Egyptian Islamic Jihad Calls
For State of Emergency

Leaders of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) demanded that President Mohammed Morsi declare a state of emergency in Egypt if those protesting his constitutional declaration continue to use violence and to attack the state’s institutions.

About This Article

Summary : As violence flares up in Egypt between opposition protesters and government supporters, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad group has called on President Mohammed Morsi to declare a state of emergency to confront his opponents, Ghada Mohammad al-Sharif reports. Publisher: Al-Masry Al-Youm (Egypt) Original Title: The Egyptian Islamic Jihad Demands Morsi to Declare a State of Emergency to Confront his Opponents Author: Ghada Mohammad al-Sharif First Published: December 6, 2012 Posted on: December 6 2012 Translated by: Joelle El-Khoury Categories : Egypt   Security

The group also declared jihad against any attempts to undermine the state’s legitimacy and attempts to use thuggery against the elected president and Islamists.

Senior EIJ leader Osama Qasem said that Morsi must declare a state of emergency or implement martial law against those using violence, since it is his legal obligation to protect state institutions from any attack or violation of legitimacy. He also demanded that Morsi not backtrack on his recent decisions.

Qasem told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the jihadist movement would respond to any acts of vandalism with force, and that any use of force will be deterred with force. He added that most Islamic currents have taken the same position in order to defend the president and his legitimacy.

He continued, “Complying with the coercion and tyranny of the minority would spread chaos.”

Qasem noted that they were participating in million-man rallies to support the president, and stressed the importance of rejecting any attempts to harm public institutions or to insult the president.

He said that the reason behind the tension among the opposition forces is that Morsi has neglected signs of corruption, which has led to a growing opposition camp. He added that Morsi has not pursued those responsible for sectarian strife, and hasn’t retrieved a single penny of funds smuggled outside Egypt. This has led to mounting tension in the hearts of his opponents.

Mohamed Abu Samra, secretary-general of the EIJ-affiliated Safety and Development Party, said that the jihadist movement announced jihad will be launched as soon as the legitimacy and the elected president are overthrown, thuggery is used and democracy is attacked. He explained that their jihad was designed to defend the people’s right to choose their elected president.

He told Al-Masry Al-Youm that leading figures in the jihadist movement will continued to meet with Islamic forces to decide on a date and location for the massive million-man rally that will be organized to protect the legitimacy of the president and to support holding a referendum on the constitution on time.