Suspend all aid to Morsi\'s Egypt
Dear Senators and Representatives;
The events taking place in Egypt, including the massive referendum taking place on a constitutional vote deserve some attention. On December 15, 2012 millions of Egyptians headed to the polling stations to vote on the adoption of a new constitution. The constitution itself is subject of considerable debate, having been drafted by an unrepresentative assembly dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, to which president Morsi belongs. During the course of the day, it has become apparent to observers on the ground that opposition to the constitution has been momentous. The reasons are clear. It grants the president sweeping powers over all branches of government, thus reversing the push for democracy in that country. While the details of the constitutional issues are in and of themselves not a subject of great interest to the American people, the events that have taken place on December 15 and the weeks leading up to that date should be of great concern.
Faced with the real possibility of losing the referendum, the Muslim Brotherhood and their Salafist allies have resorted to tactics that can only be termed as fascist in nature. Reports of voter obstruction, and organized violence perpetrated against ordinary people by Muslim Brotherhood militias have become commonplace. The targets are always the same. Attacks against reporters, women, Liberals, Christians, and other minorities are very well documented.
In spite of all these facts, the Obama administration has continued to provide economic support to the government of Egypt and surely has been influential in pushing for the approval of a $4.8 billion IMF loan package in November of this year. Much of that is paid for by the US taxpayer. The abuses of the rights of all those opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and the ensuing silence of the US government amounts to a moment of shame. Egypt is not on the road to democracy and stability and the Muslim Brotherhood is not well regarded by a sizable majority of the Egyptians. Their inclination towards violence, deception and intolerance are clear. It would be irresponsible to trust them.
We urge you to condemn in the strongest possible way the current behavior of the Muslim Brotherhood leadership and to support the suspension of all forms of aid to Egypt. President Morsi of Egypt has proven himself to be an extreme ideologue. Supporting him could prove to be very costly and morally untenable.
The events taking place in Egypt, including the massive referendum taking place on a constitutional vote deserve some attention. On December 15, 2012 millions of Egyptians headed to the polling stations to vote on the adoption of a new constitution. The constitution itself is subject of considerable debate, having been drafted by an unrepresentative assembly dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, to which president Morsi belongs. During the course of the day, it has become apparent to observers on the ground that opposition to the constitution has been momentous. The reasons are clear. It grants the president sweeping powers over all branches of government, thus reversing the push for democracy in that country. While the details of the constitutional issues are in and of themselves not a subject of great interest to the American people, the events that have taken place on December 15 and the weeks leading up to that date should be of great concern.
Faced with the real possibility of losing the referendum, the Muslim Brotherhood and their Salafist allies have resorted to tactics that can only be termed as fascist in nature. Reports of voter obstruction, and organized violence perpetrated against ordinary people by Muslim Brotherhood militias have become commonplace. The targets are always the same. Attacks against reporters, women, Liberals, Christians, and other minorities are very well documented.
In spite of all these facts, the Obama administration has continued to provide economic support to the government of Egypt and surely has been influential in pushing for the approval of a $4.8 billion IMF loan package in November of this year. Much of that is paid for by the US taxpayer. The abuses of the rights of all those opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and the ensuing silence of the US government amounts to a moment of shame. Egypt is not on the road to democracy and stability and the Muslim Brotherhood is not well regarded by a sizable majority of the Egyptians. Their inclination towards violence, deception and intolerance are clear. It would be irresponsible to trust them.
We urge you to condemn in the strongest possible way the current behavior of the Muslim Brotherhood leadership and to support the suspension of all forms of aid to Egypt. President Morsi of Egypt has proven himself to be an extreme ideologue. Supporting him could prove to be very costly and morally untenable.
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