Egypt, Behave or we will cut your allowance!!!

[Working Man]

How many US taxpayer dollars are given to Egypt each year?

How many US taxpayer dollars are given to Israel each year? I guess it is significantly more than Egypt, and even more than some states in the USA.
(trick question since even the US government doesn't really know for sure.)

The bottom line is the US government warned Egypt to help defuse the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Pretty stern rhetoric. YET, when Israel pulls shit like kicking Palestinians off their own land, putting up walls to segregate a people, starving people with blockades, etc, you never hear Washington (with any of the dopes who lead) tell Israel to back off or lose funding. Do you?

It is no wonder that so many countries don't trust the US because of its sheltering of Israel's terrorism. Why don't other countries fund Israel if it is so worthy of a cause?

 

[Toronado3800]

How many US taxpayer dollars are given to Egypt each year?

How many US taxpayer dollars are given to Israel each year?
(trick question since even the US government doesn't really know for sure.)

The bottom line is the US government warned Egypt to help defuse the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Pretty stern rhetoric. YET, when Israel pulls shit like kicking Palestinians off their own land, putting up walls to segregate a people, starving people with blockades, etc, you never hear Washington (with any of the dopes who lead) tell Israel to back off or lose funding. Do you?

Yeah, while Muslims are making jerks of themselves worldwide Palestinians are going to have a difficult time winning any favors. Enemy of my enemy type of thing.

That whole anti semetic thing in the US was an embarrassment too and we are probably signed up to side with Israel forever because of that also.

 

[waltky]

Granny says dey's tryin' to prevent a civil war...

Egypt to vote on new constitution in effort to avert Morsi crisis
November 28, 2012 - The head of the assembly drafting Egypt's new constitution said the final draft should be finished on Wednesday. The new constitution would override Morsi's extended powers decree.

The head of the assembly drafting Egypt's new constitution said the final draft should be finished on Wednesday, as the Islamist-dominated body races to finish a process that has helped to trigger a political crisis. The constitution is a crucial element of Egypt's transformation to a new system of government after last year's overthrow of the autocratic president, Hosni Mubarak. But it is also one of the reasons why President Mohamed Morsi is at loggerheads with his non-Islamist opponents, in particular over a decree he issued last Thursday that expanded his powers. "We will start now and finish today, God willing," Hossamel-Gheriyani, the assembly speaker, said at the start of its latest session in Cairo. "If you are upset by the decree, nothing will stop it except a new constitution issued immediately."

Three other members of the assembly, which is being boycotted by most of its non-Islamist members, said there were plans to put the document to a vote on Thursday. A Muslim Brotherhood official who declined to be named also said a quick conclusion of the constitutional process could offer a way out of the crisis, because the decree would be overridden by the new constitution. He said Thursday would be a "great day," without elaborating, and called on the members who had withdrawn from the body to return. Gheriyani said members should come early to Thursday's session, which would start at 10 a.m.

Assembly members Younes Makhyoun and Salah Abdel Maboud, both Salafi Islamists, both told Reuters a vote on the final draft was planned for Thursday. Amr Abdel Hadi, one of the few remaining liberal members, said the same. "We will finish today and there is agreement on almost all articles ... and then we will start voting," Makhyoun said.

Leading opposition figure Amr Moussa, who withdrew from the assembly last month, said it was misguided to conclude the process so fast. "This is nonsensical and one of the steps that shouldn't be taken, given the background of anger and resentment to the current constitutional assembly," he told Reuters. The assembly has been working since June to finish the document, supposed to be the cornerstone of Egypt's new democracy. It will be put to a popular referendum once the assembly approves it.

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Why Egyptian protesters rally against Morsi (+video)
November 27, 2012 - Protesters took to the streets in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday, voicing their concerns about President Mohamed Morsi's expanding powers. Hundreds have been injured in what is the biggest protest the country has seen since Morsi took office five months ago.

