EmptyTimCup
07-30-2012, 09:46 AM
‘Moral Vigilantism’ Reportedly on the Rise in Egypt as Islamist Pres. Unilaterally Appoints Cabinet (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/moral-vigilantism-on-the-rise-in-egypt-as-islamist-pres-unilaterally-appoints-cabinet/)
An alliance of pro-democracy advocates criticized Egypt’s newly-elected Islamist president over the weekend for unilaterally choosing a prime minister with no track record, while leading without transparency and alienating political groups with liberal leanings.
The National Front alliance — an umbrella group of democracy advocates, secularists and moderate Islamists behind the uprising that drove longtime authoritarian ruler Hosni Mubarak from power last year — said Mohammed Morsi has reneged on campaign promises to form a national unity government.
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The new government faces a mounting crisis amid alarming lawlessness, a flagging economy, and public frustration. Hospitals have come under attack by angry Egyptians, while demonstrators block roads in frustration over frequent power outages and a lack of running water. Labor strikes are widespread.
The Los Angeles Times has more on the “moral vigilantism” that is reportedly on the rise:
An engineering student [was] killed for walking with his fiancee by men reportedly linked to a group called the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Women are harassed for not wearing veils, owners of liquor stores say they’re being threatened, and fundamentalists are calling for sex segregation on buses and in workplaces.
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The L.A. Times adds that the “crucial” upcoming battle in Egypt will now be how deeply shariah law influences the constitution.
(Related: ‘The Koran Is Our Constitution’: Egyptian President Promises to Ignore Egyptian Constitution for the Sake of Shariah in Chilling Speech) (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/the-koran-is-our-constitution-egyptian-president-promises-to-ignore-egyptian-constitution-for-the-sake-of-sharia-in-chilling-speech/)
The L.A. Times continues:
Sheik Mustafa Albadry, an ultraconservative preacher on the outskirts of Cairo [said:] “Scholars need to be aware of this rising current. The oppression of the old regime created radicalism because the youth didn’t have proper guidance. And today’s financial problems are making people more prone to extremism.”
Mubarak persecuted and manipulated Islamist groups for decades, most notably the Muslim Brotherhood. His secular police state led to anger that inspired terrorist attacks and provoked preachers and scholars who are now restive and unbound. Some former militants have renounced violence and formed political parties.
This new atmosphere has elevated piety — and public expressions of it — to an important social barometer. Egyptian men have been distinguished by the callused brown spots on their foreheads that come from years of prostrating themselves. Police officers and Egypt Air flight attendants are now demanding the right to grow beards, which was forbidden under Mubarak. [Emphasis added]
An alliance of pro-democracy advocates criticized Egypt’s newly-elected Islamist president over the weekend for unilaterally choosing a prime minister with no track record, while leading without transparency and alienating political groups with liberal leanings.
The National Front alliance — an umbrella group of democracy advocates, secularists and moderate Islamists behind the uprising that drove longtime authoritarian ruler Hosni Mubarak from power last year — said Mohammed Morsi has reneged on campaign promises to form a national unity government.
[clip]
The new government faces a mounting crisis amid alarming lawlessness, a flagging economy, and public frustration. Hospitals have come under attack by angry Egyptians, while demonstrators block roads in frustration over frequent power outages and a lack of running water. Labor strikes are widespread.
The Los Angeles Times has more on the “moral vigilantism” that is reportedly on the rise:
An engineering student [was] killed for walking with his fiancee by men reportedly linked to a group called the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Women are harassed for not wearing veils, owners of liquor stores say they’re being threatened, and fundamentalists are calling for sex segregation on buses and in workplaces.
[clip]
The L.A. Times adds that the “crucial” upcoming battle in Egypt will now be how deeply shariah law influences the constitution.
(Related: ‘The Koran Is Our Constitution’: Egyptian President Promises to Ignore Egyptian Constitution for the Sake of Shariah in Chilling Speech) (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/the-koran-is-our-constitution-egyptian-president-promises-to-ignore-egyptian-constitution-for-the-sake-of-sharia-in-chilling-speech/)
The L.A. Times continues:
Sheik Mustafa Albadry, an ultraconservative preacher on the outskirts of Cairo [said:] “Scholars need to be aware of this rising current. The oppression of the old regime created radicalism because the youth didn’t have proper guidance. And today’s financial problems are making people more prone to extremism.”
Mubarak persecuted and manipulated Islamist groups for decades, most notably the Muslim Brotherhood. His secular police state led to anger that inspired terrorist attacks and provoked preachers and scholars who are now restive and unbound. Some former militants have renounced violence and formed political parties.
This new atmosphere has elevated piety — and public expressions of it — to an important social barometer. Egyptian men have been distinguished by the callused brown spots on their foreheads that come from years of prostrating themselves. Police officers and Egypt Air flight attendants are now demanding the right to grow beards, which was forbidden under Mubarak. [Emphasis added]