07/11/2012, 00.00
EGYPT
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Thousands of Islamists in the streets against the Supreme Court held hostage by the military

The Court annulled the presidential decree to restore the parliament last night. For Islamists the decision is political and has nothing to do with respect for the Constitution. The majority of judges linked to former Mubarak regime.

Cairo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Thousands of people, led by Islamist leaders, took to the streets of Tahrir Square today to protest against Supreme Court which yesterday annulled the decree amended by Mohammed Morsi to restore the parliament majority, which is Islamist. The Court's decision was in response to the legislative dilemma of recent days after the signing of a Presidential Decree, but which opens a new conflict between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Supreme Council of the armed forces. In recent days, leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood have appealed to their supporters asking them to join them in the fight against the excessive power of the military, accused of attempting a coup.

According to Morsi supporters, the judgment of the Court is political, and allows the military to remain in power for another two months, until new parliamentary elections. "All judges are part of the former regime - said one of the protesters - they will never do anything against the military."

Morsi's presidential decree was a symbolic move to force the defense establishment to hand over power to civilians as promised after the fall of Mubarak in February 2011. The meeting convened yesterday lasted only a few minutes and was deserted by nearly a third of the deputies, mostly members of liberal parties and movements opposed to the sinister move of the Muslim Brotherhood. Local sources said that if this situation continues, Egypt will become hostage to two opposing powers, who have only their interests at heart and not those of the country. "The feeling - they say - is that nothing has changed a year after the Arab Spring".

Meanwhile, Morsi landed this morning in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) on his first official visit to a foreign country. Relations between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Wahabi kingdom are cold. The keepers of the sacred places of Islam are suspicious of more moderate stances of Egyptian Islamists. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated in recent weeks after a protest organized by some Egyptian activists to demand the release of a Saudi human rights lawyer arrested without reason by the authorities in Riyadh.

 

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