[This is a collection of news updates on Egypt compiled from multiple sources by the editors.]
On Al Jazeera, Brotherhood Leaders Call Supporters to Take to Streets
In the third appearance of a Muslim Brotherhood leader on the Qatari Al Jazeera channel after the dispersal of the Brotherhood sit-ins on 14 August, Essam al-Erian, vice president of the group`s political arm, has called on supporters to take to the streets on Friday.
In the recorded TV message on Thursday, the leader of the Freedom and Justice Party asked supporters to protest against the military coup that ousted Brotherhood affiliated President Mohamed Morsi, the forcible dispersal of the sit-ins demanding Morsi`s reinstatement, and the imprisonment of other members of the group.
Erian said protests should not be aligned with the Brotherhood in particular, but should be initiated by anyone who rejects the military coup.
He added that the Egyptian military`s "war on terrorism" is imaginary, while its actions circumvent the road to democracy and are eroding everything that people fought for in the wake of the January 25 revolution.
Mohamed al-Beltagy, another party leader, made his second appearance on Al Jazeera on Wednesday evening. With a heavy use of religious references, he called on followers not to despair.
Beltagy also made a reference to his daughter Asmaa, who was killed during the dispersal by military and police forces of the Rabea al-Adaweya sit-in, saying that millions in the world are raising pictures of her and mourning her.
He thanked activists Alaa Abd El-Fattah, Tamim al-Barghouthy, and Mohamed Adel, as well as journalist Nadia Abou El Magd for saying the truth about the death of his daughter.
In response, Abd El Fattah wrote on Twitter that the disagreement with the Brotherhood is not political, but involves blood now. However, he continued, it needs to be solved politically because it is a disagreement with people and not just the group`s leadership. He added that just because he stood against the forcible dispersal of the sit-ins and excessive use of violence against the Brotherhood, he has not forgotten of the flaws of the Brotherhood while it was in power.
Erian and Beltagy made their appearances on television despite attempts by police to arrest them, as they are both accused of inciting violence alongside a number of other Brotherhood leaders.
[This article originally appeared on Mada Masr.]
Interior Ministry: Live Ammunition May Be Used to Contain Friday Protests
The Ministry of Interior has declared that the police will be fully prepared to contain any acts of violence against public, religious, or police facilities during Friday`s protests, and may use live ammunition. In a statement released Thursday, it said the use of live ammunition is its legal right.
Al-Shorouk reported earlier on Thursday that the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Coalition for Legitimacy are racing against time to mobilize their followers around Egypt for the protests.
The National Coalition for Legitimacy, a group that supports the ousted Brotherhood-affiliated President Mohamed Morsi, told the privately-owned paper that Egyptians will continue protesting against the coup, and that protests on 30 August will be held under the slogan “The people recover the revolution.”
According to the statement, protests will take various forms, including sit-ins, human chains, vigils, and car and motorcycles rallies.
The Jama’a al-Islamiya and its political arm, the Construction and Development Party, declared Thursday that they are planning the biggest protest in the history of the upper Egyptian governorate of Sohag. Brotherhood protesters toured the city of Tahta in Sohag on Wednesday chanting “Peaceful, peaceful” and demanding Morsi’s reinstatement, which prompted Coptic shop owners to close their shops early for fear of attacks.
Sohag and other governorates have witnessed sectarian violence since Morsi’s ouster on 3 July, including the burning of churches, which have not ben adequately guarded by security forces.
Sohag’s director of security Ibrahim Saber declared that public facilities will be fully secured and any violation dealt with firmly, Al-Shorouk reported.
In Qalyubiya, the Armed Forces increased their presence at all the entrance and exit points of the city, especially in Khanka, Shubra al-Kheima, and Qalyoub, in addition to the Cairo-Alexandria Agricultural Road and Banha Stadium. Central Security Forces increased their presence around Abou Zaabal Prison and Qanater Kheireya to prevent potential attacks on the prisons.
Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim told Central Security Forces this morning that they need to stand against the Brotherhood protests with strength and decisiveness, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.
In Suez, the National Salvation Front called on citizens and 30 June protesters not to protest on Friday so as to avoid clashes or bloodshed, Ahram Gate stated.
The Ministry of Interior`s statement called on citizens to stay alert against potential dangers in order to reach the goals of their glorious revolution.
Researcher and former member of the Muslim Brotherhood Sameh Eid told Al-Shorouk that protests in Upper Egypt will involve some violence by Morsi supporters, while the Delta will witness small protests.
