How Egypt’s Rebel Movement Helped Pave The Way For A Sisi Presidency
►http://www.buzzfeed.com/sheerafrenkel/how-egypts-rebel-movement-helped-pave-the-way-for-a-sisi-pre
For the first time, one of the five founders of the Tamarod, the movement that led the protests that ousted the Muslim Brotherhood last year, admits his movement was taking orders from the army. “We were naive, we were not responsible.”
When Cameron took the Muslim Brotherhood to lunch
▻http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-when-cameron-took-muslim-brotherhood-lunch
British Prime Minister David Cameron invited the Muslim Brotherhood’s international spokesman to lunch at Chequers last year in a two-hour seminar in which the Brotherhood presented its vision and the prime minister asked what Britain could do to support it, the Middle East Eye has learned.
Gehad El-Hadad, the international spokesman, was the star attraction of a prime ministerial seminar held on 17 May last year, when the former president Mohamed Morsi was still in power and months before he was due to London on an official visit.
According to a source who was present, Cameron talked of crony capitalism under Hosni Mubarak, and the potential of free markets under Morsi. Cameron questioned El-Hadad on the Brotherhood’s vision and asked what Britain could do to support it.
El-Hadad’s answers were described by those who attended as convincing and were referrred to in Cameron’s own summary at the end of the meeting. The prime ministerial seminar was followed by lunch and a tour of Chequers. Also present was Maajid Nawaz, the co-founder of the Quilliam Foundation, a London-based think tank which focusses on counter-extremism.
News of his private encounter with the Brotherhood will embarrass the prime minister, who has since ordered a Whitehall investigation into whether an attack on tourists in Egypt was organised by the Brotherhood in Britain. Cameron came under a hail of criticism when it was revealed that he had appointed Sir John Jenkins, the UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia to head the review.
Court outlaws Brotherhood participation in elections | Mada Masr
▻http://www.madamasr.com/content/court-outlaws-brotherhood-participation-elections
The Alexandria Primary Court ruled against members of the Muslim Brotherhood nominating themselves in the presidential elections, the state-run Al-Ahram portal reported on Tuesday.
Divergent views must not harm GCC bond | GulfNews.com
▻http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/divergent-views-must-not-harm-gcc-bond-1.1315814
The rift with Qatar over its policies, from the Saudi, UAE and Bahraini perspective, undermines the GCC’s security and well-being. This includes Qatar’s policy on Egypt, its support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Jazeera’s coverage of Egypt. These states view Qatar as having backtracked on a written commitment to adhere to a change of policy over these issues. There was a tripartite meeting between the Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and the new Qatari Emir Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani in Riyadh in November 2013, which was mediated by Kuwaiti Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah.
Pro-Brotherhood figure to run for ‘first free elections’ | Egypt Independent
▻http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/pro-brotherhood-figure-run-‘first-free-elections
Former presidential hopeful Bassem Khafagy, chief of Development and Change Party, announced on Wednesday ‘running for first free coming elections’ as he said, not the elections slated for 26 and 27 May.
In a video posted on his website and Facebook page, Khafagy, who is loyal to the Muslim Brotherhood, said, “I will not take part in the this election that is based on crime and null regime.”
Khafagy indicated that his stance about the May elections is a mix between two issues saying, “I will not be silent. I will not take part in crime of giving legitimacy to the coup.”
However, he declared launching his presidential campaign that will last until “free fair elections happen in Egypt.” He also added that his campaign will “fight against crime- elections- and prevent it to continue.”
Asked if he would gather signatures or get the nomination papers, Khafagy said, ‘Absolutely not.”
Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, former defense minister who led the overthrow of former President Mohamed Morsy supported by mass protests, is seen as the candidate with the best chance during the coming presidential elections.
