Some Egyptian Islamists organizations and parties, predominantly
Salafist, have called for organizing the massive protest demanding
implementation of Sharia Law in Egypt. The protest was scheduled for Friday, 9
November 2012, and was expected to gather thousands of demonstrators.
Among the participants were several Egypt’s Islamists, mostly Salafist
groups and also their political wings, such as Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya and its
political wing Building and Developments Party; also Salafist Front and its
People Party; Salafist Asala Party; Independent Azharite Conservative Front;
Azhar Scholars Front; Peace and Development Party (which is currently under
construction) and other forces.
The protests started after Friday noon prayers when tens of thousands of
the Islamist protesters have gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to voice their
demand to implement Islamic Law as the sole and the only one source of
legislation and calling for drafting the Sharia based Constitution for Egypt.
There were also a lot of demonstrators from other Egyptian cities arrived in
Cairo in the special charter buses.
The huge stage was built inside the square on the eve of the scheduled
demonstrations, and the banners demanding the enforcement of the “Law of God”
have been carried out. Some of the banners have even declared the readiness of
those people to sacrifice their lives for implementing of the God’s Law.
Conservative and hard-line Islamists, Salafists, reject the current
formulation of the controversial Article 2 of the Constitution’s draft
presented by the Constituent Assembly. The current formulation of this article
corresponds with the formulation of the 1971 Constitution and declares that “The
principles of Sharia Law are the main source of legislation in Egypt”. The
Salafists though are not agree with such a formulation and demand it to sound
as “Sharia Law is the only one source of legislation”, not its principles.
The proposed by Salafists Article 2 should stipulate that “Islamic
Sharia alone is the source of legislation, and everything what conflicts with
it is invalid and corrupt”. Sharia should also govern all the laws in the state
and also the state’s Constitution, demand the protesters.
Hard-line Islamists claim that the “principles” of Islamic Sharia, such
as “equality”, “truth”, “justice”, are too vague and not enough, while Sharia
Law could regulate all the fields of life and should be not the main, but the
sole source of legislation.
“There will be no stability in the country until the Constitution
follows Sharia”, announced the protesters and also vowed for more mass
demonstrations demanding drafting the new Constitution on the base of Islamic
Law and enforcement of Sharia on all the levels of life. Some Salafists groups
and protesters even said there could be another revolution if their demands won’t
be met.
The demonstrators have been also protesting against “any foreign
intervention in the process of drafting the Constitution” and accused Egypt’s
secular and liberal forces of hindering the stipulation of Islamic Law as the
only one source of legislation and preventing the work of the Constituent
Assembly, hampering the drafting process. The protesters claimed Egyptian
liberals only call themselves Muslims, but they step back when it comes to the
enforcement of the God’s Law. Egyptian liberal were also accused of working for
foreign agenda and allowing the West to intervene of the Egypt’s constitutional
process.
Strong anti-liberal and anti-secular moods were very obvious among the
protesters gathered in Tahrir Square.
It is worth mentioning here that Egyptian secular and liberal forces
have been systematically voiced their worries and concerns regarding the
process of drafting the new Constitution as the basic freedoms and rights of
the human and citizen are violated and limited there, especially women’s rights
and the rights of minorities. Liberals used to criticize the Constituent
Assembly as it is strongly dominated by the Islamist forces. In addition to
that the current Constituent Assembly was formed by the now dissolved Lower
House of Egypt’s Parliament and awaits the verdict of the High Constitutional
Court regarding the issue of its constitutionality. We would remind here that
the first Constituent Assembly was dissolved by the Court ruling.
During the protest the demonstrators have also collected the signs under
their petition calling for implementing Sharia as the sole source of
legislation and for the Sharia based Constitution.
But the implementing of the Islamic Law was not the only one demand of
the Friday’s protest. Among the other demands to be voiced was also the demand
for dismissal of Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud, Egypt’s General Prosecutor. He was
accused of working for ensuring security of Egypt’s ex-President Hosni Mubarak
and his aides. Egyptian judicial system was also generally criticized during
the protests.
The demonstrators were also chanting against Ahmed El-Zend, Head of
Egypt’s Judges’ Club, who is known for his strong anti-Islamist stance.
The protesters have been also chanting against the “feloul” – the remnants
of the old regime who are currently mobilizing for the upcoming parliamentary
elections.
Meanwhile, two of the most strong and influential Egypt’s Islamists’
forces – Muslim Brotherhood and their political arm, Freedom and Justice Party,
and Salfists Al-Nour Party – announced they will not participate in the Friday’s
protests.
According to the statement of Mahmoud Ghozlan, spokesperson of the
Muslim Brotherhood, the Constituent Assembly’s members have been already agreed
that the special clause will be added to the Constitution, and this clause will
define and explain what the “principles of Sharia” mean.
FJP has also declared it will not take part in the demonstration.
The Salafist Al-Nour Party representatives said they will not
participate in the demonstration, but they are planning to organize some small
gatherings and marches in front of the mosques to exhress the “popular” demand
for implementing the Islamic Law.
However, despite the main Islamist powers in Egypt didn’t officially
take part in the demonstrations, there were claims that the Muslim Brotherhood
and Al-Nour youth were also present, when the numbers have been significantly
increased later in the afternoon.
The Salafists forces declared they will continue protests to demand the
Sharia-based Constitution and laws in Egypt and vowed for more actions.
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