Search This Blog

Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts

Friday, 19 July 2013

Egypt’s army fires tear gas at pro-Morsi protesters near presidential palace





The Egyptian army fired tear gas and clashed with supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in Cairo as thousands of pro-Morsi demonstrators marched towards the presidential palace.


Military forces fired tear gas in Cairo Friday evening, as a group of pro-Morsi protesters aimed to break through the army line. According to state news agency MENA, the soldiers attempted to hold back the crowds from a nearby street, where rival anti-Morsi demonstrators are rallying.

Earlier, scuffles were reported near Al-Azhar University in Cairo after unknown men threw rocks at pro-Morsi demonstrators marching from Al-Azhar mosque, according to Al Jazeera.  

Tens of thousands of Morsi supporters have been stopped en route from Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque to Abbassiya, where Egypt’s Ministry of Defence is located, Ahram Online reports.

The Egyptian media reported that the demonstrators were marching to the Republican Guard House in Cairo.

Some of the pro-Morsi protesters have stormed Abbasiya Hospital for Mental illnesses, climbing through fences and setting up camp in the hospital’s garden.

Traffic was grounded on nearby Salah Salem Road, as some 5,000 demonstrators gathered around the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian army has reportedly blocked streets leading to the Republican Guard House. The military blockaded the roads in order to prevent Morsi supporters from reaching the building, according to Al Arabiya.

There were also scuffles with security forces near Al-Azhar mosque, after Morsi’s supporters began shouting chants against Abdul Fatah al-Sisi, Commander-in-chief of the Egyptian armed forces.

“Tonight, tonight, tonight, Sisi is going down tonight,” some of the protesters shouted.


Police fired shots in the air to disperse Muslim Brotherhood supporters after they attacked opponents with rocks and fists. No casualties were reported.

Morsi’s supporters also began a round-the-clock vigil outside a mosque in the Cairo suburb of Sadr City, with thousands flocking there after noon prayers on Friday.

At least 400 protesters marched through the Sinai Peninsula’s main city of el-Arish on Friday. Pro-Morsi supporters also took to the streets of Alexandria and other Nile delta cities.

The Muslim Brotherhood – from which Morsi hails – has called for demonstrations across Egypt, accusing Sisi of deliberately staging a coup to remove Egypt’s first freely elected president from power.

Morsi’s supporters said they came from across the country to join Friday’s rallies, underlining the deep level of support for the Muslim Brotherhood in provincial areas of Egypt.

“We are coming out today to restore legitimacy. We consider what happened secular thuggery. It would never happen in any democratic country,” protester Tarek Yessin, from the southern city of Sohag, told Reuters.

Anti-Morsi protests are also planned for Friday, with Tamarod planning a demonstration close to the Brotherhood’s Nasr City vigil. Tamarod is the youth movement responsible for organizing huge anti-Morsi protests which started on June 30.

They have called their protest “the people against terrorism” and have blamed Morsi’s supporters for the deaths of at least 99 people who have died in violence since Morsi’s removal. More than half of them were killed when troops fired on Islamist protesters outside Cairo barracks on July 8.

On Friday, ten armored personnel carriers were parked on the Nile Bridge - a route Islamist protestors must cross in order to reach the anti-Morsi camp on Tahrir Square.  

Earlier in the day, two formations of fighter jets and nine military helicopters circled over Cairo.

The army has fiercely defended its actions to remove Morsi and the Brotherhood from power, saying its decision reflected the popular will of Egyptians, and that Morsi had become incompetent and partisan.

The military has installed an interim cabinet, led by acting president Adly Mansour, which does not include any Brotherhood members or people from other Islamist parties.


Acting president speaks of ‘protecting lives and human rights’
President Mansour gave his first address to Egypt on Friday, saying the country is going through a “decisive period.” He also accused some elements of society of trying to drag the country toward chaos.

