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Subscribe to RSSAs protesters clashes, President Mohammed Morsi of Egypt announced a referendum on a proposed constitution. NBC's Jim Maceda reports.
CAIRO — Protests by Islamists allied to President Mohammed Morsi forced Egypt's highest court to adjourn its work indefinitely on Sunday, intensifying a conflict between some of the country's top judges and the head of state.
The Supreme Constitutional Court said it would not convene until its judges could operate without "psychological and material pressure," saying protesters had stopped the judges from reaching the building.
Several hundred Islamists had protested outside the court building ahead of a session in which it was due to examine cases against the legality of the upper house of parliament and the assembly that drafted the new constitution, both bodies dominated by Islamists.
The cases added uncertainty to the crisis ignited by a Nov. 22 decree that temporarily expanded Morsi's powers, triggering countrywide protests and violence that has deepened the rift between newly empowered Islamists and their opponents.
Egyptians fear decades of Muslim Brotherhood rule, warn Morsi is no friend to US
The judges said that they had been intimidated when they tried to get to the court on Sunday morning.
After issuing a decree making himself more powerful than the courts, Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi has sparked a wave of anger – some of which is directed toward the United States. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
"As they approached the building there was a crowd of people surrounding the court from each side, as well as the road leading to the entrance gates, and on top of the walls, chanting slogans denouncing the court’s judges, and inciting people against them," according to a statement.
The statement added:
"The Supreme Constitutional Court now have no choice but to declare to the great people of Egypt that they cannot immediately work on their holy task under this charged atmosphere of rancor and hatred and the desire for revenge and the fabrication of fictitious conflicts. And we declare the suspension of hearings until we are able to continue our mission and continue in proceedings before the court without any psychological and physical pressures to which we are subjected."
The protest reflected the deep suspicion harbored by Egypt's Islamists towards a court they see as a vestige of the dictator Hosni Mubarak era. The same court ruled in June to dissolve the Muslim Brotherhood-led lower house of parliament.
"It is now a power struggle unconstrained by legal means," Gamal Abdul Gawad, a political science professor at the American University of Cairo, told NBC News.
Christians, liberals left out as Islamists back Egypt's draft constitution
"Parties are using physical force to obtain political goals," he added. "They used an act of violence, of physical power to prevent judges from entering the court. It is a turning point in our political development."
According to NBC News' Charlene Gubash, tanks were parked at Cairo's main entrances, indicating that the military was on high alert.
Protests
Hundreds of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled Morsi to power in a June election, gathered outside the court through the night. "Yes to the constitution," declared a banner held aloft by one pro-Morsi protester. Chants demanded the "purging of the judiciary."
Egypt's Morsi announces vote on draft constitution
The court earlier postponed a session set to examine cases that could further complicate the country's political crisis.
Three people have been killed and hundreds injured in recent protests. The wave of street demonstrations continued through Sunday with a protest by at least 200,000 Morsi supporters at Cairo University. Morsi opponents are staging an open-ended sit-in in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the cradle of the uprising that toppled Mubarak.
Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood hope to end the crisis by passing the new constitution that that was wrapped up on Friday. Morsi received the constitution on Saturday and immediately called a Dec. 15 referendum, urging all Egyptians to go out and vote.
"The Muslim Brotherhood is determined to go ahead with its own plans regardless of everybody else. There is no compromise on the horizon," said Hassan Nafaa, a professor of political science at Cairo University.
The constitution, he said, would likely be approved by a slim majority. "But in this case, how can you run a country with a disputed constitution — a constitution not adopted by consensus?" he said.
Reuters and NBC News' Charlene Gubash and Taha Belal contributed to this story.
More world stories from NBC News:
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- PhotoBlog: China tears down house in middle of highway
- PhotoBlog: Dueling demonstrations in Cairo
- Egyptians fear long Muslim Brotherhood rule, warn Morsi is no friend of US
- Bread and expired milk: School lunch scandal sparks outrage in China
- Fast cars go cheap as bubble bursts in 'China's Dubai'
- Video: Morsi loyalists rewrite Egyptian constitution
Leave a Comment:
Yup Morsi is way better than Mubarak..HA HA HA , you get what you elected Arab foolf, just like the Muslim idiots that elected Hamas. At least the Syrian President isn't hiding his intentions during the Civil War.
Just like you probably voted for Bush, not once but twice! He nearly destroyed the USA
Another civil war in the offing...
