Excerpts: Egypt's constitution-amending committee. Egypt crackdown on
Brotherhood and Sinai militants continues September 04, 2013

+++SOURCE: Ahramonline via Egypt Daily News 4 Sept.’13:”Secular political
forces satisfied with Egypt’s constitution-amending committee”,Zeinab
El-Guindy

SUBJECT: Egypt’s constitution-amending committee

QUOTE:”constitution-ammending committee has been mostly criticized by
Islamist groups and praised by many secular political groups”

FULL TEXT:Socialist Popular Alliance Party and Egyptian Social Democratic
Party, among other political groups, say 50-member committee representative
of Egyptian people; Salafist Nour Party critiques minimal Islamist
representation

Egypt's newly formed 50-member constitution-amending committee has been
mostly criticised by Islamist groups and praised by many secular political
groups.

The makeup of the committee, announced Sunday by the presidency, includes
only a few Islamists and critics of the ouster of ex-president Mohamed Morsi
by the army on 3 July following mass popular protests.

Abdel Ghafar Shukr, the leader of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party,
praised the new constitutional amendment committee in press statements on
Monday, describing it as being representative of all Egyptians.

"Most of the committee's members have been elected through authorities and
syndicates, like the representatives of the students unions, syndicates of
journalists and lawyers, as well as the members of political parties," said
the Leftist politician, adding that public figures selected for the
committee also represent Egyptian society.

Ayman Abu-Ela, Secretary of Parliamentary Affairs in the Egyptian Social
Democratic Party, expressed his complete satisfaction with the formation of
the 50- member committee.

"The committee was chosen carefully when it comes to diversity," he said in
a statement on Monday, praising the representation of youth in the
committee.

However, Abu-Ela believes there should be a larger representation of women
in the committee, which currently includes five women.

Mohamed Abu El-Ghar, leader of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, is a
member of the committee as a representative of liberal powers.

The 'Rebel' (Tamarod) group, which called for the 30 June nationwide
protests that paved the way for the armed forces to topple Morsi, also
praised the make-up of the 50-member constitution committee.

Mai Wahba, a spokesperson for the group, told Al-Ahram’s Arabic website on
Monday that the committee was diverse and representative, saying that the
anti-Morsi Rebel campaign's proposals have largely been met.

Two of the 'Rebel' campaign's founders, Mahmoud Badr and Mohamed Abdel-Aziz,
have been included in the committee.

'Illegitimate'

On the other hand, the Salafist Nour Party filed a complaint in a statement
earlier on Monday, saying that the newly formed constitutional committee
marginalises the Islamist current. The party added that it is still
evaluating the situation and "all options are on the table."

"The formation of the committee is really bad and reflects the domination of
the leftist-Nasserist faction," the Nour statement reads.

The Nour Party has approved the roadmap that was announced by army-chief
Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi following the removal of president Morsi from office.

The Salafist party has warned that eliminating certain articles from the
suspended-2012 constitution concerning Sharia law is an attempt to move
Egyptians away from their "Islamic identity."

Alaa Abu El-Nasr, general secretary of the Building and Development Party,
the political arm of the ultra-conservative Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyaa, has
criticised the announcement of the 50-member committee's formation, saying
that it does not give legitimacy to the current interim-government.

"The current regime does not have any democratic legitimacy. Our position
following the ousting of president Morsi is clear; we consider the amendment
of the constitution illegitimate," said the member of the Building and
Development Party, adding that his party has refused any part in the
committee.

"How could the people accept an unelected constituent assembly when the
opposition in the time of president Morsi used to attack a constituent
assembly chosen by an elected president," Abu El Nasr said.

The Building and Development Party and Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyaa are founding
members of the Muslim Brotherhood-led coalition.

The coalition, named the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy, has
already declared its complete refusal to adhere to the roadmap announced by
Egypt's interim government after the ousting of Morsi.

The Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, has been critical of the
suspension of the 2012 constitution and any moves to revise it since Morsi's
ouster.

Presidential spokesman Ihab Badawi announced on Sunday the composition of
the 50-member committee that has been tasked with amending the suspended
2012 constitution.

The committee will examine amendments drawn up by a separate group of legal
experts formed in July, and is to produce a final draft of the constitution
within 60 days.

Interim President Adly Mansour will then put the constitution to a national
referendum within 30 days of receiving the final draft. It will become
effective upon public approval.

The 2012 constitution was suspended as part of the roadmap put forth by the
Egyptian armed forces, together with political groups and public figures.

