middle east is coming apart at the seams and iran has a planned nuclear bomb bigger than Hiroshima..what a great holiday season..
Muslime Demoncrazy?
The Muslim Brotherhood wants who THEY want in power....And they will get it...And the people of Egypt will cheer and shout.....Until the realize they've traded one dirtbag for another....And then it will be too late....
as long as they are killing each other ....who cares.
Why Thank You PValdes you're first post, about trading one dictatorship for another,says it Exactly!
As protestors were being killed when Mubarak was in power didn't Morsi say that every single death was blood on Mubarak's hands since he was the leader?
I've seen this movie before. Except his name wasn't Morsi and he was some kind of "Lord" behind the scenes I think, while playing the kind and caring leader to the people. I think there was this one group of like mystics who used blades or sabers of light or something and he had them all killed too because they would resist his powers. Point is he also said that his powers would be temporary.
Only difference between that movie and here (other than the obvious fantastical elements) is other people literally gave him the power in the movie and he decreed his power after being elected by the people in reality.
So who are we going to support now?
The Muslim Brotherhood from another Motherhood...
@ Gil ....none of the above.
British invented Saudi Arabia and its House of Saud and Pakistan.
US, British, French and others kept them on the map!
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.
Anyone can jump up and down and dance, the House of Saud and other Sunni Arab League rulers will be history sooner than expected.
Extreme religious madness is the worst way of killing oneself! Here Sunni Islamic one is the worst, history has seen.
Even the US, British, French and allies can't save them for long!
1,000 years ago the Arabs gave the world algebra, an alphabet and interesting architecture. Very nice inventions but pales in comparison to what the Chinese had invented centuries earlier. Doesn't compare to the contributions of ancient Greece and Rome, or pre-historic Eqyptians, and Persians. Then there is this huge wooded continent that has only had Europeans on it for 500 years which invented so many things it takes the library of congress to list 'em all. For the Arabs and thier middle eastern neighbors the last thousand years has been nothing but slavery, wars, dictators and oppression. And now high tech terrorism has been added to the mix. Without oil and western money, they'd still be desert nomads trading camels and carpets and fanning themselves under a tent in 115 heat while plotting to get even against a neighbor in the next valley.
Hey look everybody .......It's "SPRING" again ......
first there was muslim spring, now it's muslim fall
While I do not like to use the word "hate" against people that I do not know, I agree with your post Jonathan. I have an Egyptian friend who is in the US after winning the "diversity lottery." He is a grown man - he calls home everyday because he is so worried about his parents, brothers and sisters, they are also Copts.
With Egypt's military, not only being one of the world's largest, but also having its hands in manufacturing, etc...it accounts for about 40% of Egypt's GDP. Mursi fired the old Generals - I think this will be his undoing (I hope), the Army only needs to back the people, and Egypt will return to a secular country again.
Unfortunately, the US was the first Western government to sit down with Mursi and continues too. The US helped the MB take the power away from Mubarak - I think this was done on purpose to de-stabilize the region further - war makes some in the US A LOT OF MONEY.
For all Egyptians - you must take your country back, it will not be easy if the Army stays with Mursi, but I don't think they will support him for long. Mursi's only support - the MB's only support in Egypt is in rural areas. The major cities are rioting. I will celebrate when the Army turns - Mursi will want some of what the Army controls the Army will not give up their power points, I hope that tipping point is soon.
I read the new Constitution - Article one....yada, yada..Egypt is an Arab Islamist sovereign nation..... - no, that is NOT Egypt until the word "Islamist" is taken away. Western powers meddle and the people from another country pay with their lives. Please (some people) do not think that the Muslims in Egypt support the Muslim Brotherhood - they do not!
What about the overwhelming will of the people?
84% want death for apostates, 82% are in favor of stoning...what, got a problem with that?
http://www.victorhanson.com/articles/thornton052211.html
In other words, he has the support of the "Orthodox" Islamic community. Liberals and secularists are protesting.
Who do you think voted them in to office, Mormons?
Seventh day Adventists?
Baptists ?
Zionists?
http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/al-azhar-university-students-demonstrate-support-morsy
What is happening in Egypt with Islamic extremism, especially Sunni one, is not going to be much different from other nations, where Sunni Islamic extremism is on the rampage.
Followers of Islamic cult, especially Sunni Saudi inspired Islamic radicals and militants (al-Qaida, Salaffi, Wahhabi, MB, Taliban and other label ones), are fast marching backwards to their seventh century desert tribal days.
They are indulging in rapings, lootings, killings and genocides of non-Muslims (Darfur, S. Sudan, Nigeria and spreading like wild fire in many regions and Muslims (Libya, Yemen, Mali, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other places).
In Egypt, Sunni Saudi backed Salaffi and MB are opening up new chapters of Islamic bigotry. Morsi is just a front for them. Just watch the fate of liberal Muslims, Christians, women and Israel as the time goes by.
