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Egypt’s presidential runners: Mohammed Mursi and Ahmed Shafiq

Sunday, June 17, 2012 22:06

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The Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Mursi, who faces ex-premier Ahmed Shafiq in a two-day presidential run-off, has pledged that Egypt under his leadership will be inclusive, courting secular and Christian voters.

A retiring individual, bearded and bespectacled, Mursi vows to uphold the goals of last year’s revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak and to share power with other parties.

Mursi, who became the Brotherhood’s candidate only after their first choice Khairat El-Shater was disqualified, topped the first round of elections last month with 24.7 percent of the vote against Shafiq’s 23.6 percent.

Many had written off Mursi as an uncharismatic substitute, saying he would be unable to muster widespread support.

But the powerful Islamist movement mobilized its formidable resources and supporters behind Mursi, who was appointed last year to head its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party.

During his final campaign speech, Mursi pledged an inclusive presidential institution that “includes all forces, presidential candidates, women, Salafis and our Coptic brothers.”

He pledged to end “discrimination against any Egyptian based on religion, ethnicity or gender.”

Mursi expressed confidence in winning the landmark poll, believing that Egyptians would not vote for a symbol of the old regime.

“Egyptians will never bring back Mubarak through the window after they kicked him out of the door,” he told reporters.

During his campaign, Mursi offered a fiery stump speech, pledging a presidency that would be based on Islam but would not be a theocracy.

Initially awkward, he appeared to gain confidence as his campaign proceeded, growing comfortable in his new role as a potential president as he gave interviews and made speeches.

Mursi was born in the Nile Delta province of Sharqiya and graduated with an engineering degree from Cairo University in 1975. He received a PhD from the University of Southern California, where he was an assistant professor, in 1982.

He was a member of an anti-Israel group, the Committee to Resist Zionism, but dedicated much of his time to the Muslim Brotherhood, which first fielded him in a parliamentary election in 2000.

In a 2005 election, which gave the Brotherhood one-fifth of the seats in parliament, he kept his seat. But he was soon arrested and jailed for seven months after participating in protests supporting reformist judges.

By the 2010 election, Mursi had become a spokesman for the Islamists and a member of their politburo.

He was jailed again on the morning of January 28, 2011, a day after the Brotherhood announced it would join the protests that would topple president Mubarak almost two weeks later.

Mursi, and other Brotherhood leaders arrested at the time, served only a few days before being sprung from jail during massive prison breaks across the country.

The Brotherhood believes in establishing an Islamic state gradually and through peaceful means, but Mursi’s focus has been mostly on issues affecting the majority of Egyptians since the revolt, such as the deteriorating economy.

Mursi is married, with five children and three grandchildren.

Shafiq

Shafiq is a retired general and Mubarak-era minister reviled by activists who spearheaded the 2011 revolt.

Shafiq gained support as a candidate in the country’s first post-revolt presidential election thanks to a strong law-and-order campaign in a country where many crave stability.

In the final days of campaigning, the former air force chief accused the powerful Muslim Brotherhood of violence during last year’s uprising and of arson attacks against his campaign headquarters.

He said a victory for the Islamists would bring Egypt “back to the dark ages,” but said he was ready to appoint an Islamist vice president.

Shafiq was almost disqualified from the presidential race after the adoption of a law prohibiting senior members of the Hosni Mubarak era from running, but the decision was reversed at the last minute.

Shafiq was runner-up in the first round of elections last month with 23.6 percent, against Mursi’s 24.7 percent.

Pollsters say Shafiq, who was forced to resign a month after Mubarak’s ouster by massive street rallies, won sympathy, particularly among female voters, after his wife died in April.

With a reputation as a good technocrat, Shafiq, 70, was appointed prime minister during Mubarak’s last days in power in a bid to appease the popular revolt that eventually overthrew the strongman on February 11, 2011.

But Shafiq has been criticized for his association with the old regime and for having retained many Mubarak ministers in his cabinet, a decision that would force him to resign under pressure from youth movements that led the uprising.

Like Mubarak, Shafiq was a pilot who graduated from the Military Aviation Academy and touts his many military successes. His campaign boasted that he shot down two Israeli aircraft in wars with the Jewish state.

He is also eager to highlight his civilian achievements, saying he modernized the national carrier Egypt Air and Cairo’s international airport.

In a country where all presidents since the fall of the monarchy in 1952 have had military backgrounds, Shafiq says he is “proud and honored” to be a “son of the armed forces.”

He believes that one of his strongest assets is this military background, which he says will be crucial in ensuring a smooth relationship with the ruling military during the transition period.

But that could also be a disadvantage, as some Egyptians want to see a clear separation of powers between the presidency and army.

Shafiq boasts of his “experience” and insists he is open to criticism, but in several television interviews he has shown a strict and impatient side.

