Egypt needs calm after tragic deaths

Posted by Javed Iqbal

Egypt’s interim government finally ran out of patience with the Muslim Brotherhood supporters who have been camping out in permanent protest at the dismissal of former president Mohammad Mursi.
After weeks of seeking an accommodation with the Islamists, the government finally started to end the protests by sending in bulldozers to remove the mounds of sand, brick walls and barricades. But the initially peaceful start became violent and tens of people were killed as the protesters resisted the army’s ending of their action.
These tragic deaths should be an urgent call to all Egyptians who will know that such loss is wrong. The many people who died yesterday should not be allowed to die in vain and the whole of Egypt should now unite to find a peaceful way forward to find a new inclusive politics that will welcome all strands of Egypt’s complex society.
It is important that the interim government works hard to avoid further deaths, and is as reasonable as possible, so that further polarisation is avoided. The Brotherhood supporters are deeply angry that their chance at power has been taken away, and they will make as much of their fall as they can in an increasingly hopeless quest to seek the restitution of Mursi as president. They need to recognise that this will not happen and move on. They need to be prepared to take part in the new Egypt, in which they will have an important stake as long as they and all other parties welcome the inclusive nature of democratic government.
President Adly Mansour has promised an inclusive review of the deeply flawed constitution drawn up under Mursi, as well as elections for parliament and the presidency within six months. This brisk programme may be difficult, but Mansour must show that this is the direction in which the interim government is moving. In order to move forward all parties have to accept Egypt’s new political realities and make them work for the best.
(Courtesy Gulf News)