The following is research published today from MEMRI’s Inquiry & Analysis Series, Special Dispatch Series, and Jihad & Terrorism Threat Monitor Project. In Egypt, Criticism of SCAF Intensifies Islamist Pamphlet Distributed in Downtown Cairo, Calls for Insurrection in Egyptian Army Inquiry and Analysis No. 748—Egypt By: N. Shamni* In the months since the Egypt's January 2011 revolution, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has been progressively losing the support it enjoyed in the early days of the revolution, when the majority of the Egyptian people rallied around it believing it would advance and defend their cause. Over time, the SCAF has faced increasing criticism for failing to implement the goals of the revolution, and has been accused of being an extension of the previous regime. On July 8, 2011, mass demonstrations called for a "Second Revolution" against the SCAF, marking a significant turning point in relations between this body and the Egyptian people. The SCAF also sparked public outrage when, on August 7, 2011, it appointed members of the military and the old regime to replace some of Egypt's regional governors. Recent criticism has focused chiefly on the claim that the military establishment has continued in the way of the old regime by reviving the Emergency Law, trying civilians in military courts, and delaying handing over the rule to civilian authority. Apparently, the Egyptian people has begun to realize that the military establishment, in power since 1952, will not readily give up its political power and economic strength, and that another uprising, this time against this establishment, may be necessary. Several political parties are preparing for a million-strong demonstration set for October 7, 2011, that will call on the SCAF to either meet their demands or step down in favor of a civilian interim presidential committee that will run the country's affairs. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5715.htm. Special Dispatch No. 4196—Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor/Egypt The following are excerpts from a pamphlet that was distributed in downtown Cairo, following the riots there and the raiding of the Israeli embassy, titled "Message to Every Officer and Soldier in This Country, Whose People are Muslims, to Inform Them that Serving as Soldiers [in the Army] of the Tyrannical Pharaohs Is Forbidden, because [These Soldiers] Are the Protecting the Pharaoh, Not the Homeland." In it, the anonymous authors call upon Egyptian soldiers to disobey orders and to quit the army, because it is fighting the Muslims and protecting the "tyrannical" Egyptian leadership. The pamphlet's language – especially the use of Islamist concepts and terminology, such as the term taghut ("tyrant") for Arab leaders, as well as the attacks on their moral decadence – indicates that it originates in extremist Islamic circles. The pamphlet begins by stating that fighting the "internal enemy" is more important than fighting the "external enemy," citing the example of Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, who turned to fighting the Byzantines only after waging war on an apostate sect. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5714.htm. To view this report, you must be a paying member of the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project (JTTM). For membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line. In Egypt, Criticism of SCAF Intensifies
Islamist Pamphlet Distributed in Downtown Cairo, Calls for Insurrection in Egyptian Army
Photo of the pamphlet distributed in Cairo
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Tuesday, 11 October 2011
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