“They want this period to be an introduction to violence and blood, and we want it to establish for the concept of protecting lives and human rights,” Mansour said in the eight minute pre-recorded broadcast.

He didn’t name those people he said were “pushing the nation towards an abyss,” although the statement was presumed to be directed at Morsi supporters.

Mansour did, however, appear to offer an olive branch to the Muslim Brotherhood, saying that justice and reconciliation will be for all “without exclusion or exception.”

Morsi and many members of his former government have been in detention since the army removed him from office on July 3. There have been no clear indications regarding how many people are being held, or where they are located. Hundreds of Brotherhood followers have been rounded up, and arrest warrants issued for most of its leaders.

Meanwhile, the UN is pushing for the interim government to explain why the army detained the ousted president and his aides, and whether it plans to put them on trial. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, recently asked Egypt’s ambassador to clarify the legal basis for their detention. Rupert Colville, a spokesman for Pillay, said that the Egyptians have so far given no reply.

Pillay also said that the UN hopes to send a team to Egypt to further investigate a July 8 shooting which left more than 50 people dead.



RT


 

Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Supporters of Egyptian president say military coup is underway





An adviser to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi said Wednesday that a military coup was underway, that tanks were on the move outside Cairo and that communication with the president had been cut off.


As a military deadline came and went for Morsi to step aside, the army took control of state television, and boisterous crowds opposed to the president cheered, danced and set off fireworks in Tahrir Square. Pro-Morsi forces rallied elsewhere in the Egyptian capital.
The president’s whereabouts were not clear. The Morsi adviser, Jihad Haddad, told NBC News that he could not confirm or deny whether Morsi had moved from Republican Guard headquarters. It was not clear whether the military had ordered the Republican Guard to keep him there.

Representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood, which supports Morsi, said that some of its leaders had been rounded up and arrested.
Earlier in the day, both the president and the military had sworn a fight to the death. The military leader, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, said it would be an honor to die rather than subject the Egyptian people to threats or terror.
In something of a call to arms, the military posted on Facebook: “We swear to God to sacrifice with our blood for Egypt and its people against any terrorist, extremist or ignoramus. Long live Egypt and its proud people.”

The government said at least 16 people had been killed and about 200 injured in clashes with security forces at Cairo University.
Egypt elected Morsi one year ago after throwing out Hosni Mubarak, the autocrat who led the country for three decades. But Egyptians have been frustrated by a weak economy, poor services and what they see as a power grab by the Morsi government.

The military was believed to have given Morsi until 5 p.m. local time, or 11 a.m. ET, to meet the demands of the protesters. The precise time was not clear. The ultimatum, issued Monday, has been denounced by supporters of Morsi as a military coup.
Hours ahead of the deadline, civilian political leaders were summoned to meet with the top generals. Those civilian leaders included Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the U.N. nuclear weapons agency and a critic of Morsi.
The Associated Press reported that a leading Muslim cleric and the head of Egypt’s Coptic Christians were also at the meeting.

Sources told NBC News that the army had control of state television. Non-essential staff were told to go home early, and Reuters reported that the building was being guarded by armored vehicles. The Associated Press reported that military officers were monitoring broadcasts.
There were other signs that support for Morsi was slipping, even among sympathizers. A senior member of a hardline Islamist party allied with the president told Reuters that the party was trying to broker a peaceful transfer of power to avoid bloodshed.

“We find ourselves faced with the necessity of convincing the president to accept a referendum on early presidential elections,” Tarek al-Zumar of Gamaa Islamiya said in a telephone interview. “This is what we hope will be reached in the next few hours.”

The Obama administration and the United Nations have encouraged Morsi to listen to his people. President Barack Obama called Morsi on Monday and said the United States is committed to democracy and does not support any single person or group.
Pentagon officials said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had called his Egyptian counterpart. Spokesman George Little called the situation in Egypt a crisis and added the hope that “this period of tension can be resolved in a peaceful manner and violence can be avoided.”
Tamarod, a protest movement, called for supporters to rally at the headquarters of the Republican Guard, where Morsi was believed to be staying.

