So, Mohammed Mursi has been declared the winner of Egypt’s presidential election run-off. He was a long standing member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical hard line Islamic group who want to apply sharia law on a national and preferably a global one I imagine.
I did say “he was” as since as he became president of Egypt, he has left the group and there is some hope as he is US-educated engineering professor who taught at Zagazig University. I just hope that he leaves religion at the door of politics and tries to build a gender equal, free Egypt that was what the spirit of the people who initially rose up intended.
Though the ruling military and the judiciary have constrained Mr Morsi’s power by dissolving the Islamist-led parliament and restricting his authority over national security matters, he is still a force to be reckoned with.
I can’t say how this will all turn out but I think of the hard line people who helped Mr Mursi achieve power and I can’t believe with him having left that it will really be that simple. Expect to see a snowballing campaign of hatred against the millions of non-muslims and a slow but sure erosion of women’s rights.
I would be over-the-moon happy to be proved wrong but somehow I seriously doubt that will be the case.