Why, in Heaven's Name, are we still subsizing the Islamic regime in Egypt. We need to stop writing them checks
You wanted Mubarak out so look what you got. The election was free and democratic. We basically approved the process except there was no Electoral College. Live with it we have to. 17 states filed for secession from the Union after the last Presidential election. That hasn't happened since oh, about 1861. Are we going to support another unpopular gov? These are holy wars and if you aren't ready to take sides get out of the Holy Land. These are Moslems, not Muslims (look up the difference). The Crusades fought the Moslems who are not the same as the Muslims. This is perhaps a distinction we need to realize before we go and support the wrong religion. The beliefs are totally different. Google difference between Moslem and Muslim and learn your enemy.
@Wade, yep, and if Mitt and the GOP would have got complete control, and did all the cutting on
SS and Medicare,(which are not entitlements) plus slap a tax hike on the middle income and poor, we would have the same thing going on here. Just because 17 states filed don't mean crap. several cities in Texas, (one of the 17) have filed papers wanting secession from Texas if Texas seceded.
I agree, learn your enemy, and right now, the GOP are by their actions are looking more and more like domestic enemys. And yes the I's and the D's also have weapons and know how to use them. So be very careful pugbags.
Who carea what happens in the Middle East . Just keep whatever they want to do there and stay out of the west.
Even Egypt is unhappy with a Muslim extremist as a president. What the hell were WE thinking?
What makes you say that, the majorty is pleased with him.
Won`t be long before all you obambam loyalists proclaim your majesty as dictator . What is being seen in Egypt is just the precursor to what will happen here .
@jeff, it would be happening here if Mitt and the GOP got control. But you regressive's can't stand the fact that Obama will be elected to a second term. That is another failure that can be chalked up to the GOP. Two old white men getten beaten by a black man. God, that's really got to burn you pugbags. Weeeeeeeeee
You tell him, SallyAnn!
I doubt he'll understand . . .
sallyann quality over quantity. the people making 20 dollars a hour and over voted romney and the people making less then 20 a hour plus union people voted for obama. Whats funny is your man is probably more tired then romney and he ran unopposed in the primaries.
One more thing their are plenty of god people making under 20 a hour im not talking about the good people. Im talking about the ones with their hands out. Let the tax cuts expire. I dont care about the rich either. But i do care about remaining 10/10ths of a person.(affirmative action)
I am sorry to say it is of our own making. In our governments haste to get rid of Mobaric, not enough time was set to let parties form in Egypt. The Brotherhood was the only group that was organized from the start. So it is no wonder they got the majority. Our government is set up already and it takes us a year to get a election going, except for Obama that has been running for the last 5 years. I just hope the next country we help we give them more time to set up a govenment. After all it took neary 10 years for our government to get set up.
the only way to freedom is to arm the egyptian people fight tyranny with tyranny.
Oh?? and how has arming people in other countries worked out for us this far?? LOL
thats the problem its not about us,America would be better off to stay out of other peoples business thats why were in a terrible economic mess
Our government should stop sending our tax payers money to a Islamic dictator immediately.
As far as I am concerned, it is none of our business. It's their country, not ours...However, I AM in favor of revisiting foreign aid to ALL countries as long as we are telling OUR citizens that we cannot afford this or that for them....
It's going to come down to who the military supports. Otherwise it will end up civil war.
In 2012 Mohamed Morsi took 51.7% of the vote while Ahmed Shafik received 48.3%. There will never be another free election in Egypt during the Muslim Brotherhood Era. In American news, "Arab Spring" enthusiast Barack Hussein Obama took 50.9% of the vote while some white guy, hated for being a white guy, received 47.3%. The US will now disappear quietly from the world stage, in bankrupt ideological mysticism. Thanks, Hollywood. Thanks, online Jihadis.
@Peikovian, have some more kool-aid.
SallyAnn, there's a table of Jihadis who need a lapdance.
LOL
Islamist's to Egypt.
'Our way or the highway.'
Great to see how the Obama Administration has supported the spread of democracy.
he got there through the ballet box,
Letus, isn't that the way Bush used to talk? Great to see how it worked out in Iraq and how he boosted Iran's as the top dog in the area with no competition. You guys think of America as a business and not as a nation.
Maybe a civil war will be necessary, and hopefully the MB gets their butts kicked by normal people. Plus, it's just less radicals we will have to fight later in life. They will, after complete control of the mid-east, be coming this way. We have heard many of their corrupt religious creeps say so.
why? wasnt enogh blodd shed, rape and killings by the us army in iraq, afghanitan, yemen and pakistan? you guys thrive when you see muslim being killed. shame on you
You knew things would turn out this way. Whenever these Muslim types try to "fix" something, it ALWAYS gets worse. Now we have another country aligned against us in a corner of the world where murder and oppression are revered as the way to heaven.