Eid said that recent arrests of Brotherhood leaders has created major confusion within the group`s ranks, suggesting that some members have traveled to Gaza to receive special training for future operations in Egypt in coordination with the Jama`a al-Islamiya.
[This article originally appeared on Mada Masr.]
Gama`a al-Islamiya Member Details Reconciliation Initiative
Jama’a al-Islamiya leader Aboud al-Zomor stated on Thursday that the group is working on a reconciliation initiative to put an end to the political crisis and stop acts of violence and bloodshed, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.
According to the Islamist figure, all sit-ins and protests in support of ousted President Mohamed Morsi need to be peaceful and attacks on public facilities need to end, while the media campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood must also cease, the privately owned publication reported.
Zomor’s call comes in the wake of widespread violence since the ouster of Brotherhood-affiliated Morsi on 3 July, the forcible dispersal of sit-ins set up by his supporters on 14 August, and the imprisonment of various Brotherhood figures.
The initiative will consist of a media pact of honor to halt what he called a smear campaign against the Brotherhood. Zomor also said that the state of emergency must be stopped and all prisoners and detainees released, in addition to finding a practical solution for the coming parliamentary and presidential elections. He said once these steps are executed, peaceful negotiations may commence.
He added that discussions with the Brotherhood and several other parties in the National Coalition for Legitimacy about the initiative have already started, and that the Armed Forces and police have already declared willingness to meet with any party for the sake of the country’s wellbeing. “The door for negotiations is not closed,” he said.
Zomor was jailed for involvement in assassinating former President Anwar Sadat thirty years ago, but has since renounced violence. He was released from prison following the January 25 uprising.
Meanwhile Abdel Rahman al-Barr, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood guidance bureau, directed a message at what he called “coup supporters,” saying that they have forgotten God’s words on killing innocent souls. Barr attacked former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa and his recent statements about the current events, saying that coup supporters use public figures to justify their actions.
Gomaa issued a statement last week saying that those who carry out violent attacks against the military should be killed. Gomaa called them outsiders to Islam.
Barr concluded that those who oppose their ruler and use their power to instigate a coup are outsiders to Islam, insinuating that Minister of Defense Abdel Fattah al-Sisi deserves the title.
[This article originally appeared on Mada Masr.]
Beltagy, Other Brotherhood Leaders Arrested
Several media sources confirmed the arrest of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed al-Beltagy in Giza on Thursday. Beltagy was reportedly arrested alongside Khaled al-Azhari, former minister of manpower, and Gamal al-Ashry, a Brotherhood leader.
General Ahmad Helmy, deputy minister of interior, confirmed the news of the three arrests to the privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper.
The state-run Egynews portal reported that Beltagy was arrested in an apartment in Giza, citing security sources. Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that Beltagy`s arrest took up to three hours but that he did not show any resistance. Beltagy`s arrest adds him to a list of senior leaders that have been rounded by the police in the aftermath of the dispersal on 14 August of two Brotherhood sit-ins demanding the reinstatement of President Mohamed Morsi and the reversal of the military coup staged against him. On Wednesday, Beltagy made a televised appearance on the sympathetic Al-Jazeera network, thanking activists who had expressed solidarity with the Brotherhood and mourning his daughter killed during the forced dispersal of the Rabea al-Adaweya sit-in. Beltagy is facing charges of inciting violence.
A parliamentarian in 2005 and 2010, after elections administered by the regime of Hosni Mubarak, where fraud always circumvented extensive Brotherhood gains, Beltagy has been at the forefront of the group`s political wing. In the early days of the 2011 revolution, he was one of the main Brotherhood figures to act as interlocutor with activists and revolutionary groups, but more recently many have criticized him for compromising the revolution in order to stay faithful to the Brotherhood.
Ashraf al-Saad, a London-based businessman, stated that the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel revealed the whereabouts of Beltagy, according to Ahram Gate. In a tweet, Saad added that he had known about Beltagy`s arrest since yesterday, and said that if the Brotherhood knew about Al Jazeera`s schemes they would stop making appearances on the channel.
Saad fled Egypt in the mid 1980s after being accused of money laundering.
Security forces also arrested the Freedom and Justice Party`s secretary for Marsa Matrouh, Fouad Zaghloul, Egynews said. The party official was reportedly found in a rented apartment in the outskirts of the coastal city.
[This article originally appeared on Mada Masr.]