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Egypt presidency race haunted by tit-for-tat 'Camel Battle' claims
 [Al Ahram] Only days before Egypt's presidential runoff, candidates are pelting each other with allegations. One of the most remarkable of these is the claim by Ahmed Shafiq, presidential finalist and Mubarak's last prime minister, that the Moslem Brüderbund had killed and injured anti-regime protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square during the infamous "Battle of the Camel," which took place at the height of the popular uprising that led to the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak....The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... Shafiq claimed that Moslem Brüderbund members had been seen atop buildings overlooking the square, from where they hurled Molotov cocktails on protesters below. On a television talk show Sunday, activist-businessman Mamdouh Hamza and senior Brotherhood figure Mohamed El-Beltagi responded to the allegations. According to Hamza, General Hassan El-Rewini, a member of Egypt's ruling military council, had told him he had seen "men with beards" atop buildings near the square. In response, El-Rewini had asked Salafist preacher Safwat Hegazy to order them down. Otherwise, El-Rewini warned, the men would be shot. Although he is very close to the Brotherhood, Hegazy is not a member of the Islamist group. Shafiq repeated the same story, but said the conversation had been between El-Rewini and El-Beltagi. In July of last year, El-Rewini admitted in a televised phone interview to having "spread rumours" during the 18-day uprising. Hamza explained that the so-called "Battle of the Camel" had happened in phases: a first phase in which knives and clubs were used; a second phase, in which thugs arrived in government cars and attacked protesters with ceramic and marble stones; and a third phase, in which Molotov cocktails and guns were used against demonstrators. Meanwhile, ...back at the hoedown, Bob finally got to dance with Sally... El-Beltagi, secretary-general of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), described the allegations as "ludicrous," saying it was illogical to believe that the Moslem Brüderbund had been responsible for killing protesters during last year's uprising. "Shafiq acts as if Egyptians' memories can be deleted," he said during the interview. Posted by: Fred 2012-06-12 |
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