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Subscribe to RSSProtesters are back in Tahrir Square. They fear the interim military government is trying to retain its grip on power ahead of parliamentary elections planned to begin next week. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
NBC News's Ayman Mohyeldin discussed the current unrest in Egypt from Cairo on Wednesday with contributors on the ground.
Watch the entire conversation below:
NBC News Mideast Correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin discusses recent clashes between Egyptian activists and police with citizen journalists Yasmin Ellayat and Sherief Gaber.
In an escalation of the tug-of-war between Egypt's president and the powerful judiciary, judges in the country's top courts went on strike Wednesday to protest Mohammed Morsi's seizure of near absolute powers, while Islamists rushed to complete a new constitution, the issue at the heart of the dispute.
The moves came a day after at least 200,000 protesters filled Cairo's central Tahrir Square to denounce the decrees Morsi issued last week, which place him above oversight of any kind, including by the courts.
Threatening to turn the dispute into violent street clashes, Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and the more radical Islamist Salafi Al-Nour party, called for a counter-demonstration this weekend in Tahrir Square, where Morsi's opponents have been holding a sit-in for over a week.
Morsi says the decrees are necessary to protect the "revolution" that helped drive Hosni Mubarak from office last year as well as the nation's transition to democratic rule. The constitutional declaration also provides the 100-member panel drafting a new constitution with immunity from the courts.
The Associated Press.
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Egypt's liberals and Islamists clash in violent protests
Khalil Hamra / AP
Egyptian protesters clash with security forces near Tahrir square, in Cairo, Egypt, on Nov. 28. Egyptian state television says the country's highest appeal court has decided to suspend its work nationwide to protest the president's decrees giving himself nearly absolute powers.
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I'm going to counter the counter demonstration. Oh heck, never mind it's just Egypt.
Interesting discussion by Ayman Mohyeldin and 3 guests regarding the latest events in Egypt. I might be one of the only people on nbc.com who actually listened to all 45 minutes of it. Egyptians are obviously very much engaged in this process that will decide the future of their country.
One challenge that Ayman posed to the young reformer was off-base though in my opinion. He asked "Why is this judicial decree (by Morsy) any different, or worse, than the decree that neutered SCAF (the ruling military council) in August that did not bring forth any protests? The answer is that presidential and civilian oversight and control of the military is an expected function of every democracy. If it wasn't that way then Egypt would simply have a military junta in charge. But president control over the judiciary is NOT an expected and proper function of any democracy. In fact, quite the opposite; the judiciary has a proper and expected role of overseeing and --when necessary -- limiting the powers of the executive (presidential) branch, so that tyranny, autocracy, or dictatorship, does not take hold. THAT is why Morsy's latest decree freeing him of all judicial restraint in his actions is so dangerous and suggestive of dictatorial ambitions. Morsy and the MB may say that it is all for the ultimate good of Egypt, but that's what every dictator or dictator wannabe says to justify his actions and rule. Yes, the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists won an overwhelming majority in the Parliamentary elections held about a year ago. And yes President Morsy won just over 50% of the runoff election vote (he had well under 50% before the runoff), but the mere fact of winning an election, or elections plural, does not mean that the winner gets to sweep aside all opposition and all checks on his power once he takes office. That type of democracy for Egypt is a sure recipe for a one-time experiment in democracy that is swiftly betrayed and inevitably, inexorably reverts back to Mubarak-style autocracy or worse. Probably worse.
Religion is opium of masses. Too much of religion is dangerous heroin.
Here Islam, especially Sunni versions, have crossed dangeous and tolerable levels.
In the history of humans, the most extreme and violent variety of religion/ideology (communism had the shortest life) has never survived for long. This applies to Islam as well.
"Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and the more radical Islamist Salafi Al-Nour party, called for a counter-demonstration this weekend in Tahrir Square, where Morsi's opponents have been holding a sit-in for over a week."
The combinations of Muslim Blood hounds and the killer Salafi are dangerous for moderate Egyptian Muslims, females, minority Christians, Jews of Israel.
They will bring only tears, hatreds and killings as they invent intolerable environments.
The opponents of Sunni Islamic haters and killers should unite and throw them out without any mercy right away.
Beat up their supporters, burn their offices and just stone them and make them run for their lives.
If moderate Egyptians don't do them right away, these Sunni Islamic haters and killers will do them to the moderate Egyptians.
Get them or else they will get you!
I'm sad to know that Islamist are rushing to complete a new constitution.
Obama supported this guy. That should scare Americans! Putin, Mubarak, Morsi, Ghadaffi, Hussein, Obama, Assad ... they are all the same.