An Open Letter to the Supporters of the Egyptian Army

Dear Supporters of Egyptian army,

Congratulations on successfully overthrowing Egypt’s first democratically elected president and his government for being too “Islamic”. By aiding the army you have proved that Egyptians will no longer stand dictatorship, oppression or the Muslim Brotherhood. It is now evident that the Egyptian people are awake and aware of what is happening around them, and that they will do whatever they can to be heard by the local and international rulers.

Allow me to recall the events on 30 June 2012. Massive protests were held throughout Egypt demanding the resignation of Mohammad Morsi and an end to his “dictatorial regime”. The heart of these protests was the historic Tahrir Square, where just one year ago, people had gathered with similar aims and succeeded in ending a 30-year rule of Hosni Mobarak. The same chant of “The people want to topple the regime” was the highlight of the anti-Morsi protests. The reason you came out was Morsi’s controversial presidential decree which made him immune from judicial interference and the new constitution, which you thought was too “Islamic” even though it was approved through a referendum by the Egyptian public. You had full support of the opposition parties like the National Salvation Front and even the army. At least 5 people were killed on that day as a result of clashes with the pro-Morsi demonstrators. At no point did the police use force to disperse your protests. Morsi accepted the right to peaceful protests and only demanded that you respect the law. Even in his last speech, a day before the “coup”,  Morsi called for a national dialog and urged for reconciliation. Alas, his calls fell on deaf ears, as you would not accept any solution other than his resignation. Besides, the army had already hinted at a coup if the matters were not resolved. And so it was that on the 3rd of July, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced the removal of Morsi, suspension of the government and the constitution, and the appointment of an interim government.

Now let me remind you of what happened on 14 August 2013, last Wednesday. Massive protests and sit-ins have been held, ever since the coup, in support of the now-removed President Morsi. After several threats by the government and the military, and the failure of negotiations, the inevitable happened in a rather shocking way. The people at the sit-in had expected a crackdown and had prepared for it, but no one would have thought that the army would simply just barge in the sit-ins to disperse them and murder their own people. Nearly 2200 people were killed that day, most of them being pro-Morsi protesters, but only 638 killings have been recognized by the government. Hundreds more have been killed in the following days, and they continue to be killed and arrested as I write this. Even when they are arrested, they are attacked by “angry mobs”. A state of emergency has been declared and a curfew has been imposed in some cities. The government and military have also asked the Egyptian people to come out and support them in their fight against “terrorism”, implying that the protesters who demand the reinstatement of a democratically and legally elected president are in fact; terrorists. The government is considering disbanding Muslim Brotherhood, most of its leaders are already either under arrest or killed.

After comparing the two events, their backgrounds and their aftermath, I find it ironic that Morsi is the one who is being held captive at an undisclosed location for the supposed “premeditated murder of some prisoners” back in 2011; while El-Sisi and the interim government continue their killing spree with backing from the Egyptian liberals and some neighboring countries.

This leads me to my question, was Morsi really that bad? No human being is perfect and Morsi was no angel either, he had his flaws and shortcomings. But was he so bad that you couldn’t even survive one year under him when you had suffered for 30 years before him? Was he so bad that you had to go out and give power back to the same people from whom it was snatched by the Egyptian people two years ago? Was he so bad that you abandoned your own principles of democracy, humanity, tolerance, freedom of speech and expression, rationalism and peace? Was he so bad that you had to stoop as low as trying to justify the massacre of more than 2000 people by calling them terrorists? Did you think that the economy of Egypt would improve and you would all become millionaires overnight? Do you think that only you have the right to take part in democratic elections or holding peaceful protests? Do you think that your double standards and hypocrisy cannot be seen by the people?

You lost whatever dignity and credibility you had left the moment you stepped out of your homes to demand the resignation of Morsi. The blood of the victims of the Rabi’aa massacre and all those who are being killed or tortured by the Egyptian army is on your hands. You are the one who “hijacked the revolution” and shred it to pieces, not the Muslim Brotherhood. You gave back power to the military; you acted as a tool for them and gave them an excuse to commit these heinous crimes publicly. You are responsible for this and no amount of resignations can change that. The army is not your friend, they fooled you and they used you to achieve their own personal interests and they will abandon you when they feel that you are no longer needed.

But you should know that his struggle is far from over.  Muslim Brotherhood and the supporters of democracy will not go down this easily. If they succeed and Morsi is reinstated, he will not have a soft corner for you. And if they don’t, and a new government is formed, it is just a matter of time before the army does something which goes against your “principles”. Then you will stand up against them and you too will be butchered. And God forbid when that day comes, you would do well to remember that you brought this upon yourselves.

Sincerely,

A shocked and disappointed observer.