Tens of thousands of Egyptians rallied on Tuesday against President Mohamed Morsi in one of the biggest outpourings of protest since Hosni Mubarak's overthrow, accusing the Islamist leader of seeking to impose a new era of autocracy. Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing youths in streets near the main protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square, heart of the uprising that toppled Mubarak last year. Clashes between Morsi's opponents and supporters erupted in a city north of Cairo. But violence could not overshadow the show of strength by the normally divided opponents of Islamists in power, posing Morsi with the biggest challenge in his five months in office. "The people want to bring down the regime," protesters in Tahrir chanted, echoing slogans used in the 2011 revolt.

Protesters also turned out in Alexandria, Suez, Minya and other Nile Delta cities. Tuesday's unrest by leftists, liberals and other groups deepened the worst crisis since the Muslim Brotherhood politician was elected in June, and exposed the deep divide between the newly empowered Islamists and their opponents. A 52-year-old protester died after inhaling tear gas in Cairo, the second death since Morsi last week issued a decree that expanded his powers and barred court challenges to his decisions. Morsi's administration has defended the decree as an effort to speed up reforms and complete a democratic transformation in the Arab world's most populous country. "Calls for civil disobedience and strikes will be dealt with strictly by law and there is no retreat from the decree," Refa'a Al-Tahtawy, Morsi's presidential chief of staff, told the Al-Hayat private satellite channel.

But opponents say Morsi is behaving like a modern-day pharaoh, a jibe once levelled at Mubarak. The United States, a benefactor to Egypt's military, has expressed concern about more turbulence in a country that has a peace treaty with Israel. "We don't want a dictatorship again. The Mubarak regime was a dictatorship. We had a revolution to have justice and freedom," 32-year-old Ahmed Husseini said in Cairo. The fractious ranks of Egypt's non-Islamist opposition have been united on the street by crisis, although they have yet to build an electoral machine to challenge the well-organised Islamists, who have beaten their more secular-minded rivals at the ballot box in two elections held since Mubarak was ousted.

Miscalculation

 

[waltky]

Egyptian Constitution draft doesn't pass muster...

Egypt draft constitution sparks mass protest
Nov 30,`12 -- Protesters flooded Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday in the second giant rally this week, angrily vowing to bring down a draft constitution approved by allies of President Mohammed Morsi, as Egypt appeared headed toward a volatile confrontation between the opposition and ruling Islamists.

The protests have highlighted an increasingly cohesive opposition leadership of prominent liberal and secular politicians trying to direct public anger against Morsi and the Islamists - a contrast to the leaderless youth uprising last year which toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The opposition announced plans for an intensified street campaign of protests and civil disobedience and even a possible march on Morsi's presidential palace to prevent him from calling a nationwide referendum on the draft, which it must pass to come into effect. Top judges announced Friday they may refuse to monitor any referendum, rendering it invalid.

If a referendum is called, "we will go to him at the palace and topple him," insisted one protester, Yasser Said, a businessman who said he voted for Morsi in last summer's presidential election. Islamists, however, are gearing up as well. The Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, drummed up supporters for its own mass rally Saturday. Islamists boasted their turnout would show that the public supports the push by the country's first freely elected president to quickly bring a constitution and provide stability after nearly two years of turmoil.

Brotherhood activists in several cities passed out fliers calling for people to come out and "support Islamic law." A number of Muslim clerics in Friday sermons in the southern city of Assiut called the president's opponents "enemies of God and Islam." The week-old crisis has already seen clashes between the two camps that left two dead and hundreds injured. On Friday, Morsi opponents and supporters rained stones and firebombs on each other in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and the southern city of Luxor. The Islamist-led assembly that worked on the draft for months passed it in a rushed, 16-hour session that lasted until sunrise Friday.

The vote was abruptly moved up to pass the draft before Egypt's Constitutional Court rules on Sunday whether to dissolve the assembly. Liberal, secular and Christian members and secular members had already quit the council to protest what they call Islamists' hijacking of the process. The draft is to be sent to Morsi on Saturday to decide on a date for a referendum, possibly in mid-December. The draft has a distinctive Islamic bent - enough to worry many that civil liberties could be restricted, though its provisions for enforcing Shariah, or Islamic law, are not as firm as ultraconservatives wished.

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Egypt divisions likely to deepen over draft constitution
30 November 2012 - Protests in Cairo are continuing and more are planned

Egypt's new draft constitution is likely to deepen the current division and confrontation in Egypt. Though President Mohammed Morsi may hope it can eventually show a way out of the crisis. It was rushed through by an Islamist dominated assembly after a marathon 16-hour session. The aim was clearly to pre-empt any legal challenge by the courts as they confront Mr Morsi over his controversial new powers.

Most liberals boycotted the session. One of their leaders, Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei, said the new document would be consigned to the "garbage can of history". But the draft constitution has been strongly defended by the Muslim Brotherhood. On the most controversial issue, the draft constitution says that "the principles of Islamic law" should be the guiding principle for Egyptian law. That is the same wording as in the old, Mubarak-era, constitution. But liberals are worried about a number of other articles they say could curtail freedom and lean the country towards Islamism.

Fears for equality

The document says that the al-Azhar institution, the leading authority in Sunni Islam, should be consulted on any matters related to Islamic law. Many fear that this would give the clerics too great a say in law-making. Another article says the state will protect the "true nature of the Egyptian family... and promote its morals and values". Again, liberals fear that gives scope for Islamists to impose their views on popular culture. There is further unease about a clause that gives the state a duty to support the arts, science and literature, and to work to implement them in a way that serves society. There is no article specifically establishing equality between men and women. The draft does say that a woman must balance her duties toward family and outside work.

Another article bans insults to or defamation of the Prophet Muhammad and other prophets, raising further concerns about freedom of expression. The draft now goes to President Morsi who may call a referendum as early as the middle of December. Opponents will have to decide whether or not to boycott the referendum. Judging by the results of the last parliamentary election, Islamists are possibly in a minority in Egypt, certainly not an overwhelming majority. However, they are much better organised than the liberals, and may be better at getting their supporters to the polls. Another question is whether the judges will take part in supervising a referendum, as stipulated in the law. The government will be hoping that they have enough supporters in the judiciary to enable a referendum to go ahead, even if many of the judges do refuse to take part.

More http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20553766

 

[Politico]

You think Obama will cut off their money. Teehee. Bless your heart.

 

[waltky]

Judges decide to go on strike to block Morsi decree...

Egypt's highest court joins judicial strike
Dec 2,`12 -- Egypt's highest court joined a judicial rebellion against President Mohammed Morsi on Sunday by declaring an open-ended strike on the day it was supposed to rule on the legitimacy of two key assemblies controlled by allies of the Islamist leader.

The strike by the Supreme Constitutional Court and opposition plans to march on the presidential palace on Tuesday take the country's latest political crisis to a level not seen in the nearly two years of turmoil since Hosni Mubarak's ouster in a popular uprising. Judges from the country's highest appeals court and its sister lower court were already on an indefinite strike, joining colleagues from other tribunals who suspended work last week to protest what they saw as Morsi's assault on the judiciary. The last time Egypt had an all-out strike by the judiciary was in 1919, when judges joined an uprising against British colonial rule.

The standoff began when Morsi issued decrees on Nov. 22 giving him near-absolute powers that granted himself and the Islamist-dominated assembly drafting the new constitution immunity from the courts. The constitutional panel then raced in a marathon session last week to vote on the charter's 236 clauses without the participation of liberal and Christian members. The fast-track hearing pre-empted a decision from the Supreme Constitutional Court that was widely expected to dissolve the constituent assembly. The judges on Sunday postponed their ruling on that case just before they went on strike.