The opposition Dustour Party, whose name means Constitution, said Morsi was leading the country toward violence. It asked the army to protect the people “after Morsi lost his mind and incited bloodshed of Egyptians.”
The military has said it will impose its own “road map” for the future if Morsi does not meet the protesters’ demands.

In his speech, which was loud and passionate, Morsi blamed loyalists of Mubarak, his predecessor, for fighting against democracy and challenging his leadership through the current wave of protests.

He asked Egyptians not to confront the military or use violence against its forces, the police or the interior ministry. Earlier in the day, he had demanded that the armed forces withdraw their ultimatum.

The Muslim Brotherhood, backing Morsi, called for counter-demonstrations, and a pro-Morsi rally in a Cairo suburb appeared to attract about 100,000 people, journalists for Reuters said.
The U.S. Embassy warned Americans in Egypt to avoid large gatherings and monitor local news.

“Even demonstrations or events intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence,” it said, adding the embassy was closed.
The crisis could have a significant effect on the global economy. The benchmark price of crude oil for delivery in August rose by $2.22 to $101.82 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest since early May last year.

Egypt’s control of the Suez Canal — one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, which links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea — gives it a crucial role in maintaining global energy supplies.


By Richard Engel, Charlene Gubash and Erin McClam,
NBC News


Reuters' Livestream here

NBC Livestream here

RT Livestream here

CBC Livestream here

AL-Jazeera Livestream here

Youtube Livestream here


RT Live updates here

New York Times Live updates here

Haaretz Live updates here

_______________________________________ 

Egypt is undergoing a full-scale military coup. President Mohamed Morsi has been stripped of his power by the Egyptian army and the constitution has been suspended, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in a statement. Egypt’s chief justice of the constitutional court will become the interim president.



Al Arabiya reports, The Egyptian army chief ousted Islamist President Mohammad Mursi on Wednesday and announced the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court caretaker leader.

“President Mohammad Mursi has failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people,” Abdel Fattah al-Sissi said in a televised address to the nation.

He said that the Islamist-drafted constitution will be suspended and early presidential and parliamentary elections will be held, adding that a technocrat cabinet will be appointed to run the country during a transition period, which he did not specify.

The military chief said there will be a committee tasked with reviewing the constitution.

_________________________________________

CNN TURNS ON OBAMA!
CNN: Protestors 'Anti-Obama' As Well As Anti-Morsi 

____________________________________________



Friday, 22 February 2013

Ancient Egypt To Modern Day





Idol worship has been a prominent theme in human history dating as far back as the beginning of civilized society. 


The ancient Egyptians shared a polytheistic view on religion and spirituality and their culture contained many deities, gods and demi-gods which were worshiped by their people (1). Idol worship is even prevalent today, although it has taken on a different form since ancient times, with the advent of Hollywood and celebrity culture. Although one could say that worshiping a deity and being a fan of an artist are incomparable, if we take a moment to look at the fan-obsessed sociocultural phenomena that has taken our world by storm, we begin to discover unsettling connections between star worship and the archaic practices of the ancient Egyptians. So how does this connection correlate with the direction in which our planet is being manipulated towards by the elite? Furthermore where does the need to idolize and worship stem from within ourselves, and how is this truly serving humanity?

To understand the connection between modern idol worship and ancient idol worship, let us first look at the ancient Egyptians. There are so many secrets and mysteries shrouded by the Egyptians that much about their story is still unknown. For centuries researchers have dedicated their lives to decoding these mysteries. However, one thing that is known about the Egyptians was their obsession with the gods, the universe, the afterlife, and the rituals surrounding these wonders (1). Throughout the course of Egyptian civilization there were many different deities, gods, and Pharaohs that were prominently worshipped and cycled through over time. Many Egyptians believed that the Pharaohs were part god or divine in nature, and so the people would follow the kingship with faith in the Pharaohs’ eternal secrets to life. Magic and the supernatural were important aspects of their spirituality, which was supposedly taught about in the mystery schools(2). Sacred rituals were common in Egyptian worshipping temples, and the “hymns” that were chanted during these rituals were said to contain the power to harness energies for their bidding(2). 

