Egypt: Morsi trial a “sign of change for the country"
Cairo, November 5, 2013: In less than three years, Egypt has witnessed two popular
revolutions that have brought millions of people to the streets and the trial of two
presidents from opposing factions. The first day of the trial against Mohamed Morsi
and 14 Islamist leaders is a "small step forward for the country, Fr . Rafic Greiche
, a spokesman for the Egyptian Catholic Church , and Mina Thabet , president of the
Maspero Youth Union tell AsiaNews. Fr. Rafic Greiche argues that "the trial of
Mohamed Morsi is a sign of change for Egypt. The people want to close the chapter
of its recent Islamist past and turn the page definitively not through violence, but
through justice". The Islamists again took to the streets to support their leaders
surrounding the Supreme Court and organizing demonstrations around the country. The
priest notes that on this occasion the wrath of the followers of Morsi was not stopped
by the police deployed in front of the court or government supporters of the military,
but by hundreds of Egyptians tired of the tension and hatred that has hit the country
over three years. Mina Thabet, a young Christian and president of the Maspero Youth
Union, says the Islamists will use any available means to defend their leaders, including
lying to the media and threats and violence against minorities, but such an attitude
"has further damaged the credibility of the Muslim Brotherhood". Together with Tamarud
( Rebels ), the Maspero Youth Union is one of the organizations which on June 30 brought
30 million people to the streets to demand the resignation of Morsi, accused of trying
to transform the country into an Islamic dictatorship . "The Islamists - says Thabet
- are answering for their actions before a court. The entire country is a witness
to their violence." The Christian leader said that "by opposing to justice, the Islamists
continue to deny the facts. In a civilized country anyone can be brought before a
court". "Since 2011 - he adds - two presidents were jailed due to popular revolts.
This is a historical fact in Egypt and throughout the Middle East." Thabet believes
"a new generation made up of Christians and Muslims was born on the streets , which
does not accept any negotiations with respect to human rights, which does not want
to bow to political strategies but to try to build a new country." The President of
the Maspero Youth Union says the real challenge that demands the urgent focus of the
political and revolutionary movements is the future Constitution. The trial against
Mohamed Morsi and other 14 members of the Muslim Brotherhood opened this morning at
10:30 and ended around 13.00 . The judges have fixed the next hearing for February
8, 2014. AsiaNews sources present at the trial say that the president appeared before
the court in civilian clothes, but was forced by the court to wear the prison uniform,
as provided by law. The Islamist leader rejected all allegations against him claiming
to be "the only legitimate president of Egypt". Morsi and the other 14 Islamists
on trial shouted slogans against the military , the new government and the judiciary
throughout the entire session. Fearing clashes between police and Islamists many
public and private schools in Cairo were closed . In the district of Minya (Upper
Egypt) , the most affected by the anti-Christian attacks of 14 August , local churches
have ordered the closure of all schools for at least two days. To increase the climate
of tension, the Muslim Brotherhood spread false rumors about the involvement of Christian
judges in the trial of former President Morsi . (Source: AsiaNews)