RSS Feed
December 1st, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda Are you there? Share photos and video, but stay safe.
Cairo (CNN) — Egypt’s Islamist-dominated constitutional assembly on Saturday handed the new draft constitution to President Mohamed Morsy, Egyptian state TV reported, as both supporters and protesters filled Cairo’s streets for massive rallies.
The official document will be published Sunday in government newspapers, said Hossam al-Gheryani, the head of the Constituent Assembly.
The 85-man assembly tasked with drafting the new constitution gave its final approval to the document Friday after 21 hours of haggling and the passage of all 234 articles.
Morsy’s allies dominate the assembly, and both critics and observers said they were likely to help consolidate Morsy’s power.
An Egyptian man delivers a speech as protesters gather in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday, November 30.
A man shouts as protesters gather in Tahrir Square on November 30.
A man holds a copy of the Koran and a cross in Tahrir Square on November 30.
Protesters run from Egyptian riot police during clashes near Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Wednesday, November 28. Police fired tear gas into the square, where several hundred protesters spent the night after a mass rally to denounce President Mohamed Morsy’s assumption of expanded powers. Activists have been camping out in Tahrir Square since November 23.
A protester carries a rock during clashes with police on Wednesday.
Egyptians carry a giant national flag as tens of thousands take part in a mass rally in Cairo on Tuesday, November 27, against a decree by President Mohamed Morsy granting himself broad powers.
An Egyptian protester holds up a Quran and a figure of Christ on the cross during Tuesday’s demonstration.
Protesters continue to rally in Tahrir Square on Tuesday.
An Egyptian protester attempts to throw back a tear gas canister on Tuesday during clashes with riot police in Omar Makram Street, off Tahrir Square.
Activists in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Monday, November 26, carry the coffin of Gaber Salah, an activist who died overnight after he was critically injured in clashes in Cairo. Salah, a member of the April 6 movement known by his nickname “Jika,” was injured last week during confrontations between police and protesters on Cairo’s Mohammed Mahmud street.
Thousands of activists attend the funeral of Gaber Salah on Monday.
Protesters clash with Egyptian police at Simon Bolivar Square on Sunday, November 25, in Cairo. Egypt’s powerful Muslim Brotherhood called nationwide demonstrations in support of Islamist President Mohamed Morsy in his showdown with the judges over the path to a new constitution.
Egyptian protesters hurl stones at police at Tahrir Square on Sunday.
Protesters gather at sit-in tents in Tahrir Square on Sunday.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy waves to supporters in front of the presidential palace in Cairo on Friday, November 23. Thousands of ecstatic supporters gathered outside the presidential palace to defend their leader against accusations from rival protesters that he has become a dictator.
Morsy supporters gather outside the presidential palace in Cairo on Friday. Morsy insisted that Egypt was on the path to “freedom and democracy,” as protesters held rival rallies over sweeping powers he assumed that further polarized the country’s political forces.
Protesters demonstrating against Morsy run from tear gas fired by Egyptian riot police during clashes in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday.
Egyptian protesters throw rocks toward riot police on Friday
Egyptian supporters and opponents of Morsy clash in the coastal city of Alexandria on Friday.
A man throws a rock during clashes in Alexandria on Friday.
Thousands of demonstrators march through the streets of Cairo to protest against Morsy on Friday.
Clashes rocked the coastal city of Alexandria on Friday.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Egyptians protest president’s powers
Egyptian women protest against Morsy
Egyptian council approves constitution
Making sense of Egypt’s political crisis
Sign of the times in Egypt
Thousands of the president’s supporters packed the streets around Cairo University on Saturday ahead of marches organized by Morsy’s party, the Freedom and Justice Party. They carried banners with Morsy’s photo, waved the Egyptian flag and chanted their support.
Two million-man marches Saturday are intended to bolster Morsy’s support after more than a week of protests against him, which saw stones fly, demonstrators and police clash and clouds of tear gas waft through Tahrir Square in central Cairo.
The two pro-Morsy processions were to converge early in the afternoon at al-Nahda Square in the university’s neighborhood, which lies across the Nile River from Tahrir Square.
The Islamists are joined in Giza by 18 groups that have announced their participation in the pro-Morsy rally. Most are religious groups but others include the Egyptian Revolution’s Alliance, the Revolutionary Front to Protect the Revolution and the Coalition of the January 25th Youth.
Opposition factions have renewed their call for continued anti-government protests, which were to start near daybreak. But by noon, Tahrir Square, which was packed on previous days, was relatively empty.
Seeds of Egypt’s past sown long ago
Morsy sparked days of protests last week after he issued an order banning courts from overturning any decisions he has made since taking office.
Many saw it as an overbearing grab for autocratic power. Morsy described it as a necessary move to fight judges loyal to the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak who were blocking progress in government.
Some judges had threatened to disband the constitutional assembly.
After discontent raged over Morsy’s decree, the assembly sped up its work, further fueling suspicions of a power grab. Christian, liberal and leftist constituents left the assembly in protest and many were replaced by Islamists.
Some experts saw Friday’s vote on the national charter as a move by Morsy to dissolve his own unpopular edict quickly, which he promised would become null and void as soon as a new constitution is in place.
Opinion: Don’t blame Muslim Brotherhood for Morsy power grab
Whether the draft constitution will move Egypt toward being a freer and more open society is still in question, experts say.
Citizens will vote in two weeks to either ratify or defeat it in a referendum.
Some experts see the public vote as a referendum on Morsy’s government. Morsy was elected in June after the popular uprising in 2011 that toppled Mubarak, but his recent moves increased suspicions of misappropriation of power that began with his narrow election win.
A quick glimpse at the constitution’s articles show language dealing with individuals’ civil rights, particularly how security forces and the justice system treats them.
There is wording prohibiting arbitrary arrest and detention and ensuring due process, a sensitive topic in Egypt. Mubarak and his loyalists are blamed for jailing and harshly mistreating innocent people in the years before and especially during last year’s uprising.
One article stipulates that no one in jail can be interrogated without an attorney present, and if detainees don’t have one, the judicial system must appoint one. It says phone conversations, electronic correspondence and other communication cannot be taped without a warrant.
Protesters to Morsy: Roll back your decree or leave
While the articles sound democratic, the fine print indicates otherwise, some independent rights experts say.
“Moving a flawed and contradictory draft to a vote is not the right way to guarantee fundamental rights or to promote respect for the rule of law,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
He told CNN on Friday that key rights are ignored in the draft.
“It guarantees ‘freedom of expression,’ but you cannot insult the prophet. You cannot defame the prophet,” Stork said.
Some critics argue the constitution could move Egypt closer to Sharia law. Mohamed Naeem, a member of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, said it opens the way for a theocracy.
The preamble includes language pertaining to women, saying they are equal to men, but it also accentuates their role as mothers.
Heba Morayef, the Egypt director for Human Rights Watch, argued that the language regarding women is too vague. She worries that the mention of women’s family role will trump other freedoms.
The United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, urged Morsy to reconsider the draft, saying a number of measures contained in it are incompatible with international human rights law.
Opinion: A new Egypt must learn political compromise
CNN’s Reza Sayah, Amir Ahmed and Ben Brumfield contributed to this report.
Source Article from http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/01/world/meast/egypt-protests/index.html?eref=edition
Posted in 