Under Morsi, Egypt's non-Islamist political forces have repeatedly argued
the suspended constitution was not representative of all layers of society
and limited many freedoms, blaming the majority Islamist members of the
outgoing constituent assembly for ignoring their recommendations.

+++SOURCE:Jordan Times 3 Sept.’13: “Egypt court jails 52 Brotherhood members
as army targets Sinai militants”, Agence France Presse

SUBJECT: Egypt crackdown on Brotherhood and Sinai militants continues

FULL TEXT:CAIRO — An Egypt military court Tuesday[3 Sept.] gave a life
sentence to a Muslim Brotherhood member and sentenced 51 more to jail for
attacking soldiers in Suez following Mohamed Morsi’s July ouster.

The sentences come as army helicopters killed eight militants and wounded 15
in intensive air strikes in the restive Sinai Peninsula where it has battled
a semi-insurgency since Morsi was deposed on July 3.

The ousted Islamist president’s supporters had called for nationwide
protests on Tuesday[3 Sept.] against his overthrow.

One Brotherhood member was given a life term — the first imposed since the
military toppled Morsi — three got 15 years in prison and 48 were sentenced
to terms ranging from five to 10 years.

Twelve were acquitted, the army said.

The defendants were accused of “aggression” against the army in the canal
port city of Suez last month.

They were also accused of shooting at and using violence against the army in
Suez on August 14 following a military crackdown that day on Morsi
supporters in Cairo.

The military had further accused the defendants of carrying guns and
throwing petrol bombs at soldiers.

The court delivered Tuesday’s[3 Sept.] verdict after two hearings held on
August 24 and 26.

On August 14, the military and police cracked down on Morsi supporters in
the capital’s Rabaa Al Adawiya and Nahda squares, killing hundreds of
people.

It was the deadliest such crackdown in Egypt’s recent history.

Since then, the authorities have carried out a relentless pursuit of
Islamists in which more than 1,000 people have been killed and some 2,000
Brotherhood members arrested.

The Brotherhood’s supreme guide, Mohamed Badie, is also under arrest, and
Morsi himself has been in custody since his ouster.

On Tuesday[3Sept.], a helicopter assault in the Sinai Peninsula killed eight
militants and wounded 15, security sources said.

They said air strikes near the Rafah crossing into the Palestinian
Islamist-ruled Gaza Strip were ongoing, adding that the target was militants
using the area as a hideout.

The region has seen an increase in clashes between militants and security
forces since Morsi was ousted.

A security source told AFP the air operation was the “biggest aerial assault
of its kind in Sinai”.

Witnesses said Apache helicopters bombed several villages south of Rafah
when the operation began at around 9:00 am (0700 GMT).

They said the raids wounded four people and destroyed six houses.

Militants have launched near-daily attacks on police and army facilities in
Sinai, a region mostly populated by Bedouins who are often in conflict with
the central authorities.

On August 19, militants killed 25 policemen in an attack on two buses
heading for Rafah.

Meanwhile, troops sealed off roads to Cairo’s Rabaa Al Adawiya Square ahead
of planned Islamist marches, state media reported.

The official MENA news agency reported military vehicles stationed at
entrances to the northern Cairo square, an opposition symbol after the
August 14 crackdown.

The measure comes after Morsi supporters called for nationwide
demonstrations two months to the day since his overthrow.

Soldiers also blocked entrances to Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square, MENA
reported.

On Monday[2 Sept.], the Brotherhood-led anti-coup alliance said
demonstrations would be held under the slogan “The coup is terrorism”.

But the alliance’s ability to mobilise supporters has greatly waned because
of the sweeping arrests of the Brotherhood’s senior leaders detained since
mid-August.

Also on Tuesday[3 Sept.], a Cairo court ordered the closure of four
television channels, including Al Jazeera Egypt and Ahrar 25, a network
belonging to the Brotherhood.

Two other channels to be taken off the air are the Islamist broadcasters Al
Yarmouk and Al Quds, according to the court order.

The closure orders come a day after Islamist broadcaster Al Hafez was
ordered shut after being accused of “inciting hatred” against Coptic
Christians and “undermining national unity”.

Ahrar 25 was among several Islamist networks shut down soon after Morsi’s
ouster.

Tuesday’s[3 Sept. order against Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr comes two days
after Cairo expelled three foreign freelancers working for the Doha-based
network’s English-language channel.

Egypt’s authorities have accused Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr of bias in its
reporting of the coup that toppled Morsi.

The channel has previously complained that the security forces raided its
Cairo offices and seized equipment.

=========
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA