Fatwahs Against Egypt Opposition

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Egyptian TV has been broadcasting testimonials by clerics justifying the public mass rape of women in Tahrir Square.

And at least three clerics have issued Fatwahs, religious edicts, calling upon Egyptians to kill opposition leaders. Some of these clerics have also read their statements on television.

This behavior is not new for Egypt. In the 1990's Fatwahs were issued against political leadership and many leaders were then assassinated. At that time is was all a part of an Islamic uprising.

This time around the Islamists are in power and they are the ones threatening to murder their opposition.
Listen to this dialogue from Egyptian TV:

A very popular Imam named Mahmoud Shaaban described the actions of the opposition, which is called the National Salvation Front, this way: they are "setting Egypt on fire to gain power." And so: "the verdict against them under God's law is death."

Shaaban called both Muhammed ElBaradei, the former UN Arms Inspector and Noble Prize winner, and Hamdeen Sabahi, another leader of the National Salvation Front, traitors.

In a TV interview Shaaban said that "they have repeatedly spoken about toppling Morsi." Later in the program he qualified his statements saying that the government should carry out the verdict, not private citizens. But he did not go so far as to urge citizens not to participate in assassinations.

In another striking and appalling statement another very popular Imam named Wagdi Ghoneim issued a video statement pleading with Morsi to crack down on the protestors throwing stones and shoes and shouting outside his palace. He said: "The verdict under Shariah for those who seek corruption on earth is to be fought, or crucified, or have their arms or legs cut off or be exiled from earth." In other words this Imam is saying that the protestors and those who lead them should be killed.

And then he added: "Strike with an iron fist. Otherwise, the country will be lost at your hand and they'll say it is your fault. They'll say Islam doesn't know how to rule and that it's the Islamists who wrecked the country."
Shaaban, on the other hand, said: "We will kill the criminals, the thugs, the thieves and those who give them money and those who help them with words. No mercy with them."

One cleric calls for the people to act. The other calls for the president to act. They are both calling for bloodshed. That's the new Egypt.

These are very bold, very public, statements. And if anything they are incitement to violence and murder. As we have already seen - in Egypt, a Fatwah is seen as a license to kill. In this case - it is a blessed license to kill.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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