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Palace coup in Egypt

Political analysts, Arabs and non-Arabs, have their eyes fixed on Morsi and his party for they might actually end up ushering in a new genre of political thought in the region.

Md. Arif Iqbal Khan
EGYTPTIAN President Mohamed Morsi recently sacked the head of the powerful army and several other key members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. This is perhaps the third most influential event trailing only behind the Tahrir Square revolution and the subsequent rise of Muslim Brotherhood in general elections.
Morsi's action was widely speculated since his Justice and Freedom Party, backed by Muslim Brotherhood, swept to power after decades of political silencing under the former strongman Mubarak. Morsi's rise to power came because of the people's desire to see him put his foot down and actually hold the levers of power in Egypt. His moment came when he effectively threw the generals out in a palace coup.
Morsi scrapped the constitutional document that handed sweeping powers and autonomy to Egypt’s military and ordered the retirement of Hussein Tantawi, defense minister and commander of the armed forces, and Chief of Staff Sami Anan, awarding both men state medals and appointing them presidential advisers. He also made the highly anticipated selection of vice president, naming Senior Judge Mahmoud Mekki as his deputy. Morsi is also expected to
bring a woman and a minority leader into his close circle very soon. He, or equally importantly Muslim Brotherhood, is on a mission. They want to prove to the world, especially the western powers, that they (the west) were wrong all along. The western perception about political Islam as played out by Muslim Brotherhood does not fit into the erroneous picture painted by Mubarak.
The thought of political Islam at the helm of arguably the most important Arab country, politically and intellectually, was played up by Mubarak as the worst nightmare for western powers backing Israel. Mubarak made them believe that his secular semi-socialist pro-western dictatorship was absolutely necessary for protecting Israel and western interests in the region. Or else, the radical fundamentalists would let loose their ragtag army of jihadists on the Israelis. Muslim Brotherhood's mission for now would be to trash Mubarak's defunct theory of "its-me-or-those-crazy-radicals" into the dustbin for good.
What exactly is the stand of Morsi's Freedom and Justice Party? On launching the new party, the Muslim Brotherhood confirmed that it did not object to women or Copts serving in a ministerial post (cabinet), though it deems both "unsuitable" for the presidency. The group supports free-market capitalism, but without "manipulation or monopoly." The party's political programme would include tourism as a main source of national income. The Freedom and Justice Party will be based on Islamic law, "but will be acceptable to a wide segment of the population," said leading MB member Essam al-Arian. The party's membership will be open to all Egyptians who accept the terms of its programme. The spokes-
person for the party said that "when we talk about the slogans of the revolution -- freedom, social justice, equality -- all of these arc in the Sharia (Islamic law)." Source: Wikipedia.
The word on the street earlier was that Morsi would turn into a pinup politician with ceremonial powers. The coup turned the tables and made a hero of Morsi in a crisis situation. "This is a palace coup and a very risky one," said a North Africa expert. "Firing most of the SCAF is a bold move that could backfire at Morsi. He has been losing credibility with the Egyptian public since his election. The Sinai attack was seen by many in Egypt as a sign of Morsi's weakness, not of the military and intelligence people. Now he is trying to turn the tables on them."
Since the popular uprising began in Egypt last year, much of the country has experienced a lapse in law and order, with incidents ranging from assaults on women and sectarian clashes to extremist activities in some outer-lying regions. Tensions in Sinai, long neglected by the Mubarak regime, have escalated significantly in recent days after suspected militants stormed border posts, killing 16 Egyptian solders and prompting a major military offensive. At least seven militants were killed in clashes with security forces in the Sinai recently. An analyst reported: "Sinai was critical. If it didn't happen, Morsi wouldn’t have made these changes so soon."
If elections brought Morsi to the presidency then the palace coup brought him to the real seat of power. His next move to build an inclusive governing cabinet will go miles to provide credibility to his party's promise of social justice to lead Egypt into modernity, by an Islamist party. Political analysts, Arabs and non-Arabs, have their eyes fixed on Morsi and his party for they might actually end up ushering in a new genre of political thought in the region.
The writer is sponsor, FinExel.