‘We are innocent of all forms and sources of violence’ : Muslim Brotherhood - Daily News Egypt
▻http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/04/09/innocent-forms-sources-violence-muslim-brotherhood
In a statement released on Tuesday, Muslim Brotherhood Secretary General Mahmoud Hussein said that “the activities and struggles” of the group against corruption and tyranny are “based on absolute peacefulness and the renunciation of violence in all of its forms”
#Egypt escalates campaign to control mosques
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/19374
The Egyptian government has stepped up a campaign to curb #Muslim_Brotherhood influence over mosques, saying it has licensed more than 17,000 state-approved clerics to give Friday sermons to stop places of worship falling “into the hands of extremists.” The military-backed authorities have been trying to bring mosques under tighter control since the army toppled Mohammed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood last July after mass protests against his rule. read more
#Egypt : #Free_Egyptian_Army being formed in #Libya
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/19368
An Egyptian woman runs for cover as tear gas is fired by Egyptian riot police during clashes with students, supporters of the #Muslim_Brotherhood and ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, clash following a demonstration outside Cairo University, on April 9, 2014. (Photo: AFP-Mahmoud Khaled) An Egyptian woman runs for cover as tear gas is fired by Egyptian riot police during clashes with students, supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, clash following a demonstration outside Cairo University, on April 9, 2014. (Photo: AFP-Mahmoud Khaled)
Cairo: Egyptian security forces continue to chase armed groups active in the country. The confrontation does not seem it will come to end (...)
#Mideast_&_North_Africa #al-Qaeda #Ansar_Bait_al-Maqdis #Articles #Iran #Qatar #Sisi #turkey
#al-Jazeera staff back in court in #Egypt
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/19369
Nepalese journalists and law students demanding the release of journalists for the Al-Jazeera broadcaster held in Egypt demonstrate outside the Egyptian Embassy in Kathmandu on March 24, 2014.(Photo: AFP - Prakash Mathema)
Three Al-Jazeera journalists were back in court Thursday over their alleged links with the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood, with Amnesty International denouncing their detention of more than 100 days. The hearing is the fifth in a trial which has sparked an international outcry and fueled fears of a media crackdown by the military-installed authorities since the army deposed Islamist president Mohammed Mursi in July. read (...)
Anti-MB group dominates Engineers Syndicate elections | Mada Masr
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
By : Jano Charbel
▻http://www.madamasr.com/content/anti-mb-group-dominates-engineers-syndicate-elections
The Engineers Syndicate elections held over the weekend witnessed another resounding vote against the formerly presiding Muslim Brotherhood.
The Unified National List coalition, supported by the liberal-centrist Free Egyptians Party, garnered significant gains in the general syndicate and its 23 branch syndicates nationwide.
The list’s Tareq al-Nabrawy won the presidency of the general syndicate, with a reported 70 percent of the vote.
Nabrawy replaces the Brotherhood’s Magdy Khlousy as syndicate chief. His coalition has entirely sidelined the Islamist bloc in both the general syndicate and the provincial branch syndicates.
The Brotherhood, which had maintained leadership of the Engineers Syndicate for over 20 years, boycotted the election, as did its allies.
Voter turnout was reportedly low during the two days of polling, particularly in comparison to the hotly contested 2011 elections when the Brotherhood and other Islamist groups were running for seats. Some 250,000 engineers from over 400,000 eligible syndicate members voted, including a number of senior officials such as Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb and the ministers of transport, communication and irrigation.
#mursi due in court over protester deaths
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/mursi-due-court-over-protester-deaths
Egypt’s deposed president Mohammed Mursi was due back in court on Saturday over his alleged involvement in the killing of protesters in clashes during his year in office. The case is part of a relentless crackdown against Mursi and his #Muslim_Brotherhood since the military ousted him on July 3, ending a turbulent year in office. Mursi and 14 co-defendants are charged with involvement in the killing of opposition protesters during clashes outside his Cairo palace in December 2012. read more
David Cameron orders inquiry into activities of Muslim Brotherhood
| The Guardian
▻http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/01/cameron-muslim-brotherhood-orders-inquiry-extremism?CMP=twt_gu
A Downing Street source confirmed that the review would examine allegations that the Muslim Brotherhood was behind the murder of three tourists on a bus in Egypt in February and that it planned extremist activities from Britain.The source said: “The prime minister has ordered a review to get a better understanding of the Muslim Brotherhood and its values – and look into its alleged links to extremism.”
