Islamists Live Blog

8 weeks 4 days ago - Egypt

 

Egypt's parliament has elected an Islamist-dominated panel to draft a new constitution, and liberal activists are scrambling to block the move, state media said on Sunday.

Thirty-nine of the 50 lawmakers chosen for the 100-member constituent assembly are Islamists, according to press reports, with Islamists also represented among the remaining 50 members drawn from outside parliament.

Liberal lawmakers had walked out on the vote in the joint parliament and senate session on Saturday, accusing the Islamist majority of trying to dominate the crucial panel. [AFP]

Tags constitution, Islamists, parliament
14 weeks 9 hours ago - Egypt

Egypt's prime minister and the head of the influential seat of Islamic learning, al-Azhar, praised a campaign by an Islamist scholar to raise donations as a substitute for US aid that is threatened by a stand-off over civil society groups. 

The campaign spearheaded by prominent Salafi scholar Mohamed Hassaan calls on Egyptians to pay 10 pounds ($1.66) each in response to US threats to cut aid to Egypt over investigations that have resulted in charges against 19 Americans.

"The Egyptian people never accept to be insulted or humiliated ... This people won't kneel to anyone but God," Hassaan said in a TV interview broadcast this week.

Egypt has a population of 85 million, many of whom live under the poverty line. Were each to heed his call, the campaign would raise $141.6 million.

The row with Washington is one of the worst in more than 30 years of close US-Egyptian ties.

US officials have said $1.3 bn in annual US military aid to Cairo is at risk, along with some $250 million in economic aid. 

Hassaan has a wide following among Egyptians. Speaking about his campaign, Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Abul Naga said the government had received 60 million pounds in donations so far.

In two separate meetings with Hassaan on Thursday, Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri and Azhar's Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb praised his efforts.

- Reuters

Tags Cairo, Islamists, NGOs, United States
17 weeks 3 days ago - Egypt

A newly elected Islamist deputy was scolded for adding a religious reference to the swearing-in oath at the opening session of the lower house of Egypt's first post-revolution parliament, the AFP news agency reported.

The deputies started to be sworn in one by one, pledging to "preserve the safety of the nation and the interests of people and to respect the constitution and the law."

But when ultra conservative lawyer Mamduh Ismail took the microphone vowing to also "abide by the law of God", he was sharply told off by the chair Mahmoud al-Saqqa, the most senior member of parliament.

"Please stick to the text," an angry Saqqa urged Ismail, asking him to repeat the oath several times.

"Mr Ismail, my friend, please stand up and read the oath, and stick to the text," Saqqa pleaded.

Ismail finally agreed, read the oath and then insisted on adding, "and to abide by the law of God".

Egypt's lower house of parliament was holding its first session since a popular uprising ousted veteran president Hosni Mubarak and propelled Islamists to the centre stage of politics.

 

Tags Egyptian parliament, Islamists, mubarak
23 weeks 2 days ago - Egypt

As Egyptians prepare to begin voting in the second round of their parliamentary election on Wednesday, Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros looks at liberal and secular parties scrambling to compete with the rise of the Salafi Nour Party and Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party:

Tags giza, Islamists, liberals, second round
26 weeks 5 days ago - Egypt

Many are wondering how the violent clashes in Tahrir Square today may affect the elections for the lower house of parliament, slated to begin in eight days. Mike Hanna, an Egypt expert at the Century Foundation, speculates:

mwhanna1The notion of an electoral delay in Egypt is still far-fetched because of the furious Islamist backlash it would produceSat Nov 19 21:35:15

Tags clashes, election, Islamists, Tahrir
26 weeks 6 days ago - Egypt

Some in Tahrir Square today said that the Islamists' ability to bring out supporters from other parts of the country reflected the "artificiality" of the religious slant to the day's demonstration:

 

TravellerWmy assessment of #Tahrir today: a good day. Heavy islamist presence/slogans but not an "islamist friday" per se. (cont)Fri Nov 18 15:12:03

TravellerW(cont) the islamist presence is artificial - tens of thousands brought by free buses from all over egypt (sponsored by whom?).. #tahrirFri Nov 18 15:15:44

TravellerW..And many liberals boycotted out of fear of a "salafi friday", thus actually making it seem like one. Shooting oneself in the foot! #tahrirFri Nov 18 15:20:51

Tags bus, Islamists, Tahrir
26 weeks 6 days ago - Egypt

By most accounts, the majority of the crowd in Tahrir Square today was Islamist, and many who attended reported hearing chants in favour of Islamic law and seeing both Saudi Arabian flags and the black flag that was said to be used by the propher Muhammed.

Islamist movements and political parties are generally  better organized than their liberal counterparts, and it seemed that that acumen had helped draw the large crowd, according to some:

 

Beltrew40 free buses of Islamist groups came from Fayoum this morning- shows how organised theyR in comparison 2the secular parties. #EgyelectionsFri Nov 18 15:21:52

Tags crowd, Islamists, Tahrir
27 weeks 1 day ago - Egypt

erin_sniderInteresting piece from @HannahAllam: Egypt's Islamists reach out to liberals as elections near http://t.co/IVeGqn0q #Egypt #egyelectionsWed Nov 16 15:30:27

Tags Egypt elections, Islamists
31 weeks 4 days ago - Tunis

One man who cried out "Tunisia is an Islamic country" was arrested by police. He waved an al-Nahda slogan, but Houssem Trabelsi, an official representative of the moderate Islamist party who was attending the protest to ensure no acts of violence were committed in the party's name, told Al Jazeera that the troublemaker had no links to al-Nahda.

"I'm here to make sure no one sabotage the demonstration in our name," Trabelsi said.

Tags al nahda, election, Islamists, tunisia, Tunisia election
42 weeks 4 days ago - Libya

Liam Fox, the British defence minister, says that it is possible that radical Islamist fighters were behind the killing of Abdel Fattah Younes.

"It's not yet clear who actually carried out the killing," he told BBC radio. "Of course there are going to be militants in Libya -- there are militants right across the whole of the Middle East - it would be a great surprise if there weren't some in Libya itself."

"There has always been a mixture of people who make up the opposition forces in Libya...and it will be for the Libyans themselves to sort out exactly how any power structure develops post-Gaddafi," he continued.

"We've known from history that there have been radical elements there. The aim will have to be as we move into the development phase and we go into the growing of the democracy in Libya, to ensure that these people are
marginalised - but to pretend they're not there would be unrealistic."

Tags Abdel Fattah Younes, Al-Qaeda, Islamism, Islamists, Liam Fox, UK, United Kingdom

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