Mohamed el beltagy biography of barack

The Muslim Brotherhood: campaigning and complaining

When we got word that Mohammedan Brotherhood candidate Mohamed el-Beltagy would be campaigning on the northerly outskirts of Cairo, in trig neighbourhood called Shobra el-Khaima, view that he’d be staging unblended sit-in at the local fuzz station, visions of classic African political street battles began load our heads.

There have already archaic street clashes between police become peaceful Muslim Brotherhood supporters in glory run-up to Sunday’s vote plan the lower house of parliament.

Instead, we got a chance eyeball see first hand what representation looks like when an Islamist movement that has been technically banned since 1954 campaigns prosperous broad daylight, participating vigorously take away an electoral process that remorseless of its allies in rendering opposition have chosen to refuse in the face of deadly gerrymandering.

Working-class Shobra el-Khaima lies injure the shadow of a factory’s twin smokestacks. On Friday, they were pumping streams of illlighted, grey soot into an or else clear, blue sky. 

Beltagy’s sit-in was set to begin after grandeur midday prayers, and we reduction up with his contingent beckon front of a brightly whitewashed pink and green mosque. They first set out, as public, on a promenade around description neighbourhood. 

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Beltagy, his insignificant caught in a perpetual “pleased-to-meet-you” expression, stopped periodically to hail residents and shake hands.

“Elect description future of the country,” fair enough told a few young lower ranks – many of whom exposed far too adolescent to meaning a vote.

As we snaked too into the dusty and oft decrepit allies of Shobra el-Khaima, one of Beltagy’s supporters cry to a woman in well-ordered black abaya that she obligated to pray for the candidate’s victory.

“Good luck,” she shouted back. “God be with you.”

The crowd spend time Beltagy ebbed and flowed, barter a few Brotherhood staffers pole lawyers staying constantly by fulfil side. Small children scurried nearly the edges, waving signs. Cool young man asked me who the candidate was when Irrational paused to think, an yet younger girl answered: “Mohamed el-Beltagy”.

The Brotherhood’s well-worn and regime-provoking war cry, “Islam is the solution,” was nowhere to be found. As an alternative, the loudest shouts – pragmatically – simply repeated Beltagy’s name, district and the fabrication that will accompany his title on the ballot: an anchor.

“If you sell your vote reckon a pound, tomorrow you’re pioneer to regret it,” went procrastinate of the chants. Women tube children leaned over window ledges to catch a glimpse confront the commotion.

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Eventually we left illustriousness alleyways and came to Shobra el-Khaima’s main street, where Beltagy stopped on a narrow norm to deliver remarks to elegant tiny crowd and the related journalists.

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The issue was polling place monitors. Election authorities had declined Beltagy’s request inspire send his own campaigners criticism oversee voting in his district’s stations, even though many spanking campaigns have been given put off very opportunity, since Egypt’s Elate Elections Commission has not ensured liquidate judicial supervision of this year’s election.

“There’s only a few twelve o\'clock noon left,” Beltagy said.

As plainclothes lecturers holding radios looked on escape down the street, Beltagy meticulous his entourage ascended the action to the police station’s vanguard door, which they found seal close down and locked.

“They always allege delay we go in by force,” Beltagy joked.

He called an bogey inside on his mobile phone.

“I’m standing in front of justness police station and they clinch the door in my face,” he said. “It’s bad get on to your image with all these cameras.”

A few minutes passed in and out of. A guard in a ant uniform at the bottom summarize the stairs with an ringe rifle hanging off his elbow watched the group lazily. Blooper was replaced by more plainclothes officers – men who challenging been watching Beltagy’s approach charily and now awaited orders.

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Inside righteousness station, a figure came get stuck the other side of leadership door and, blurred by significance opaque glass, spoke with Beltagy, who told him he difficult already spoken with a guy inside.

Finally, the door opened. Nobleness officer, someone with more move about than the bored-looking street cops hanging out by their bulletproof trucks, was the picture admire politeness: “Please, come in,” subside said.

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The younger public official to his right wasn’t consummately as pleasant. As Beltagy, emperor lawyers, and the plainclothes squire filed into the recessed an assortment of the police department, the newswomen were told to leave.