Don't Let Egypt Become Another Syria

If Egypt's unstable political situation has not been international page-one news lately, an Egyptian administrative court in Cairo may have changed that on Wednesday. It ordered the suspension of parliamentary elections scheduled to begin on April 22nd, undoubtedly beginning a legal battle that will delay the vote and deepen the political crisis between the Islamist president and his opponents that has caused an ongoing national political crisis for months. Non-functional political institutions, a weak economy and a wave of protests, strikes and clashes against Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood that has spiraled for months around the country will surely continue. Port Said street protests are in their fourth day. The military intervened, trying to separate protesters and police, but protesters hurled stones at police who were firing tear gas. The result was six dead on Sunday. Morsi's Islamist supporters and some in the protest-weary public had viewed the parliamentary elections as a step toward bringing some stability. But the mainly liberal and secular opposition had called a boycott of the vote, calling on Morsi to find some political consensus and ease the wave of popular anger before voting began. With or without an opposition boycott, analysts feel that the Islamists would win a parliamentary majority. The current Islamist-drafted constitution contains vague language that permits elections to bypass constitutional court review, but the court ruling stated that the Islamist-led parliament had improperly pushed through a law organizing the elections without giving the Supreme Constitutional Court the opportunity to review it to ensure it conforms with the constitution. The court ordered the law referred to the constitutional court and the election suspended in the meantime. The court also annulled a decree by Morsi calling for the election to take place. Morsi's opponents quickly used the decision as further proof of their accusations that Morsi and his ruling Muslim Brotherhood are mismanaging the country, trying to dominate power without reaching consensus with others or abiding by the law. Opposition leader Mohamed ElBoradei said that ignoring the rule of law "is characteristic of a fascist state." Morsi's legal adviser, Mohammed Fouad, said the government would abide by the court's decision and refer the law to the constitutional court. When the judge read the verdict, lawyers in the court room broke out in chants of "God is great." Egypt's political crisis has encountered various judicial disputes, as well as opposition street protests following Morsi's decision last November to grant himself immunity from the judiciary's supervision. He later revoked this right, in the face of the massive protests, but he had already used the powers to appoint a new chief prosecutor and prevent the courts from blocking Islamists drafting a new constitution. With this court decision, dear readers, Egypt seems to be headed toward more chaos. Protests and violent clashes have spread in recent days in Cairo and Port Said, where public anger has been directed at the police. Many protesters say the security forces have been using excessive force against them and that Morsi has backed the police's excessive force. Troops lined up between protesters and police ib Port Said, but protesters shouted, "Morsi is the enemy of God" as they lined up in front of the troops. Furious at the president and the security forces, residents of Port Said have created a wave of protests and strikes amounting to an outright revolt against the central government. Whatever violence this latest anti-Morsi court decision leads to, one thing seems clear. Neither the Egyptian people nor their courts are going to surrender to non-democratic political rule without a fight. It would be helpful if the military were more determined in their support of them. And, it would be even more helpful if President Obama and the UN spoke up for the protesters and lent their considerable support, too. Syria should have taught them the value of early intervention on the side of people fighting for their freedom.