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Egypt

Egypt: Elbaradei, al-Azhar, Leftist Youth Condemn Excessive Force

Juan Cole 07/28/2013

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Egypt reacted with shock and grief to the massacre of Muslim Brothers early Sunday morning. Even figures who supported the July 3 coup such as Vice President for Foreign Affairs Muhammad Elbaradei and the Rector of the Al-Azhar Seminary criticized the military for using excessive force. It seems clear that Brotherhood members were attempting to take control of the crucial October 6 overpass (which goes on for miles and links downtown Egypt to Nasr City). But the military used disproportionate force and so took a lot of criticism.

The left-liberal April 6 Youth movement condemned the bloodshed (they had opposed the holding of Friday’s demonstrations in favor of the military, as well.

The incident took the sheen off the massive pro-military demonstrations throughout the country on Friday, which Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had asked for to give him a pretext to crack down on the Brotherhood.

The better hope would be to find a framework for the reintegration of the Brotherhood into normal Egyptian politics (I think it would have to accept the narrative of Muhammd Mursi’s having over-reached and perhaps even engaged in illegal activities). But at the moment, any such reconciliation seems light years away. Indeed, the new Interior Minister is pledging to clear Rabia al-Adawiya Square, where the crowds have gathered, setting the stage for more massacres.

VOAnews reports:

Filed Under: Egypt

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page

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