Egypt moves on but extremely slowly. There is no actual civil war but it is a house divided and if the situation continues, it will fall. Undoubtedly, the army-backed anti-Morsi faction is on top. An Egyptian court recently sentenced the leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie and 682 supporters to death. It has intensified a crackdown on the movement that could trigger protest and political violence in the next month preceding the much-awaited election. The Brotherhood has been the target of raids, arrests and bans since the army forced President Mohammed Morsi from power in July. Brotherhood members fear that pressure from security forces and the courts could drive young members against the movement’s old enemy, the Egyptian state. Badie, a conservative hardliner was charged with crimes including incitement to violence that followed the overthrow of Morsi. Mohammed Morsi is himself on trial on an array of charges.
Badie affirmed that if the authorities executed him a thousand times, he would not retreat from the right path. Tough measures against the Muslim Brotherhood suggest the ruling government still sees it as a major threat even though most of its leaders are behind bars. An Egyptian court also banned a group which helped ignite the uprising toppling Hosni Mubarak in 2011. It has further tightened the grip on dissent on the eve of the election. It is accused of having conspired against Egypt to serve foreign powers. However, because of the crisis in Central Europe, the West and the US are unlikely to exert influence on the coming election.
