Egyptian Protesters Return to Tahrir Square to Fight Military Rule
The Muslim Brotherhood sought to increase pressure on Egypt’s military rulers Tuesday by rallying protesters in Tahrir Square to rekindle a revolution that has lost much of its focus and edge since massive protests brought down longtime leader Hosni Mubarak more than a year ago.
The Brotherhood’s return to the street — its most potent weapon — comes as the Islamist organization files legal action seeking to prevent the dissolution of parliament and the weakening of presidential powers. The country’s new president is projected to be Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi, who Egyptian media reported defeated Ahmed Shafi, an ally of Mubarak, by an estimated 1-million votes in a runoff election over the weekend. But in recent days, a national court dissolved the nation’s newly elected Islamist-dominated parliament and the military announced limitations on the powers of the presidency.
Official presidential runoff results are expected Wednesday. The government’s legal barrage against the Brotherhood took another turn this week when an administrative court postponed a case seeking to disband the 84-year-old organization over allegations that it broke the law against religiously based political parties.
The Brotherhood has joined activists groups, such as the April 6th movement, to draw on public resentment over the military’s actions and infuse fresh momentum into a revolution that has stumbled over egos, competing political visions and crackdowns by security forces.
“The Egyptian people will not stop making sacrifices, and will continue the revolution in order to ensure their sovereignty and prevent the domination of the SCAF (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces) and their coup against democracy,” said a statement issued by the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party.