#Al_Jazeera journalists denied bail at #Egypt court
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/al-jazeera-journalists-denied-bail-egypt-court
An Egypt court Monday turned down a plea for bail by jailed Al Jazeera journalists, who denied links with the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood in a trial that has sparked international condemnation. The journalists, who have spent nearly 100 days in jail since their arrest, are charged with spreading false news and supporting the Islamist movement of deposed president Mohammed Mursi. “Please, get us out of jail, we are tired. We’ve been suffering in prison,” Mohammed Fadel Fahmy, the Egypt bureau chief of Al Jazeera English, told the judges. read more
#Egypt forces clash with protesters denouncing Sisi presidential bid
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/egypt-forces-clash-protesters-denouncing-sisi-presidential-bid
Police clashed Friday with demonstrators protesting against a decision by ex-army chief #Abdel_Fattah_al-Sisi to stand for president, state media said, underlining Egypt’s deep polarization. Supporters of deposed president #Mohammed_Mursi took to the streets in Cairo, Alexandria and other Egyptian cities to vent their anger at Sisi, who overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood leader nine months ago. read more
Egyptian television celebrates mass death sentence:
►http://madamasr.com/content/egyptian-television-celebrates-mass-death-sentence #Egypt
While the decision to hand the death sentence to 528 members of the Muslim Brotherhood on charges of storming and burning a Minya police station was met with condemnation from local and international rights watchdogs, Egyptian television had a different story to tell.
Egyptian policeman jailed over deaths of 36 Brotherhood members
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/egyptian-policeman-jailed-over-killing-36-brotherhood-members
A Cairo court sentenced a police officer to 10 years in prison with labor on Tuesday in connection with the deaths of 36 #Muslim_Brotherhood members and supporters last year, judicial sources said. Three other policemen were given one-year suspended sentences. The Interior Ministry said at the time that the Islamists died during an attempted prison break, saying they had been suffocated by tear gas. A legal source said the men had died from asphyxiation in the back of a crammed police van. (Reuters)
Saudi FM calls on #Qatar to “modify” its policies
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/saudi-fm-calls-qatar-modify-its-policies
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal has warned there will only be rapprochement between Riyadh and Doha when Qatar “modifies” policies at the center of their spat, a newspaper reported Tuesday. #Saudi_Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates earlier this month recalled their ambassadors from Qatar after accusing the fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) state of interfering in their internal affairs and of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. read more
Saudi action puts Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait on spot - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/03/muslim-brotherhood-kuwait-saudi-terror.html
On March 11, a little-noticed lawsuit will resume in the Kuwaiti courts to disband the Muslim Brotherhood’s local charity arm, the Social Reform Society. Al Eslah, as it is known, is accused of mixing aid with politics — at home as well as in projects abroad, such as in Egypt. The case itself is unlikely to achieve its objective and will likely linger in the courts for months. But it is a telling example of the increasingly tense debate in Gulf states over the Muslim Brotherhood’s place in politics.
...
Half a century ago, members of the Muslim Brotherhood came to the Gulf allied with the ruling monarchies against a different threat: Arab nationalism in Egypt. Many of those who came drew from the educated classes of Cairo and naturally gravitated to education in the Gulf as well. Ministries of Education from Kuwait to Bahrain Saudi Arabia grew and modernized drawing on their expertise.
