Roger Cohen of The NY Times famously told us in February 2011 (emphasis mine):
Already we hear the predictable warnings from Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu: This could be Iran 1979, a revolution for freedom that installs the Islamists. But this is not 1979, and Egypt’s Facebook-adept youth are not lining up behind the Muslim Brotherhood, itself scarcely a band of fanatics.
Things have not exactly, um, gone according to plan.
The Muslim Brotherhood is in control, has taken over the military, is disregarding the judiciary, is pushing through a new Constitution which tramples, according to the opposition, minority rights and other freedoms, and sends thugs into Tahrir Square to beat up male protesters and sexually assault female protesters.
Roger Cohen has told Mohammed Morsi to stop it right now:
Mohammed Morsi is not impressed. Not even with the fact that barely a week ago Cohen graciously give Morsi “the benefit of the doubt” that Morsi’s motives were “honorable.”
Morsi wonders, what don’t you understand about the Muslim Brotherhood?
Via al Jazeera:
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi addressed the nation on Thursday night amidst ongoing unrest, and while he called for dialogue and offered sympathy for the deaths of the protesters, he offered few concessions and dismissed his political opposition.
Via Times of Israel:
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi addressed the country for the first time since mass protests began earlier this week, defiantly standing his ground on the issue of the draft constitution, the upcoming national referendum, and his immunity from oversight.Morsi said in a televised speech that if the controversial constitutional draft is rejected by the Egyptian people in the December 15 referendum, he will form a new constituent assembly to draft a new version of the constitution.Yet Morsi also angrily accused some of the opposition protesters of serving remnants of the old regime and vowed never to tolerate anyone working for the overthrow of his “legitimate” government…lMorsi said that the controversial decrees he issued last month granting him immunity from legal oversight are non-negotiable, bar one, but invited invited the opposition to a “comprehensive and productive” dialogue starting Saturday at his presidential palace. He offered no sign at all that he might offer them any meaningful concessions.
Morsi said he would form an assembly to draft a new Constitution if the controversial one scheduled for a vote on December 15 fails to pass. In other words, heads the Islamists win, tails they try again.
That is the nature of the Muslim Brotherhood. Even if by some miracle the new Constitution loses on December 15, it will be just a bump on the Muslim Brotherhood’s highway.
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