Supporters of former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood-linked government clashed in Egypt today, as demonstrators held what Brotherhood leaders dubbed “Friday of Martyrs” marches. Brotherhood sources said late Friday that one person was killed and over 50 were injured today’s protests, which took place a week after Brotherhood-led “Day of Rage” protests during which over 60 people were killed.
Meanwhile Egyptian security forces arrested some 40 people for involvement in what the Daily Beast describes as “the Muslim Brotherhood’s war on Coptic Christians.”
The domestic reaction to the clashes was described by the Washington Post today in a story headlined “Among many Egyptians, a dramatic shift in favor of the military”:
Hosny offers one clue to a question that has baffled many non-Egyptians: How can a country that revolted against an autocratic regime less than three years ago now embrace strong-armed military rule? A broad swath of Egyptians has supported the July 3 ouster of Morsi and the military crackdown on his allied Muslim Brotherhood movement, which sparked clashes that have killed about 1,000 civilians in 10 days. Much of the public staunchly defends the military’s actions, including a brutal dispersal of two pro-Morsi sit-ins and the sweeping arrests of Brotherhood leaders, including four more Thursday…
Like many Egyptians, Hosny blames the Brotherhood for the violence that has convulsed his country since the coup. “Most of the people believe the police and military are standing by the people’s side,” he said…
The military crackdown will undoubtedly harm the economy further. But several people working in Cairo’s downtown shops said they supported the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by the military-backed interim government. “Of course we are OK with it,” said Hosny, whose cafe has lost half its business. “We want the country to be fixed.”
The army’s recent arrest of the Brotherhood’s supreme guide Mohammed Badie was broadly hailed by Egyptian media, with several television network presenters congratulating Egyptians on the development, and one journalist calling the arrest “joyful news.”
[Photo: sweet mustache / Flickr]