Arab columnists fear ‘nightmarish’ future for Egypt
Muslim Brotherhood braces for a military counter-revolution and Syria continues to bleed in the presence of UN monitors
Dramatic headlines on Egypt and mournful ones on Syria characterize Arab dailies on Friday.
“A political earthquake” is the term used by London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi to describe the dramatic Egyptian court decision to dissolve the parliament and leave Ahmad Shafiq in the presidential runoff race. The daily quotes Muslim Brotherhood elements calling the decision a “coup” and an entry into “a dark tunnel,” noting that a self-confident Ahmad Shafiq has already delivered a “presidential speech.”
“Is this a blow to the Islamic stream or the downfall of Egypt’s political elite?” asks Khaled Shami in Al-Quds Al-Arabi, arguing that Egypt’s judiciary has failed the people.
“It is a difficult day. A bad day for Egypt and the revolution; separating two eras — both of which are nightmarish. A ruling from Egypt’s highest court which ostensibly dissolves what was meant to be a ‘revolutionary parliament’ but in fact represents the downfall of a political elite that failed in rising to the level of the times and the expectations of the people.”
‘It is a difficult day. A bad day for Egypt and the revolution; separating two eras – both of which are nightmarish.’
Qatari news channel Al-Jazeera writes in its Internet headline that Morsi “threatens revolution if the runoff elections are falsified.”
London-based Al-Hayat, usually cautious in its headlines, writes that the decision is a ‘soft constitutional coup’ that confuses the political scene in Egypt. The daily notes that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) canceled the new constitutional assembly elected by the parliament this week. “This would practically mean marginalizing the elected president by reducing his powers, if the results do not please SCAF,” the daily writes.
Establishment daily Al-Ahram writes only that Thursday’s court ruling was “interesting” whereas independent Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reports “armored vehicles, demonstrators and anger” outside the court building.
“the military council perpetrated a coup against the Egyptian revolution using ‘soft power’ rather than tanks and armored vehicles.”
In editorials, descriptions of Thursday’s events go from general expressions of wonder to very specific accusations of guilt.
“A huge surprise, a blow that will create high waves in Egypt’s political life,” muses A-Sharq Al-Awsat columnist Mushary Al-Thaidy, blaming the Muslim Brotherhood of hypocrisy for ‘rediscovering’ the language of revolution after having called the Tahrir protesters ‘anarchists’ during the last months.
“Did the Muslim Brotherhood rush to monopolize the entire political cake, antagonizing allies and scaring everyone, especially those observing their vengeful parliamentary conduct?”
But for Al-Quds Al-Arabi editor-in-chief Abd Al-Bari Atwan, although the Muslim Brotherhood “made mistakes,” the main villain is the SCAF, not the Brotherhood.
“It seems as though the military council perpetrated a coup against the Egyptian revolution using ‘soft power’ rather than tanks and armored vehicles. It did not occupy the radio and television building and publish communique number one. Therefore, it should be answered in the same way,” writes Atwan.
“It is Mubarak’s regime and his security, judicial and media apparatuses which currently rule Egypt,” he continues. “The revolution is confined to Tahrir Square. The revolutionaries demonstrate and shout slogans while the Military Council plans and carries out. What happened yesterday is the best example of this.”
Syria: UN monitors visit ransacked village
Arab dailies are widely covering the violent crackdown by Syrian government forces on the village of Haffa, and the arrival of UN monitors at the scene.
“Syria: a bloody day in Duma and explosions rock Damascus,” reads the headline of A-Sharq Al-Awsat, which features of photo of a UN monitor walking through the debris of a house in Haffa. The daily goes on to quote the opposition Free Syrian Army as saying that 100-120 soldiers are defecting daily from the government army.
‘Putin cannot stop regime change from happening in Syria. One way or another, Assad knows he will be out of power in Syria in the future.’
A-Sharq Al-Awsat columnist Amir Taheri writes that Russian President Vladimir Putin has adopted a cold war policy towards the Middle East.
“Putin cannot stop regime change from happening in Syria. One way or another, Assad knows he will be out of power in Syria in the future. However, Putin can slow the speed of transition in Syria, which will raise the price Syrians will pay to gain freedom,” writes Taheri.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Majeed writes in Saudi-owned news site Elaph that the brutality of the recent Syrian massacres proves that the Assad regime has given up hope of regaining control of the situation on the ground. The Syrian opposition’s goal at this point, he adds, is to divide the ranks of the Syrian army and break the regime’s morale.