Egyptian gunmen kill six soldiers at Cairo checkpoint
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/egyptian-gunmen-kill-six-soldiers-cairo-checkpoint
Egyptian soldiers and officials inspect the sight where gunmen killed six soldiers at a Cairo checkpoint on March 15, 2014. (Photo: AFP - Ahmed Gamel)
Updated at 1:30 pm: Gunmen killed six soldiers at a Cairo checkpoint Saturday in a morning attack the military blamed on the Muslim Brotherhood movement of deposed president Mohammed Mursi. Meanwhile, #Egypt's deadliest militant group said one of its founder has been accidentally killed by a bomb. The checkpoint attack came two days after gunmen killed a soldier in Cairo, as militants once based in the Sinai Peninsula increasingly target the capital in a campaign that has killed more than 200 security men since the army overthrew Mursi last July. read (...)
Gunmen open fire on #Cairo army bus, one dead
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/gunmen-open-fire-cairo-army-bus-one-dead
Updated at 12:20 pm Masked gunmen opened fire on an army bus in Cairo on Thursday, killing one officer and wounding three soldiers, a military source told Reuters. Islamist militants are expanding their insurgency in #Egypt where army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who overthrew Mohammed Mursi of the #Muslim_Brotherhood in July, is expected to announce he will run for president within days. Egypt’s army blamed the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood for the attack. read more
Edgy Saudi Bans Local Publisher - Middle East Real Time - WSJ
▻http://blogs.wsj.com/middleeast/2014/03/12/edgy-saudi-bans-local-publisher
Mr. Al Qudaimi said all the books they brought were pre-approved by the ministry ahead of the fair, and most of them have been sold there in previous years. He said the drastic measures taken against them reflects the tense political situation in Saudi Arabia following a decision by the Interior Ministry to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and other groups as a terrorist organizations.
“Due to the situation in the country, they have become more strict,” he said.
The Arab Network for Research and Publishing was established in 2007 and it specializes in titles focused on Saudi Arabia and political Islam. Their main office is in Beirut with outlets in Cairo and Casablanca.
#Egypt says it destroyed 1,370 #Gaza tunnels
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/egypt-says-it-destroyed-1370-gaza-tunnels
Egypt’s military said Wednesday it has destroyed 1,370 smuggling tunnels under its border with the Gaza Strip, as Cairo’s ties remain sour with the #Hamas movement that rules the Palestinian enclave. Ties took a turn for the worse after the military’s July ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Mursi, who belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, with which Hamas is affiliated. The statement did not say when the tunnels were destroyed, but the military has poured troops into the adjacent Sinai Peninsula to counter militancy that has grown since July. read more
Saudi threatens to block Qatar’s land, sea borders - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com
▻http://www.arabianbusiness.com/saudi-threatens-block-qatar-s-land-sea-borders-541971.html
Saudi Arabia has threatened to block Qatar by land and sea unless it cuts ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, shuts down broadcaster Al Jazeera and expels local branches of two US think tanks, according to US-based Huffington Post.
[...]
The two US think tanks targeted are the Brookings Doha Centre and the Rand Qatar Policy Institute, while Al Jazeera has been accused of deliberate bias towards the Muslim Brotherhood in its reporting on the conflict in Egypt as well as playing a significant role in the ousting of leaders in Tunisia and Egypt during the Arab Spring.
Riyadh puts #ISIS, #Al-Nusra_Front, #Muslim_Brotherhood, and #Houthis on list of terrorist organizations
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/riyadh-puts-isis-al-nusra-front-muslim-brotherhood-and-houthis-li
Saudi Arabia’s Prince Waleed bin Talal (C) walks to lay a wreath on the grave of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah March 4, 2014. (Photo: Reuters-Mohamad Torokman) #Saudi_Arabia's Prince Waleed bin Talal (C) walks to lay a wreath on the grave of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah March 4, 2014. (Photo: Reuters-Mohamad Torokman)
What is happening in the region has exceeded all expectations. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has effectively split, with reports of plans for a new alliance bringing together Saudi Arabia and its clients in the Gulf and with #Egypt under Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. read (...)
Saudi Arabia designates Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group | Reuters
▻http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/07/us-saudi-security-idUSBREA260SM20140307
Saudi Arabia has formally designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, in a move that could increase pressure on Qatar whose backing for the group has sparked a row with fellow Gulf monarchies.