Mursi’s Western policy caused Chaos in Egypt: At Least 3 Dead

Fear and uncertainty descended on Egypt Friday night as supporters and opponents of Western-backed President Mohammad Mursi took to the streets for rival protests two days ahead of mass demonstrations planned Sunday to demand his ouster.

Amid fears of escalating violence in the days ahead of the planned protest marking a year since Mursi was elected with a narrow majority, Egypt’s leading religious figures appealed for calm.

Sporadic violence in the lead up to Sunday has left six people dead.

In parallel, an American was stabbed to death in Alexandria during clashes between supporters and opponents of Mursi after earlier clashes in the city saw one man shot dead and around 10 injured. Overnight Thursday a member of the Muslim Brotherhood was also shot dead in the Nile Delta town of Zagazig.

Preachers of the ancient al-Azhar Islamic institute warned of impending civil war, calling on Mursi opponents to scrap their plans for mass rallies and accept his offer of dialogue in a sign of impending chaos.
“Vigilance is required to ensure we do not slide in to civil war,” said preachers from the group.
But the atmosphere is undoubtedly tense and the opposition seems resolute.
Tahrir Square, the focal point of mass demonstrations in early 2011 that saw the overthrow of dictator Hosni Mubarak was filled by mid-afternoon with protesters and their tents, indicating a determination to stay put. Food and drink stands appeared, ready to fuel the growing crowds.

The opposition claims to have gathered 15 million signatures calling for Mursi to stand down – 2 million more than the number of votes he received when he was elected – and expects many of those to turn out Sunday.
The Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement warning of “dire consequences that will put the country into a violent spiral of anarchy.”

Meanwhile, senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammad al-Beltagui warned opposition protesters Friday that “we will not allow a coup against the president.”
Closely watched Sunday will be Egypt’s army.

Egypt’s army Wednesday brought in reinforcements of troops and armor to bases near Egyptian cities ahead of June 30 protests and has warned it will intervene again if there is violence “to defend the will of the people.” Both sides have interpreted that to mean they will support their positions.