Without a functioning justice system, Egypt will be plunged even deeper into turmoil. It has already seen a dramatic surge in crime after the uprising, while state authority is being challenged in many aspects of life and the courts are burdened by a massive backlog of cases. "The country cannot function for long like this, something has to give," said Negad Borai, a private law firm director and a rights activist. `We are in a country without courts of law and a president with all the powers in his hands. This is a clear-cut dictatorial climate," he said.

Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, a rights lawyer, said the strike by the judges will impact everything from divorce and theft to financial disputes that, in some cases, could involve foreign investors. "Ordinary citizens affected by the strike will become curious about the details of the current political crisis and could possibly make a choice to join the protests," he said. The Judges Club, a union with 9,500 members, said late Sunday that judges would not, as customary, oversee the national referendum Morsi called for Dec. 15 on the draft constitution hammered out and hurriedly voted on last week.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Granny don't think 2 weeks is enough time...

Unhappy Egyptians Given 2 Weeks to Consider Divisive Constitution That Elevates Shari’a
December 4, 2012 – Given just two weeks to consider the merits of a draft national constitution that will affect their lives for the foreseeable future, Egyptians were taking to the streets in large numbers on Tuesday to protest the latest development in their country’s chaotic political transition.

Drafted by Islamists over the concerns of many non-Muslims and secularist-minded Egyptians, the draft text will be put to a national referendum on December 15, President Mohammed Morsi announced late last week. The draft constitution has deepened divisions in Egyptian society. Among those supporting it are Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafist Nour Party – the two parties which together dominated the elected legislature (whose future remains uncertain since a Supreme Constitutional Court ruling last June). Also voicing support are Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the influential Qatar-based Sunni cleric regarded as the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, who spoke favorably about the draft on his television program Sunday; and Al Azhar University, the Cairo-based institution traditionally viewed as the leading worldwide authority in Sunni Islam.

Opponents of the draft constitution and referendum plan include Coptic Christians, some minority Shia and Sufi Muslims, liberal and secular political parties, and prominent figures including one-time presidential hopefuls Amr Moussa and Mohamed ElBaradei. The judiciary also appears to be divided, with some judges saying they will refuse to oversee the referendum, as required by law. But the Supreme Judicial Council was reported by state media Monday to have agreed to supervise the process. The rush to push ahead with the constitution followed Morsi’s controversial November 22 decree exempting his decisions from judicial challenge.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday both decisions, taken despite a lack of consensus across the political system, were of concern to the U.S., the international community and Egyptians themselves. “To redeem the promise of their revolution, Egypt will need a constitution that protects the rights of all, creates strong institutions, and reflects an inclusive process,” she said in a speech in Washington.

The State Department has not issued any critique of the draft. “Primarily it’s the Egyptians that are going to have to speak with regard to whether this meets the aspirations that they have,” department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Friday, while at Monday’s press briefing her colleague, Mark Toner, limited his comments to the importance of the referendum being monitored by impartial observers and for a peaceful and secure voting environment.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Granny says Morsi keeps muckin' `round an' purt soon the military gonna take over again...

Egyptian army takes over security ahead of vote
10 Dec.`12 — The Egyptian military on Monday assumed joint responsibility with the police for security and protecting state institutions until the results of a Dec. 15 constitutional referendum are announced.

The army took up the task in line with a decree issued Sunday by President Mohammed Morsi. The Islamist leader on Monday also suspended a series of tax hikes announced the previous day on alcohol, cigarettes and other items. The presidential edict orders the military and police to jointly maintain security in the run-up to Saturday's vote on the disputed charter, which was hurriedly approved last month by a panel dominated by the president's Islamist allies despite a boycott of the committee's liberal, secular and Christian members.

The decree also grants the military the right to arrest civilians, but presidential spokesman Yasser Ali said it was nowhere near a declaration of martial law. "It is merely a measure to extend legal cover for the armed forces while they are used to maintain security," Ali told The Associated Press. There were no signs of a beefed up military presence outside the presidential palace, the site of fierce street clashes last week, or elsewhere in the capital on Monday.

