Gearing up, they hope and expect, for the revolution after the revolution. More on this story. “Groups quit Egypt rally saying hijacked by Islamists,” by Edmund Blair and Marwa Awad for Reuters, July 29:
(Reuters) – More than 30 political parties and movements withdrew from a rally on Friday that was organized to send a united message to the ruling army about reform, saying the event was hijacked by Islamist groups.
“Islamic law above the constitution,” read banners in Cairo’s Tahrir Square that was packed with tens of thousands of people. Protesters who fear Islamists will seek to dominate plans to rewrite the constitution demanded they be taken down.
“Islamic, Islamic, we don’t want secular,” they chanted in the square filled with many followers of the strict Salafist interpretation of Islam.
“There are so many (Islamic) beards. We certainly feel imposed upon,” said student Samy Ali, 23. He said Salafists had tried to separate women and men camping there.
Islamists and more liberal groups have diverged on how hard to press the ruling generals for change. They have also been divided over the fate of the constitution, which is to be re-written after parliament is elected later this year.
The Muslim Brotherhood has a head start on organizing over other groups by a long shot, and thus benefits the most from a vote happening as soon as possible. The group was angered in June when the interim prime minister said he preferred to delay elections.
Liberal groups fear the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s best organized group, and other Islamists will dominate the vote.
The various Islamic movements will work together toward an Islamic regime, before they descend into perpetual infighting over how much Sharia is “enough,” and consequently, who has the moral authority to govern, even just within the Muslim Brotherhood.
A joint statement by more than 30 groups said Islamists and other groups had agreed on demands to make on Friday “to thwart attempts by the military council to divide the revolutionaries and distort their image.” But the groups said “some Islamic currents” violated this agreement.
Abdelrahman al Barr, a senior Brotherhood member, said of the decision by other groups to quit Friday’s rally: “Salafist slogans shouldn’t be a cause for other political forces to withdraw. Everyone is free to say what they feel like.”
But the Brotherhood is home to a broad range of views and some agreed Salafist actions were divisive. “There are certainly some Brotherhood members who are upset over the way Salafist groups have taken over the square,” Brotherhood youth member Amr Salah said in Tahrir.
Friday’s protests in Cairo and other cities had been called to deliver a unified message to the ruling army council, which took over when Hosni Mubarak was ousted on February 11. Many protesters now say it is not delivering on promises to change….