Egypt's Mohamed Morsi on Thin Ice

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Dec. 7, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

           Declaring by fiat Nov. 22 that he’s above the Egyptian High Court, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-backed 61-year-old President Mohamed Morsi finds himself on the chopping block as mobs of protesters swarm the presidential palace.  Receiving a Ph.D. in engineering from USC in 1982 and teaching at California State University Northridge from 1982-85, the White House hoped Morsi would be Egypt’s new hope after 30 years of Hosni Mubarak’s autocratic rule.  Winning the first free election in Egyptian history, the West had great expectations for the U.S.-friendly Morsi.  Since sworn in June 20, Morsi played it low key until war broke out between Hamas and Israel after Israel’s assassinated Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari Nov. 14.  Morsi showed some masterful diplomacy bringing the deadly row to an end Nov. 22, yet now faces violent protests threatening his rule.

            When the “April 6” movement rushed to Cairo’s Tahrir Square Dec. 1 to protest Morsi’s Nov. 14 edict, no one could have imagined the hoards of protestors every bit as intense as when they drove Mubarak out of Cairo Feb. 11, 2011.  When Morsi assumed the presidency June 20, he had the solid backing of a wide band of Egyptians, not just the Muslim Brotherhood.  Egyptians had no problem with a regime glorifying Islam yet preserving the revolution’s hard-fought democratic principles.  Morsi’s Nov. 14 edict rendering his decisions above the Egyptian judiciary infuriated pro-Democracy protestors, seeing a return to Mubarak-like rule.  Morsi’s chief opponent in the Egyptian election, 70-year-old Mohammed ElBaredei, called Morsi Egypt’s new “pharaoh.”  When Morsi announced publicly he would not reverse his Dec. 4 edict, the protests grew more violent and determined

            Protestors refuse to accept Morsi’s call for national dialogue, until he reverses his Nov. 14 edict, guaranteeing acceptance of the Muslim Brotherhood-approved Constitution.  “I call for a full, productive dialogue with all figures and heads of parties, revolutionary youth and senior legal futures to meet this Saturday,” said Morsi, throwing gasoline on already violent protests.  “Killer, killer,” chanted protestors after breaching security fences at Morsi’s presidential palace.  “We won’t go, he will go,” the same calls a year ago last June calling for Mubarak to get out.  Setting the Muslim Brotherhood offices ablaze, protestors rejected Morsi’s offers, other than outright reversal of the edict.  Under pressure from the U.S., Morsi said his decree would lapse following Egypt’s constitutional referendum.  Morsi tried to assure protestors that if they rejected the new constitution, he would end his edict.

            Morsi’s supreme miscalculation was repaying the Muslim Brotherhood for supporting his presidency.  Pushed to exempt himself from judicial review by the Brotherhood, Morsi betrayed the revolution, where pro-Democracy protestors wanted more after Mubarak than an Islamic state.  Morsi had all the right stuff before letting the Muslim Brotherhood dictate his post-election strategy of assuring a form of sharia law in Egypt.  “We will stay here for as long as it takes and will continue to organized protests elsewhere until President Morsi cancels his constitutional decree and postpones the referendum,” said computer engineer Ahmed Essam, a member of the Dostour party.  Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood completely misread the protest movement as committed to an Islamic government.  Pro-Democracy protestors fought and died for free speech and the right to peacefully protest.

            Protestors rejected Morsi’s calls for a peaceful no-hold-barred referendum on all matters, except his decree exempting himself from judicial review.  ElBaradei’s National Salvation Front, Egypt’s main opposition party, rejected Morsi’s calls for a national referendum.  Calling Morsi’s offer “arm-twisting and imposition of a fait accompli,” ElBaradei offers himself once again as the best alternative to Morsi.  Considered an outsider because of his years of work for the U.N.’s Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the Nobel Peace Prize winner ElBaradei was open to Morsi reversing his decree to unify opposition forces.  ElBaradei sees Egyptian politics moving more to the center, away from extremist Islamic or secular parties.  Saying “everything will be on the table,” Morsi tried to quell the violent protests that promises to topple him if he doesn’t reverse fiat rule.

               Moris had all the right stuff when he took office June 14, except confidence to let Egypt’s budding Democracy work itself out.  Instead of resisting the Muslim Brotherhood’s demands, he capitulated to assure an Islamic constitution based on strict Sharia law.  Insisting on keeping the decree, Morsi guarantees that he’ll have the shortest rule in Egyptian history, pharaohs or otherwise.  Morsi already demonstrated his leadership skills negotiating a quick end to the latest Israeli-Hamas war.  Instead of doubting the Democratic process, he needs to call off his Muslim Brotherhood handlers and redeem the promises of the revolution.  If Morsi has any chance of hanging onto power, he needs to urgently rescind his decree and work patiently with the Egyptian judiciary to install new members when legally possible.  Egyptians have come too far to end up back in the same place.

 John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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