We'd better NEVER AGAIN criticize Israel's efforts to build settlements on land they won fair and square from these dogs. They're the only country in that region that doesn't plot to take over the free world, or teach their citizens to blow themselves up.
Israelis don't attack Muslims worldwide for the crime of being Muslim. Jihadis do attack Jews worldwide for the crime of being Jews. That is as clear a distinction as can be made between a republic and a group of psychopaths.
The US can't get involved. We must spend taxpayer money on construction contracts for useless public works projects that will keep mobbed-up labor unions busy at three times the estimated costs. This is their thanks for all of the campaign contributions and for getting out the cemetery votes in states like Ohio.
America's Tea Party is an offshoot of the Islamic Brotherhood but with a Christian and oligarchy flavor
Nothing licks camel asz like the online Jihadi.
I'd venture to say that you'd come in a very close second.
Couldn't have said it better, Yhbua.
And we have Ayatollah Boner and Ayatollah McConnell.
Oh ya, those nasty Tea Party guys and gals are already stocking up on suicide vests. Get a grip Yhbua.
@Critic5151... Yhbua is a cnt and you are what follows close behind.
How do you spell terrorist?.....M.U.S.L.I.M
In the cesspool/outhouse that is known as The Middle East, know what the ultimate Oxymoron is? "Peaceful/Moderate Muslim"
Egypt is heading down the path towards being another Iran or Afghanistan back whrn the Taliban filth were in power.
If they're that stupid, then let them. Who cares of they want to be governed by a bunch of stinking imams? They'll have sown the seeds of their own destruction, and then look to the non-Islamic world to bail their worthless butts out. Nope. Not this time, buddy. Figure out how to get out of the ditch you dug for yourself, and when you get back to ground level, maybe we'll talk to you again. Maybe. Maybe not. Just another in a long string of Islamoronicism, all of which have been very successful in their march back to the 7th Century.
i learned that from the invasion of iraq, vietnam, nkorea, south america, yemen, and pakistan and the killings of millions of civilians. thats right. look in the mirror, pal.
Why is it over the last 1000 's of years or so the Muslims seem to get out of hand? Don't they get it yet?
really. do u know anything about history? most muslim countries were colonised, raped and destroyed by wetern colonies and invaders untill 1940s and 1950s.
ok so, So was S. Africa and many other colonies, yet they did not become terrorists. That is not an excuse.
Oh so sweet, the Arab Spring?
Obama is a closet Muslim and is re-elected.
he is and im glad he was reelected. theres is nothing you can do about it. a muslim is your president in the us. why not in egypt were 90% of the population is muslim.
lol do you live in a marijuana legal state, because you been smoking something......lol
no, i live in incest legal state.
Take your medicine boy.
The biased US media never bring an objective pundit/observer to comment on the Egyptian situation. anything and any opinion against islam and the Muslims thye will bring forth for the world to hear and see. whereas the truth is that MOST EGYPTIANS SIDE WITH MORSI. they voted for him.
As for the judges they didnt see any pshycologiocal disturbances when the protest against Morsi where held, but when the pro-Morsi protests took off, suddenly they cannot function. FIRE THERE ASSES FOR NOT WORKING. MANY EGYPTIANS ARE OUT OF WORK AND WOULD LOVE TO REPLACE THEM. OR BETTER YET, THE JUDGES SHOULD BE ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE.
I dont undesrtand where is the problem since the new constitution draft will be presented to the entire nation for a REFERENDUM. THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT WILL HAVE THEIR FINAL SAY.
And having proven how collectively stupid and self-defeating they are already, they will have no problem demonstrating that once again, by approving the new "constitution" in a landslide. Anyone who has any brains at all, and can actually think critically, should flee while they still can. The same goes for all non-Muslims, who will find the real meaning of the word "persecution" if they are so foolish to stay there.
oh ah, so you dont like democracy when the outcome is not in your favor? its their country and like any nation they have the right to conduct their business the way they see fit. noone would meddle in the us's affairs. why americans feel entitled to police the world? leave them alone, they are telling you.no wonder why they hate us.
Mystics believe god doesn't tell you to do something because it's good. Just the opposite, it's good because god told you to do it. Individual reason is the enemy of the mystic. In politics, it's good because the State or the Party tells you to do it. No surprise that one lunatic endorses the other and receives strength by association. Jihad is a police state in a haunted house.