To those who accuse him of being a “felool” — a pejorative term used by Egyptians to describe members of the old regime — he says that he was only “one of the (people) chosen for vital positions.”

“Who said I was not opposing the Mubarak regime?” he said, claiming to have objected to many decisions taken by the former regime and insisting he was more useful to his country by working for reform from the inside.

Shafiq has made security and the fight against crime his top priority.

He has three daughters.

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HfjNUlYZ

Exclusive! USA Exposed! American Crimes In Egypt Announced Now!
Look Americans What Your Government Is Doing!

At this moment exactly, USA is pressing violently on Egyptian Military Council to Make Mohamed Morsi of radicalist and terrorist Muslim Brothers be the Egyptian President and Israeli Soldiers are waiting at Sinai borders for this to occur to enter Sinai immediately under the excuse of Israel protection from Muslim Brothers who are related to Hamas, Iran, Qatar, Hezbollah and Al Qaeda!!!!!

USA is pretending that all it wants is Democracy, while over the past one and half years, whenever Egyptians decide or choose something through elections, USA tries to ruin, prevent or cancel it, to force Soros and CIA puppets; Elbaradei or Muslim Brothers, who made a deal to allow Israel reoccupy Sinai and to divide Egypt after Coptic Christians become violated by these Radicalists, like what happened in Sudan!

Mrs Margaret Scobey; the former USA Ambassador worked as a spy, who visited Egyptian villages and cities to collect reports to use them to create trouble later on! She used the Embassy parties to record sex videos for famous ladies by a CIA agent to blackmail them to work for CIA! She planned with Elbaradei, 6 April and Muslim Brothers all the plan of January 25th Revolution! She sent the Diplomatic cars from the Embassy to run over Egyptian youth near to the Embassy when Egyptians welcomed Mubarak speech , then parked them at the Ministry of Interior to attach it to Egyptian police! After many hours, she complained that they were stolen, although the guard said that this is impossible because they can not be used except through certain code for each car to use its key and these are kept inside the Embassy and there were hundred marines which arrived earlier to protect it!!

The spy named Ellan Grapel entered Egypt by his American Passport and denied his Israeli Passport! He works for Mossad and shared in causing attacks on Churches early in the Revolution and shared in killing protesters, nut USA pressed to release him! Like when American teenagers arrived to Cairo, then the next day they went to Tahrir Square and threw Molotov on policemen and were released also after American threats!

When activists of 6 April got arrested not for protesting, but for definite crimes of killing soldiers and stealing their guns, they were released under CIA pressure too, including for example; Alaa Abdel Fattah, Ahmed Dooma and others! When USA was condemned for breaking laws and making suspicious activity against Egyptian National Security, by funding illegal organizations and societies, USA pressed on SCAF using threats by Muslim Brothers!

Recently, Mrs Clinton expressed her anger because the revolution in Egypt did not cause the planned deaths, destruction, violence and mess! She said that it must be made like Libya, Tunisia and Syria, as regards radicalism, terrorism and violence!!! Mr Carter , Soros Puppet too, visited Egypt to observe elections, but he did not meet SCAF and just met Muslim Brothers! Mr Carter is probably blind and deaf, for he did not notice at all the fabrications and cheating made by Muslim Brothers for Morsi!! Exactly, like when BBC, Aljazeera started to promote false lies about Morsi success, although the process is still going on and many governorates are not completed yet!!!!

Khairat El Shater, the Muslim Brother leader announced that they will make violence whether Morsi won or lost, but we had never heard any objection for USA or Human Rights about that! Even when they threatened to kill Shafik and his supporters and to kill Coptic Christians for choosing him, no comment at all! In fact, Egyptian police and army detected a terrorist plan by European snipers who entered Egypt days ago, to explode vital places and kill thousand Egyptians if Morsi loses! Hamas and Jihadists in Sinai made an explosion at the borders of Sinai today, in cooperation with Israel to make an excuse for Israel to occupy Sinai!

Mrs Anne Paterson; the current USA Ambassador came to Cairo after Pakistan and Afghanistan and was behind the many violent attacks that occurred in Egypt and the burning of thousand companies and factories to make economic collapse to force Egypt to sell Suez Canal, Sinai and everything for Qatar, Iran and Israel! Even when Egyptian Interpol asked USA to deliver the criminal and terrorist Omar Afifi , whom Mrs Scobey sent to USA as a refugee in 2008 to start the revolution and to plan all the attacks on police, CIA ignored the request and gave him more time to commit more crimes!!!!

Mrs Clinton, herself received the activists of 6 April and sent them for Poland and Serbia for training! She offered them modern devices that help them for spying and to escape from police follow up! Egyptian police and army are prevented from protecting Egypt or Egyptians from these criminals or terrorists and are threatened that NATO will occupy Egypt under the excuse of Human Rights and Democracy!!!!

No Comment!!!!

Jun 18, 2012, 2:54 pm 0 Reply

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