Following Wednesday’s dramatic
developments the Egyptian authorities began to mount a crackdown against the
Muslim Brotherhood.
A wanted list featuring the names of
hundreds of Islamists was reportedly circulated by the security services.
Several aides of Mohamed Morsi, who is currently being detained at an
undisclosed location, have already been rounded up.
In a highly unusual move which risks
inflaming Egypt’s political crisis even further, authorities swooped on Mohamed
Badie, the Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide, as he stayed in a villa on the
Mediterranean coast.
Along with Khairat el-Shater, the onetime
presidential contender for whom an arrest warrant has reportedly been issued,
Mr Badie stands accused of inciting the clashes which killed eight protesters
outside the group’s headquarters on Sunday night.
Amid the post-revolutionary glow of the
millions who marched against Morsi, the arrests may be of little concern.
But others are not so sanguine. “Often
there is no explanation of why the arrests are being carried out, what the
legal basis is and who is ordering them,” said one NGO director.
With the Brotherhood preparing to rally
its supporters this afternoon, it may soon become clearer what effect the
crackdown will have on Egypt’s Islamists.
For Gehad el-Haddad, a leading figure
within the group whose father was one of those detained by the authorities, the
righteousness of the Brotherhood’s position is straightforward.
“Our cause is just,” he said, talking amid
the throng at the Nasr City rally. “This is a military coup against a
democratically-elected president.”