Even in Syria, if Assad is overthrown by Sunni Islamic religious Nazis like al-Qaida, MB, the conditions of Christians will be unbearable just like Iraq.
Pakis and Sunni Saudis and co are responsible for 80 percent of world problems including economic ones. Examine the devastations with Iraqi wars and now sanctions on Iranian oil and the resultant oil price manipulations.
They are making the lives of their own people also miserable by their Islamic religious madness to the intolerable levels.
@kpr37
Your Pew poll is two years old and I wonder how large a sample it took? Some of the graphics have a sample number of 44 people.... Usually, Pew Polls sample 3-5% of a population - I would not call that representative of the 85 million people in Egypt, much less the 44 Muslims they happened to interview!
The new supposedly democratic leader of Egypt has made himself a dictator. Under Mubarak there were rules, the MB now controls everything - enough so that even Muslims are afraid of the MB. Not every Muslim, but with riots in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities we see that many of Egypt's Muslims are against Mursi.
As you second article pointed out - only the MB, or those who consider themselves part of the MB are for Mursi...
The people protesting Mursi are not only Christians, Jews and "unaffiliated," - there are plenty of Muslims also against Mursi.
and the term "Islamist" is different than the term "Islamic" ....
Thank you statistical BS - half of the 44 people interviewed want to stone women, 44 people were interviewed and they represent all 85 mill in Egypt... ? Seriously?
What do ya got?
source another poll
You dont like mine
show me I am wrong.
Your link: http://www.victorhanson.com/articles/thornton052211.html
So the article was written over a year ago... but I actually read it and clicked on this sentence:
So, 2011 - 1 = 2010 BUT "Pew" is a link to this article:
http://www.pewglobal.org/2010/12/02/muslims-around-the-world-divided-on-hamas-and-hezbollah/
So as I perused the two year old Pew report of YOURS.... that's when n=44 came up!
The other statement I had quoted was from your second link:
http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/al-azhar-university-students-demonstrate-support-morsy
The quoted sentence is the last sentence of the five (5) sentence " article" link you provided.....
The claim doesn't make sense.....with a number that appears to be pulled out of B.K's hat.
I don't need to source another poll - for one, they are usually not representative and secondly, a "poll" of Egypt is nothing more than manipulated statistics. Read the country's history and then come back with something of value.....
http://www.hrw.org/middle-eastn-africa/egypt
Above is only the Human Rights Watch - it says the same as Amnesty International - Mursi is the problem facing Egypt now -
Your poll was of a few people's opinion - think of it like the US and the Death Penalty - everyone has an opinion, but the law is the law.
You will not find any cases of women being stoned in Egypt - some people may want it (MB) but - there is the law, if you read the constitution of Egypt, there is no stoning.
On the subject of death - here is Amnesty International's report (2010)
So you have nothing to refute the poll?
You do know that polls are OPINIONS? OK
Here: This has to do with three polls measuring the Presidential victor - no poll came up with similar numbers (if you actually read the entire article) but in general:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18110194
Your hatred of Muslims is clearly stated on your web page - what is your point? You hope Egypt erodes into a civil war, that more people, excuse me, more Muslim people die? That is my opinion of your agenda. You denigrate the people of Egypt saying they "want" to stone women - leading other to believe that they do, yet that premise is completely false.
Did you know that the personal attack is the first option of the intellectually inadequate?
Not just Egyptians.
Should any people who want to kill other humans, by barbaric means be praised?
Still nothing to counter the poll?
History repeats itself. The Muslim Brotherhood stood on the sidelines during the revolution, contributing virtually nothing to it. When it came to the elections these cowards were shrewd enough to steal it from the Egyptian people with intent on dominating this country
Egypt wise up and get rid of this cancer before it's to late.
I don't get it. What are they complaining about. They voted the guy in. They chose a leader that is a radical Islamist, ready to shove sharia law up their behinds. They asked for and now they should eat it.
Sorry to bust your bubble guys but Islam will not rule the world.....
Not sure why he thought he'd get away with it. Too close to Mubarak.
That's what I was thinking...he couldn't wait a few more months to show his true colors? Geez the balls...
Sit tight an watch. It's not going to be fun nor is it going to be without blood shed. The entire region is going to be engulfed in war. Syria, Gaza and Egypt so far. Jordan and Lebanon would be a logical next in line. I'm waiting for Russia and Iran to get involved in an active way in Syria. Something of that nature would escalate into a full blown war in just days. Israel wouldn't have a choice but to take an offensive stance.
God had Created man to live forever,but God has appointed man once to die
because of man's sin at Eden,and man kills man,and himself,including the
innocent,with wars,murder,Capital Punishment,suicide,euthanasia,God doesn't have
to,or need to kill man,man's sin and he alone himself is responsible.
Oh brother....Yeah, thanks for the input. What's truly sad is, you have no idea how ridiculous you sound.
Can't believe it!!! Egyptians actually fighting against a self proclaimed tyrant they got fooled into voting for...
That didn't take long. Next, Swiss bank accounts and a seaside villa in the Caymans. I have no idea what the Egyptians want, Seriously, when you vote in extremists (and someone voted them in) then you get what you ask for. The region, unfortunately, needs to go through this. Countries are usually born in a little blood, did you think peaceful protests were going to do it?
The Muslim majority want Islam and more Islam...they are probably mad at Morsi because he didn't attack Israel ...
OMG! Who could have predicted this? They have the same shocked look on their faces as the ones in Gaza get when their house blows up when all they were doing was launching rockets off the roof.
This is just "liberals-gone-wild"! Use the military. They will shut up or die.
Egypt is going down the same path as Iraq and Iran......to oblivion.
You know obama is tickled. He probably thinks "Gee, I wished I could just declare myself Pharaoh too."
you haters are funny. No matter what the story is about, you can figure out a way to post nonsense. lol. :)
Just another sore loser from the UnTruth Squad.
Get over it. Romney was a loser with a capital L
You lefties always rise to the bait.
Morsi supporters are probably running around yelling you lost too.
Where is the Military when you need them.
According to official results, Mohamed Morsi took 51.7% of the Egyptian vote while Ahmed Shafik received 48.3%. That's a lot of people who didn't want an ideologue with extra-legal authority upsetting the balance of power in their government. No wonder the Muslim Brotherhood wasn't strong enough to back Hamas. It's too soon. We should feel sympathy for the Egyptians, because we made the same mistake here, and now our tax dollars are paying for Morsi.
The Muslim Brotherhood must be concerned...it seems not all Egyptians support their man and their plan for a radical Islamist state..
kpr I can see you are a Muslim extremist who likes a group like Hamas to exterminate all non Muslims.....
Egyptian's now know they made a huge mistake letting a Muslim brotherhood rule their so called democracy, Morsi will NOT let it be a democracy and will let Hamas rule with force like all extremist Muslims do and women and children and their fathers and husbands will die because of that mistake.
They threw out Mubarak. This guy has not long left.
The term is 4 years over there too right? Good Luck in 2016!
Kpr - all you ever write about is your hatred of Muslims. Hysterical that you would post the Irish saying:
An rud nach fiu e a lorg, ni fiu i a fhail - what is not worth seeking is not worth finding
You seek to only exert YOUR opinion and express your hatred for Muslims. I suppose that is your right but what did a Muslim ever do to you that you must continually condemn them all?
In the United States if a student wears a cross around their neck or wants to pray people get offended and cry about the separation of church and state. Now in Egypt we see the real philosophy behind what our country's founders were trying to express. The separation of church and state is to insure that one does not oppress the other. That includes the state suppressing religious expression. The opposite seems to be happening in Egypt.
i haven't seen people being upset at PRIVATE prayer, nor people caring about jewelry. Well, no more than anyone is upset with anything from anyone.
are you confusing PUBLIC prayer with PRIVATE prayer? I see a lot of people who are thusly confused, and that's a completely different topic.
I am not confused. When one side is successful in suppressing the other the only safe option is private expression.
They must create a proper constitution without one leaders can do whatever they want. The people have to write their own (though most countries copied or base off of ours).
And we based a lot of ours on the ORIGINAL - the Magna Carta.
I know! is Jorge fault!
Here we go again...
Robert Mugabe (What is he? About 100, now?) and Vlad Putin should write and handbook. These dictators-in-training are falling flat! What NOOBS!
No one reads anymore not even the US Press. Morsi did what he did due to the vestiges of Mubarak that still had power in the judiciary. Absent changes in the judiciary there can be no real reform. This is all you need to do with any Islamic people is spread a rumor of plant false truth's and they will do your bidding. Hardly any are well educated enough to understand this very complicated situation. So go Islam go, take down the only chance you had for a new and more open society for a likely even more repressive regime and of course the mullah's in charge. Welcome to the new Somalia.
Sounds a lot like the liberal left. No matter what they witness, or how many facts are presented they go back to their four word chants.
do you have anything to contribute besides fox news talking points about the "liberal left"? lol.
Actually smart guy, it sounds more like the conservative religious right politicians in the US who want to stick their noses in our private lives and legislate their religious beliefs onto our secular government. Muslim Brotherhood=US religious right politicos, anyone with half a brain can see that. You must be a vet from the special ed branch of the Navy.
And you look at all the men in black and they are armed with American weapons as this government get rich off of death and over throwing other countries. Arming them for wars and like this administration likes doing, they will tag everyone with their categories for their racist agenda of conform or die..It's called O-Abomination sweeping like a plague...Go Black America as these darkest perversions like to hide and destroy..
in the photo in the article, the police are driving appears to be un-American and you can't really discern what type of weapons they are carrying...
The only government that promotes the value of human life, individual thought and private property is a republic. People chose their representation in such a government through democratic elections. Egypt and other Arab/Muslim states have gone through the farce of democratically electing violent anti-republican mystics who must command obedience and interfere with individual rights. Anywhere this happens the public destroys itself and puts neighboring states in danger.