The curious part about the Egyptians was their innate understanding of life and the interconnectedness of energy with the universe, which was a very complex concept to have grasped for such a primitive society. Modern theories suggest that the Egyptians had made contact with extra-terrestrial life forms during which divine information was shared with the high ranking members of the Egyptian society. It is suggested that this made an impact on the Egyptian’s fascination with the “Gods”, the supernatural, and the ritualistic ceremonies that were performed in the temples and mystery schools(2). The secret knowledge of the Egyptians was said to be kept hidden from the general public and was passed down over the millennia through secret societies such as the Freemasons and the Illuminati who maintained the ritualistic worship practices that was established in ancient Egypt(3). This could explain why there is so much Egyptian symbology found around the world today. For example, Obelisks from Egypt were transported out of the sacred archeological sites and spread across the world in such places as New York, London, Paris, and Rome where 13 Obelisks are stationed (3). Another example includes pyramid symbology in corporate logos, on the American dollar bill, and rampantly placed throughout music videos, movies, and television. Superstar Rihanna is known for having multiple Egyptian tattoos such as the wings of Isis, and Queen Nefertiti. Is this all merely coincidence? One has to wonder why Egyptian symbology is so prominent in modern day society. What secrets are the elite keeping from the general public?

If we take a closer look at the current celebrity obsessed culture, we can see a strange similarity to the idol worship of ancient Egypt. It is well known that Hollywood is a major control mechanism of the powers that be. The fact that the media builds artists up as super-humans investing millions of dollars into a marketable image can be unsettling when we really think about it. The media paints a mesmerizing picture of celebrities luring in fans with the attraction of youth, riches, and entertainment. If looked at from a different perspective, fans who obsess over artists are really taking place in modern day idol worship. We gather in arenas that resemble temples or ceremonial spaces, and we take part in the deification of the artists as we chant their songs and watch the artists in spectacular ritualistic performances, where we are bombarded by more symbology than we are consciously aware of. The modern day concert could possibly be a reincarnation of the ceremonies of ancient Egypt, the difference only being that it is now veiled as “entertainment”.




Are we being brainwashed by the celebrity culture? Have we lost our true connection with artistry and the love of creation? It seems like mainstream artistry today is about the biggest, flashiest, and most expensive show and less about creating and sharing. One has to wonder about how we are benefiting humanity and how we are contributing to the evolution of consciousness by idolizing and comparing ourselves to these “stars”. Are we not truly giving away our own power, potential, and self-respect by instead placing it in the hands of famous artists and celebrities? In truth these artists are created by an industry machine which has access to unlimited amounts of money and handlers to create marketable “products”. I think it is safe to assume that talent is no longer a prerequisite to become famous. We must consider the idea that corporate music and other forms of media are being used to manipulate and more importantly distract the population from the life in front of us.

The positive news is that regardless of the hidden agenda of the elite, things are inevitably and swiftly changing. The numerous veils that have plagued humanity for millennia are being lifted, and as we all awaken in this new era we see that the old established systems are no longer serving humanity. Our true idols are our friends, our pets, our family, and our planet. Celebrity and idol worship is dissolving as we discover that looking outward no longer gives us the truth that we desire, and instead we are looking internally at the vast universe of consciousness that connects us all to discover who we really are, which is infinite in its potential.

References:
1.)    Assmann, Jan (2001) [1st. Pub. 1984]. The Search for God in Ancient Egypt. Translated by David Lorton. Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-8729-3.
2.)    Shafer, Byron E., ed. (1991). Religion in Ancient Egypt: Gods, Myths, and Personal Practice. Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-9786-8.






Interesting: