Egypt Clerics Warn Of 'Civil War' As Rivals Clash

[Purveyor]

Source: REUTERS

By Tom Perry and Yasmine Saleh
CAIRO | Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:27am EDT

(Reuters) - Egypt's leading religious authority warned of "civil war" on Friday and called for calm as political factions clashed ahead of major rallies the opposition hopes can force the Islamist president to quit.

A member of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood was shot dead overnight. Dozens of people were wounded in Alexandria, many by shotgun pellets, when opposition marchers clashed with Islamists on Friday, two days before President Mohamed Mursi's critics hopes millions take to the streets to demand new elections.

"Vigilance is required to ensure we do not slide into civil war," clerics of the Al-Azhar institute said. In a statement broadly supportive of Mursi, it blamed "criminal gangs" who besieged mosques for street violence which the Brotherhood said has killed five of its supporters in a week.

The movement's political wing warned of "dire consequences that will pull the country into a violent spiral of anarchy". It held liberal leaders, including former top U.N. diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei, personally responsible for inciting violence by hired "thugs" once employed by the ousted dictator, Hosni Mubarak.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/28/us-egypt-protests-idUSBRE95Q0NO20130628

[geek tragedy]

1. From "Arab Spring to "winter is coming" nt

[happyslug]

2. Who is trying to provoke the Muslim Brotherhood to revolt?

I suspect the Generals, as apparently does this Cleric (It is almost always the side that can do the most physical harm that resorts to violence, generally the Police of Military, for they know they can win that type of fight, elections and peaceful protests are another matter). Thus the Cleric's call for calm and NOT to retaliate.

[Igel]

3. Sadly, that's the problem with democracy.

From time to time the wrong majority wins and the minority, who's all over "elections matter" when they win, have to say, "elections, schmelections. We may be a minority, but we're the people, not those other primates over there."

Usually the minority, though, can't accept their minority status. Take the Sunnis in Iraq--a clear minority, but the response was that all the surveys and polls were lies, manipulated, and the Sunnis in Iraq really *were* the majority. With elections, you're left with claiming that any election you lose is fraudulent; any you win is either valid or manipulated in that your win should have been by a far wider margin.

M'eh.

Even retrograde democratic election results are democratic. Just "diversely democratic."

[demosincebirth]

4. It's the secularist and the moderates that see their country spiriling into fanatical fundamentalism

Many Egyptians have seen much of Western society during Mubarak's rule and refuse to accept where Morsi and his Brotherhood is taking them. Women, especially.

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. They are a minority, if the election results are any indicator.

The Muslim Brotherhood earned its chance at governing through decades of hard and patient work. Maybe they'll get thrown out in the next elections; they seem to be better at being the opposition than governing.

[demosincebirth]

6. "they seem to be better at being the opposition than governing." We have a similar Party here

in the good ol' U.S. of A. called the GOP.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. An American, possibly a journalist, killed in Alexandria

At the updated link in the OP:

The Muslim Brotherhood said eight of its offices had been attacked on Friday, including the one in Alexandria. Officials said more than 70 people had been injured in the clashes in the city. One was shot dead and a young American man who was using a small camera died after being stabbed in the chest.

BBC:

At least two people, one said by state TV to be a US journalist, were killed in the city of Alexandria as protesters stormed a Muslim Brotherhood office.

There are conflicting reports about how the young American, who was reported to be taking photos of clashes, died on Friday.

Egyptian officials say he was stabbed in the chest, but other reports say he was hit by gun pellets.

The US state department said it was investigating the reports of his death.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23092817

The US embassy is evacuated non-essential staff, and families, and saying again only essential trips to Egypt should be done.

[Turbineguy]

8. Are these Clerics actually going to take part?

Or are they just looking to get others killed.

[Baclava]

9. Marines on Ready to Go to Egypt to Protect U.S. Embassy, Citizens

U.S. Marines stationed in southern Europe have been put on alert as a precaution in advance of expected large demonstrations and potential unrest in Egypt this weekend, CNN has learned.

About 200 combat capable Marines in Sigonella, Italy, and Moron, Spain, have been told to be ready to be airborne within 60 minutes of getting orders to deploy, according to two administration officials.

The units have several V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft that would carry troops and infantry weapons to Egypt to protect the U.S. Embassy and American government personnel and citizens if violence broke out against Americans.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/28/out-of-precaution-marines-on-ready-to-go-to-egypt-to-protect-u-s-embassy-citizens/