By: Nelson Abdullah
Conscience of a Conservative

Jihad Watch has two interesting columns today on the latest events taking place in Egypt. The thing I find interesting is that the newly elected Muslim Brotherhood candidate, President Mohamad Morsi, has been issuing decrees granting himself dictatorial powers and the people in Egypt have been rioting in the streets in protest – BUT – our very own Muslim-in-Chief Barack Hussein Obama has also been issuing decrees via his Executive Orders granting himself the same dictatorial powers – and NO ONE in America has come out in protest. Here are the two stories from Jihad Watch and an additional observation from me:

Sharia police state coming to Egypt: Morsi to pass law granting military power of arrest
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/12/sharia-police-state-coming-to-egypt-morsi-to-pass-law-granting-military-power-of-arrest.html

A law clearly designed to make it easier to dispose of the tens of thousands of anti-Sharia protesters. “Morsy to pass law granting military power of arrest,” by Liliana Mihaila for Daily News Egypt, December 8 (thanks to Lookmann):

President Mohamed Morsy is expected to ratify a law giving the military many of the police’s powers, according to state-run media outlet Al Ahram.

According to Al Ahram, the cabinet approved the draft law at its last meeting and it is now awaiting Morsy’s approval. The law contains four articles that give the military similar powers to the police, including the power to arrest civilians.

Under Morsy’s constitutional declaration none of his decision are subject to judicial review.

The law is set to grant the military these powers throughout the period from the referendum on the proposed constitution up to the parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to take place sixty days after the approval of the constitution.

According to Al Ahram, the law calls on the armed forces to coordinate with the police to “maintain security and protect vital installations in the country.” The law also grants military officers and non-commissioned officers “all the powers of judicial arrest.”

Heba Morayef, the Egypt director for Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Morsy needs the military because “recently we have seen several occasions when the police have not responded to the presidents’ demands.”

Morayef expressed concern about the proposed law saying, “there are two reasons why this is so problematic. Firstly, civilians arrested by military officers could be subject to military trial, and secondly there is no civilian oversight on the military.” She added, “it is much more dangerous, it is an invitation for abuse.”

Read the rest here.

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Morsi supporters: “Now is the time to fight for Islam”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/12/morsi-supporters-now-is-the-time-to-fight-for-islam.html

Here again we see that what the government and mainstream media are intent on ignoring and downplaying as a factor in the political turmoil of Egypt and elsewhere is identified by the group creating that turmoil as being what it is all about: Islam.

“Morsi supporters urge fight for Islam,” by Borzou Daragahi in the Financial Times, December 7:

Islamist backers of Mohamed Morsi are resorting to religious rhetoric to galvanise support for the Egyptian president as the country’s political stand-off showed little sign of resolution.

Supporters and opponents of Mr Morsi held competing mass rallies in Cairo on Friday, as opposition anger deepened over the president’s decision to strengthen his powers and rush through a new constitution.

Pro-government clergy took over the pulpit at al Azhar mosque, the country’s premier house of worship, and urged thousands of supporters of Mr Morsi to fight not for a president or a new constitution but for their religion.

“Now is the battle for Islam,” a Morsi supporter told thousands gathered at the mosque for the funeral for at least two members of the Muslim Brotherhood killed during street clashes with secular rivals this week. “Now is the time to fight for Islam.”…

State television reported clashes between supporters and opponents of Mr Morsi outside the al-Qaed Ibrahim mosque in Egypt’s second city of Alexandria. Opponents of the president burnt down offices of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party, including its headquarters in southeastern Cairo and a large office in the Cairo suburb of Maadi. Gihad Haddad, adviser to Mr Morsi, said on his Twitter page that dozens of offices affiliated with the Brotherhood and its political party had been attacked in recent days.

Read the rest here.

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One of the Jihad Watch readers posted a comment comparing Morsi to Hitler and I added this reply:

Morsi is comparable to Hitler? Morsi is comparable to Barack Hussein Obama! Forget Hitler, he’s dead. Obama is alive and he has been doing the same things as Morsi has. I’m amazed that no one has been making the comparison. I am also amazed that so many Egyptians have become so vocal in their protests to the dictatorial powers that Morsi has proclaimed yet there have been no demonstrations outside the White House when Obama issued his Executive Orders granting himself the power to take over the transportation and commerce and utilities here at home. Morsi declared the military the power to arrest and detain Egyptians and Obama requested and received the same authority in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. All we got was a blizzard of blogger comments. The only thing that Morsi did that Obama hasn’t done was declare his rule to be above judicial review, but Obama has a weak-kneed Republican House and an unindicted co-conspirator running the Justice Dept.

My name is Nelson Abdullah and I am Oldironsides.