Blog 7: Egypt prosecutor orders third mass trial for 919 islamists

Summary:

This past Wednesday, the chief prosecutor in Egypt ordered mass trials for 919 Islamists.  The people are collectively facing many charges, including murder, centering around protests against the removal of Mohamed Morsi.  Morsi was removed by the military in July which brought great uproar to his supporters, specifically the Muslim Brotherhood.  The trials are all connected to the violent aftermath of two sit-ins in Cairo.  More than 600 people were killed in the break-up, which lead to days of violent behavior.  Rioters attacked police stations, government installations, and churches in towns around Egypt, and hundreds died.  Now Egypt is holding group trials charging hundreds of people at once for the crimes.  Egypt continues to move forward with the trials even though groups from the UN, EU and US have expressed intense criticism. 

Analysis:

This is another incident when multiple social issues come to light.  In July of 2013, the military removed Morsi from power, the event that sparked the violence.  Morsi was known for making statements against other religions apart from Islam, specifically Judaism.  The Muslim Brotherhood has become one of Morsi’s biggest supporters, organizing sit-ins and other civil disturbances that progressed into violence.  The violence which sprung out of the somewhat peaceful sit-ins shows the effects of mob mentality, and gives us a clear picture of how easily peaceful civil disobedience can turn into violent riots targeting government and legislative forces.  There are also some aspects of globalization at play, with the UN, EU, and US and their civil rights groups criticizing the way the trials are being held.  There are also definite aspects of religious division at play.  The removal of Morsi, whether it was intended to be, has become an issue of Islamist support.  The mainly Muslim supporters are all being grouped together and each held responsible for the deaths and damages of the riots.  Many are seeing this as a political and religious target against these people.  The group, which has been called one of the most organized religious, political, and social groups, recently became legalized as the Freedom and Justice Party.  They had elected Morsi into the presidency.  Since their rise to power, they have been at odds with the mostly secular military.  Tensions have only recently boiled over with the removal of Morsi from his position and the suspension of the constitution. The recent trials only further the polarizing issues between radical religious-political groups and the secular government forces in Egypt. 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/26/egypt-prosecutor-third-mass-trial-919