Turmoil in Egypt

Trouble has been brewing for President Morsi for some time now. Ever since he declared his intention to call for a referendum on a new constitution due to be held on December 15, the country has been divided down the middle with Islamists on one side and everyone else on the other. With street battles raging in the country bringing back memories of the anti-Mubarak movement, the army has been called in to protect key government installations including the presidential palace. It is interesting to note that the army chief has called for talks on national unity, especially in the backdrop of an announcement by the International Monetary Fund to delay a crucial loan to the embattled Egyptian economy.
From what has been reported in the international press, it appears that Egypt is on a path of long-term civil unrest. Of course Morsi has made a conciliatory gesture by rescinding the special powers he had arrogated to himself. But then, he has still a long way to go in assuaging his opponenets. The fact that hundreds of thousands of ordinary Egyptians have thronged to the streets to protest against what they see as an attempt to re-establish one-party rule under the guise of Islam should be duly noted by those in power. The genie has been let out of the bottle during the anti-Mubarak movement and the force of peoples' power is still fresh in the minds of Egyptians.
President Morsi finds himself between a rock and a hard place. While he may have his reasons to try and bulldoze a new constitution onto his people, dissenting voices will not be silenced so easily. Of the many points of contention, conservative judges have been empowered to restrict “women's rights, freedom of religion, freedom of opinion and the press and the rights of the child.” Needless to say, these are sensitive issues but the Muslim brotherhood should well remember that having been given a democratic mandate, the party should try and reach out to those who aspire after secularist liberalism.