"Arab Spring" democracy on the march: Morsi grants himself sweeping new powers

Including "immunity for the Islamist-dominated panel drafting a new constitution from any possible court decisions to dissolve it," thereby removing a significant obstacle to Egypt's becoming a Sharia state. "Egypt's Morsi grants himself far-reaching powers," from the Associated Press, November 22:

CAIRO — Egypt's president on Thursday issued constitutional amendments that placed him above judicial oversight and ordered the retrial of Hosni Mubarak for the killing of protesters in last year's uprising.
Mohammed Morsi also decreed immunity for the Islamist-dominated panel drafting a new constitution from any possible court decisions to dissolve it, a threat that had been hanging over the controversial assembly.

Liberal and Christian members withdrew from the assembly during the past week to protest what they say is the hijacking of the process by Morsi's allies, who they saw are trying to push through a document that will have an Islamist slant marginalizing women and minority Christians and infringing on personal liberties. Several courts have been looking into cases demanding the dissolution of the panel.

The Egyptian leader also decreed that all decisions he has made since taking office in June and until a new constitution is adopted and a new parliament is elected — which is not expected before next spring — are not subject to appeal in court or by any other authority. He also barred any court from dissolving the Islamist-led upper house of parliament, a largely toothless body that has also faced court cases.

The moves effectively remove any oversight on Morsi, the longtime Muslim Brotherhood figure who became Egypt's first freely elected president last summer after the Feb. 11, 2011 fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. They come as Morsi is riding high on lavish praise from President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for mediating an end to eight days of fighting between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

Morsi not only holds executive power, he also has legislative authority after a previous court ruling just before he took office on June 30 dissolved the powerful lower house of parliament, which was led by the Brotherhood. With two branches of power in his hands, Morsi has had repeated frictions with the third, the judiciary, over recent months.

"Morsi today usurped all state powers & appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh," pro-reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account. "A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences."...

Yet during the "Arab Spring" ElBaradei freely entered into talks with the Brotherhood. Surely he must have seen where it was all going to lead. Or apparently is he just as willfully blind as the learned analysts of the West.

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13 Comments

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Stephanie | November 23, 2012 3:33 AM | Reply

The same game as "Adolf Nazi" plaid

Hitler was also democracy elected, and then he made a dicatorhip of Germany (NSDAP)

"The Islam is very similar to our worldview"
(Heinrich Himmler)

"The Last Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and KILL THEM" Saheeh (i.e. "sound", "reliable", Most Authentic) Muslim Book 41, Number 6981 - 6985

http://www.schnellmann.org/heinrich-himmler.html

Dsinc | November 23, 2012 3:45 AM | Reply

With savages being given a vote, democracy and human rights as the civilized world understands it, hasn't got a hope in hell of surviving.

Papa Whiskey | November 23, 2012 3:48 AM | Reply

In the immortal words of Pete Townshend:

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

SaleemSmith | November 23, 2012 5:04 AM | Reply

"Morsi grants himself sweeping new powers..."

That is Mohammed Morsi, the president of Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood member, and warm friend of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama.

The Brotherhood's credo: "Allah is our objective; the Quran is our law, the Prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way; and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations."

Its most famous slogan, used worldwide, is "Islam is the solution."

The Brotherhood's stated goal is to instill the Qur'an and Sunnah as the "sole reference point for ...ordering the life of the Muslim family, individual, community ... and state".

Unfortunately the writing on the wall spells that the horrors of Islamic Sharia law are likely in the cards for Egypt.

Kepha | November 23, 2012 5:10 AM | Reply

Well, if there's another Egypt-Israel War, and Israel takes the Sinai again, let them keep it.
I only hope the Egyptian people will then start asking their mullahs some embarrassing questions.

Thomas Pellow | November 23, 2012 8:38 AM | Reply

"Muslim Brotherhood offices torched, Morsi on defensive"

http://www.france24.com/en/20121123-morsi-protesters-torch-muslim-brotherhood-offices-egypt

Thomas Pellow | November 23, 2012 8:46 AM | Reply

"Muslim Brotherhood offices torched, Morsi on defensive"

http://www.france24.com/en/20121123-morsi-protesters-torch-muslim-brotherhood-offices-egypt

https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawn83mDBpmIe7iCBoUTgmARPwwT18ZFn2Yo | November 23, 2012 9:16 AM | Reply

What is eerie about the events in Egypt is that they follow a well-established pattern of past revolutions. I highly recommend a book written originally in 1938 characterizing the British, the American, the French, and the Russian Revolutions: “The Anatomy of Revolution” by Crane Brinton.

Here is just a short excerpt: “The extremists win out because they secure control of the illegal government and turn it in a decisive coup d’etat against the legal government. . .They obtain this monopoly by ousting, usually in a series of conflicts, any and all active and effective opponents from these organizations. . . Indeed, many of these useful characteristics (of discipline, organization, and concentrated power) were first molded even further back in the days of the old regime, when the extremists were a very small concentrated groups subject to the full tyranny of the (established) government. . . . [Once in power, the extremists] made no attempt to conceal their contempt for the damned masses. . . .As revolutions go on, a very large number of people just drop out of active politics. . . . Now it may be that most of these people again are at heart in sympathy with the active radicals; but on the whole it looks as if most of them were cowed conservatives or moderates, men and women not anxious for martyrdom, but quite incapable of the mental and moral as well as physical strain of being a devoted extremist in the crisis of a revolution. . . Finally, the extremists follow their leaders with a devotion and unanimity not to be found among the moderates. Theories of democratic equality, which crop up at the start of all our revolutions, prove no obstacle to the development among the extremists of something very like the “Fuhrer” principle we associate with Fascist movements. Here it is the moderates who live up to their theories and in the early stages of the revolutions it is not uncommon to find complaints that So-and-so is arrogating to himself powers, a personal leadership, no good man would want to possess.“

Isn’t that exactly what is happening in Egypt today?

PJG | November 23, 2012 2:13 PM | Reply

Call me a conspiracy theorist or a nutcase, but I wonder if the US will be "fundamentally" changed (as Obama promised) to the extent that he will be granted, or grant himself, a third term? It seems to me to be a one-man revolution he is running; he just doesn't call it that.

Option61c replied to comment from PJG | November 24, 2012 4:31 AM | Reply

Coming right up...

You are a conspiracy theorist and a nutcase.
(I'm nothing if not service oriented)

But seriously, if the King George II, our first imperial president didn't find a way to do it then the Amir of Chicago certainly won't. Besides, the 22nd ammendment ensures that he can't.

Charlie Griffith replied to comment from Option61c | November 24, 2012 8:20 AM | Reply

Love your, "the Amir of Chicago ..."

Stuart Parsons | November 24, 2012 3:57 PM | Reply

Oh my this ia all very worrying. Wouldn't it be best if we all did what this dear sweet Mr Morsi wants. Remember Allah supports Mr Morsi and of course we all know that Allah knows best.

Battle_of_Tours | November 25, 2012 1:13 AM | Reply

This is too easy! First dissolve the Judiciary, then shoe in Sharia jurisprudence. Voila! Fait accomplit. Now isn't that Allah easy? Neo-Iran a birthing?
We at JW always knew this was the MB program. Just a matter of time.. Watch and wait. Watch ya goin to do? Fair vote! That's what they asked for.

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