Still, Morsi's decision to lean on the military to safeguard the vote is widely seen as evidence of just how jittery the government is about the referendum on the draft constitution, which has been at the heart of days of dueling protests by the opposition and Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood backers. The two sides clashed in Cairo last week, leaving at least six people dead and hundreds wounded in the worst violence of the crisis.

Both the opposition and Morsi's supporters have called for mass rallies on Tuesday. The opposition has rejected the referendum, but has yet to call for a boycott or instead a "no" vote at the polls. "A decision on whether we call for a boycott of the referendum or campaign for a 'no' vote remains under discussion," Hossam Moanis, a spokesman for the National Salvation Front grouping opposition parties and groups told the AP on Monday. "For now, we reject the referendum as part of our rejection of the draft constitution."

More Egyptian army takes over security ahead of vote - Yahoo! News

 

[irosie91]

Morsi is a SAINT he is

*********DEFENDING ISLAM************

 

[waltky]

Granny says it must really be bad if even ol' Jimmy don't wanna stick his nose in it...

Carter Center says it won't monitor Egypt's vote
Dec 13,`12 -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's center said Thursday it will not deploy monitors for Egypt's constitutional referendum, amid deepening polarization over the process of adopting a document guiding how the country is to be governed following its 2011 revolution.

The Center was the main international group monitoring earlier Egyptian votes, and its absence increases the likelihood that, if the constitution backed by President Mohammed Morsi and his Islamist allies passes, the rushed process leading to the Saturday referendum will further undermine the document's legitimacy. It also comes as opposition and rights groups warn that the breakneck pace of organizing the vote and changes to the procedure for accrediting elections monitors may lead to fraud in the vote.

Egypt was plunged into political crisis three weeks ago when Morsi issued a decree giving himself near-absolute power. The president rescinded the decree in the face of broad criticism and huge street protests, but not before a panel charged with drawing up the country's constitution pushed through a draft in a marathon Dec. 1 overnight session and the president ordered a referendum two weeks later. Morsi's supporters say the constitution will help end the political instability that has gripped Egypt since the March 2011 overthrow of autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising. His opponents say minority concerns have been ignored and the constitution is full of obscurely worded clauses that could allow Islamists to restrict civil liberties.

Compounding the sense of crisis are huge rival protests that draw tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands. On Dec. 5 pro-Morsi supporters attacked an opposition sit-in outside the presidential palace, leading to street clashes in which at least 10 people were killed - the worst political violence since Morsi was elected president. Both sides have planned new mass rallies on Friday. Amid rising tensions, the Carter Center - which monitored Egypt's past parliamentary and presidential elections - said that it would not be able to conduct "a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of the referendum process." It cited in a statement the government's late release of regulations for election monitoring.

Also Thursday, 20 Egyptian rights groups issued a joint statement warning of possible election fraud, and expressing concern that a state-run human rights council has taken charge of issuing monitoring permits, in the past obtained directly from the elections committee. "The undersigned organizations are deeply concerned about the potential of rigging during or after the referendum," said the statement.

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Egypt opposition backs referendum 'No' vote
12 December 2012 - Voting was already under way at embassies abroad but the domestic process is far from clear

Egypt's opposition National Salvation Front has urged supporters to vote "No" in a looming referendum on a controversial draft constitution. However, it said it could still call a boycott if its demands for the ballot - including the judiciary acting as overseer - were not met. The opposition says the draft document, backed by President Mohammed Morsi and his supporters, is too Islamist. The controversy has prompted mass demonstrations across Egypt. In a separate development, conciliation talks called for Wednesday by the head of the armed forces have been postponed, with no new date announced.

