Since taking office, Morsi has demanded that the SCAF reinstate Egypt’s Islamist-dominated parliament, which was dissolved by the Supreme Constitutional Court (Read more about the dissolving of parliament, here). On Monday, the Court reintegrated that their legislature from June 14th was “final and binding,” although they would begin reviewing the president’s demand.
It makes one wonder if there were more leftist seats, would Morsi make the same demands or let it be as is?
Regardless, Morsi’s move has caught the SCAF off-guard since they quickly called an emergency meeting, not long after his demand was made public. The SCAF then went on state television warning Morsi to back off and adhere to the Egyptian constitution. This all demonstrates that it was not a part of what was negotiated behind closed doors for their power sharing deal.
The SCAF is going to have to get used to Morsi making unexpected demands. The Muslim Brotherhood has been fighting for the Egyptian political spotlight for decades and they are going to make sure they get what they want. That means even by playing with fire and getting burned; they will stop at nothing to make gains. Luckily, Morsi has the streets on his side. Given the numbers in Tahrir and other places when his victory was announced, I would not be surprised if the Muslim Brotherhood organized massive protests to support their Islamist president.
The United States, who gives billions of dollars of aid annually to Egypt (Second after Israel), has demonstrated its willingness to work with the Islamist President. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to visit Egypt next week to meet with the Morsi. Similarly, President Obama has invited him to the White House in September. It seems the Obama Administration has learned from the mistakes of the previous administration that ignored Hamas’ victory in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. They seem willing to work with Morsi, despite his controversial affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. Caught between the Islamists and SCAF, the United States sees Morsi as a game changer, and look to his American education as a leeway.
By Holly Dagres, Aslan Media Columnist
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