After he alienated so many Egyptians, however, this could be just wishful thinking. “Morsi talks of Jihad in Egypt,” from NEOnline, November 13:
Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi warned November 13 that his country can not return to stability unless the coup that removed him from power is reversed. In a message to his supporters that his lawyers read out, Morse made mention of Jihad (holy war) and accused the military chief who deposed him of treason.
“I salute the Egyptian people who rose up against this coup, which will fall by the power of the Egyptian people in their Jihad for the sake of their rights and freedoms,” Morsi said in his statement.
Correspondents say the move is was part of a bid by Morsi to rally his supporters since his emergence from the secret military detention where he had been held, with virtually no contact with the outside world, since his July 3 ouster.
Morsi was moved to a high security civilian penitentiary last week after the first session of his trial on charges of inciting murder. There, he had his first extensive meeting with a team of lawyers from his Muslim Brotherhood and other allies on Tuesday, dictating the “message to the Egyptian people” to them.
Egypt has changed dramatically since Morsi was deposed and imprisoned. The authorities unleashed a fierce crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood, its top leaders have been arrested and hundreds of members have been killed. The group has been banned by a court order and a government-appointed committee is reviewing its financial assets with an eye to seize them. The new military-backed government is pushing ahead with a transition plan aiming for new presidential and parliamentary elections early next year.
As a result, protests in support of Morsi have dwindled.
Morsi’s political opponents swiftly dismissed his statement.
“Morsi still lives in the illusion that he is the legitimate president, but Morsi politically has finished,” said Whaid Abdel Maguid of the main opposition bloc National Salvation Front.
Political groups in opposition released their own statement which said that “the letter is valueless,” and added that the former president “has lost his constitutional and legal legitimacy.”…