Key conditions

The National Salvation Front on Wednesday spelled out its stance on the referendum, issuing a call to Egyptians to "go to polling stations to refuse the proposed constitution and to vote 'no'". Leading opposition politician and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa told Reuters news agency: "We will vote 'no'."

But another leading opposition figure, Hamdeen Sabbahi, told a news conference the Front would still call for a boycott if key conditions were not met. "If these guarantees aren't in place by the day of the referendum on Saturday, we will withdraw from it," he said.

The conditions included:

 

[waltky]

Da fix is in...

Egypt rights groups say constitution vote marred
16 Dec.`12 -- Egyptian rights groups called Sunday for a repeat of the first round of the constitutional referendum, alleging the vote was marred by widespread violations. Islamists who back the disputed charter claimed they were in the lead with a majority of "yes" votes, though official results have not been announced.

Representatives of seven rights groups charged that there was insufficient supervision by judges in Saturday's vote in 10 of Egypt's 27 provinces and independent monitors were prevented from witnessing vote counts. The representatives told a news conference that they had reports of individuals falsely identifying themselves as judges, of women prevented from voting and that members of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood were allowed inside polling stations. They also complained that some polling centers closed earlier than scheduled and that Christians were denied entry to polling stations.

Mohamed ElBaradei, Egypt's best known reform leader, was as frustrated by how the referendum was run as the rights groups. "Is a referendum held under insufficient judicial supervision, clearly tenuous security and the violence and violations we are witnessing the road to stability or playing with the country's destiny?" the Nobel Peace Laureate and former U.N. nuclear agency chief wrote on his Twitter account.

The vote is the latest stage in a near two-year struggle over Egypt's identity since the ouster of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising. The latest crisis over the Islamist-backed charter evolved into a fight - deadly at times - over whether Egypt should move toward a religious state under Morsi's Brotherhood and their ultraconservative Salafi allies, or one that retains secular traditions and an Islamic character.

Underlining the tension, some 120,000 army troops were deployed to help the police protect polling stations and state institutions after clashes between Morsi's supporters and opponents over the past three weeks left at least 10 people dead and about 1,000 wounded.

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Egyptians narrowly back constitution, says Islamist official
16 Dec.`12 - Egyptians voted narrowly in favor of a constitution shaped by Islamists and opposed by liberals in the first round of a two-stage vote, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's party that sought a "yes" vote said on Sunday, citing its unofficial tally.

One opposition official also said the vote appeared to have gone in favor of Islamists who backed the constitution, after the opposition had said late on Saturday when voting ended that their exit polls indicated the "no" camp would win. Liberal-minded opponents of President Mohamed Mursi, who had fast-tracked the constitution through an Islamist-dominated drafting assembly, said the basic law would divide the nation as it did not respresent the aspirations of all Egyptians. "The referendum was 56.5 percent for the 'yes' vote," a senior official in the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party operations room set up to monitor voting told Reuters.

The Brotherhood and its party, which propelled Mursi to power in June, had representatives at almost all polling stations across the 10 areas, including Cairo, where this round of voting was held. The party official, who asked not to be identified, said the tally was based on counts from more than 99 percent of polling stations in this round.

The second round vote in remaining areas of the country is next Saturday. Official results are not expected until after that stage is complete. "I think we lost," the opposition official, who also asked not to be named, told Reuters, saying a strong "yes" vote in Alexandria, Egypt's second city, had surprised them and seemed to have tipped the balance for Islamists. The opposition had initially said it expected the "no" vote to prevail shortly after polling stations closed. But as counting proceeded, another opposition official monitoring the vote, Yahya Arafat of the Popular Current movement, had told Reuters the vote was "very close" and could go either way.

Source

 

[irosie91]

what else is new? the shariah shit was a shoo-in just as it is in Iran

 

[Hossfly]

Morsi is a SAINT he is

*********DEFENDING ISLAM************

Saint Morsi and the'Hood:

israel today | Israel News | Israeli expert: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood wants to destroy us - israel today | Israel News