A crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood movement got underway in Egypt on Thursday with the arrest of several leading members following the military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and his replacement by a top judge.A leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood warned that the ouster of Morsi, a member of the movement, could prompt some groups to resort to violence, although he said the Brotherhood wouldn't do so. A coalition led by the Brotherhood called on Egyptians to mobilize peacefully in a "Friday of Rejection."
| Let's see how the crowds compare to what we saw earlier this week. And whether camel riding hard boyz with polo mallets wade into them... |
Judge Tharwat Hammad said Thursday that judicial authorities had opened an investigation into accusations that Morsi and eight other senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood had defamed the judiciary. All were banned from traveling. The prosecutor expects to question Morsi some time next week.
| Next thing you know Morsi will be accused of offending the judges' dignity... |
| Hint: they aren't in Israel... |
Adly Mansour, chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court, pledged to look after the interests of "the great people of Egypt," promised new elections and urged the revolutionaries who helped topple Morsi to stay in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Mansour, 67, said he would respect the rule of law and "look after the interests of the people," according to a live translation by BBC News.
| Said interests of the 'people' just happen to coincide with his own. A happy coincidence, is it not? |
"We look forward to hold presidential and parliamentary elections based on a genuine people's will," Mansour said.
| Which will, amazingly enough, reflect the will of the army general staff... |
The National Coalition in Support of Legitimacy, a coalition led by the Brotherhood, said its "Friday of Rejection" was meant to say "'No' to the military coup."
Sheikh Abdel Rahman al-Barr, a member of the Brotherhood's executive board, said Thursday that the movement wouldn't work with "the usurper authorities."
"We call on protesters to show self-restraint and stay peaceful. We reject the oppressive, police state practices: killing, arrests, curbing media freedom and closing TV channels," he added.
| "Unlike when we had power," he added softly... |
| No, not us. It's them others. We'd never call for violence. Please put those pliers down!" |
He said Morsi's followers hadn't resorted to violence but "our leaders and youths were killed, our offices -- and even our homes -- stormed, ransacked, burned and totally destroyed -- not to mention the insults and obscenities we had to suffer."
| Oh, so they insulted your dignity too, did they? |
| Sorta like when Anwar and Hosni were in charge. Maybe they knew something about you guys... |
The U.S. was keeping a close eye on developments. President Barack Obama met with top advisers in the White House Situation Room to discuss the crisis Thursday, and members of his national security team "have been in touch with Egyptian officials and our regional partners to convey the importance of a quick and responsible return of full authority to a democratically elected civilian government," the White House said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Back in Worshington...
The State Department ordered "the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members from Egypt due to the ongoing political and social unrest."
It remained unclear whether the U.S. would define the military's decision to oust Morsi as a coup. This could affect the $1.5 billion in aid given to Egypt annually. U.S. law bans military or financial assistance "to the government of any country whose duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup or decree."
| Champ is an expert at ignoring laws he doesn't like. This shouldn't be a problem... |
The Egyptian army insisted that it hadn't carried out a coup but had acted on the will of the people to clear the way for a new leadership.