The document summarizes Egypt's political situation after the Arab Spring, including the adoption of a new constitution that grants the military greater authority, a referendum on the constitution that was criticized for not being free and fair, the dilemma faced by the Salafist party in participating in the political process, increased restrictions on press freedom including arrests of journalists, the Muslim Brotherhood being labeled a terrorist organization which closes doors to reconciliation and could push some members to violence, and the military regime's attempt to create a situation similar to the bloody conflict between the military and Islamists in Algeria in the 1990s.

1. Egypt under the military rule
after the Arab Spring
Mahboob Thaha
Research scholar
Centre for West Asian Studies
Jamia Millia Islamia

2. Main aspects of the paper
 Constitution
 Referendum
 Salafist’s stand
 Freedom of press in Egypt
 Muslim Brotherhood

3. Constitution - 2013
 Amr Mousa lead the draft committee
 Members of the draft committee –
even actors and directors
 SCAF has been given more authority
to control the government
 Term of defense minister – 8 years
 No one has access to military budget
including the president

4. Referendum of Jan 14th & 15th
2014
 Government’s advocacy of majority
votes
 98.1% majority, 38.6% said yes and
1.9% no
 Analysis of the referendum present
another picture of the referendum
 Leading dailies and international
agencies and observers opine that the
referendum happened in a situation
where free and fair elections cannot

5.  Referendum during Morsi’s term – almost whole
nation participated
 But the recently held referendum – boycott from
different corners. Then from where did the 98.1%
majority come from?
 ‘Observatory of Arab Rights and Freedom’ -
11.3% & ‘The Egyptian Center for Media and
Public Opinion’- 8% participated in the
referendum.
 ‘National Democratic Institute’ and ‘International
Republic Institute’ who were observers in the
2012 referendum were expelled from the country
during this referendum.

6. Al – Nour party and the Salafist
dilemma
 Called its followers to vote for the
referendum, but the response was
cold
 Trying to fill the gap left by the Muslim
Brotherhood and become their heir
 Dilemma of participating in the political
process of Egypt
 Relations with the civil society,
compromise on the ideology etc.
haunts the party

7. Freedom of press
 Media and channels trying to expose the true
face of Egypt have come under the scanner
of the military regime.
 Typical example is the case of Al Jazeera
 Many of its staff are in jail
 Peter Greste, correspondent of Al Jazeera
arrested on Dec 29 said in a letter from
prison “The state will not tolerate hearing
from the Muslim Brotherhood or any other
critical voices. The prisons are
overflowing with anyone who opposes or
challenges the government.”

8. Muslim Brotherhood
 Designation of terrorist organization using the statement
of ‘Ansar Bayt al Maqdis’ on the bomb blasts in
Mansura.
 “Media guided by the security forces insist on
portraying the protests against the military coup
and the interim government as “a struggle between
the people and the Muslim Brotherhood”, as if
those protesting against tyranny are protesting
against the popular will” – Azmi Bishara
 Article 86 of the Penal code: “the punishments
legally prescribed for terrorism will apply to
anyone involved in the Brotherhood activities
or who promotes the group verbally or anyone
funding the group’s activities”.

9.  Two main consequences of tagging the
Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group:
1. Closure of doors of dialogue and
reconciliation with the military regime
2. Chances of Muslim Brotherhood activists
taking up arms and indulging in violence

10. Algerian example
 The military regime is trying to create
an Algeria in Egypt.
 Islamists who lost their confidence in
democracy resorted to violence and
this gave the military an opportunity to
suppress them totally
 Two lakh people died in the conflict

11.  Muslim Brotherhood leadership in jail and
their contact with their followers is less
 The military is waiting for this chance of
provocation.
 But the history of Muslim Brotherhood
depicts a different story, they have the
example of Algeria, Conflict will never
resolve the issue – MB knows it, it will lose
its support if it resorts to violence
 Strategy now – to face the arrests and
detention calmly and quietly

12. Thank You