Did Things Actually Change in Egypt?

Late last night, Egyptian president Morsi rescinded the decree that started all of the street protests in Cairo and elsewhere around Egypt. Morsi had proclaimed himself to be above the law; his decrees were no longer to be subject to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court or any other body. Morsi had essentially named himself the all powerful emperor of Egypt. Well, as Emily Litella used to say, "Nevermind." That decree has been withdrawn.

The problem, of course, is that the other half of the problem remains. When the protests began, Egypt was in the middle of drafting a new constitution. Because of the uproar, Morsi had his supporters in the Moslem Brotherhood who had a majority in the body writing the constitution finish the document in a day. Then Morsi scheduled the referendum on the new constitution for next Saturday. That gave Egyptians about two weeks to read and consider the new constitution. It also meant that any opposition to the new document could not possibly organize itself in time to affect the vote. Postponement of the referendum so as to allow reasonable consideration of the document has been one of the primary goals of those in the street protesting. Morsi still refuses any postponement.

I have not been able to find an English translation of the new proposed constitution. I have read the claims of opponents who argue that the proposal would enshrine sharia law as the basis for the Egyptian government. These opponents argue that the significant Christian population of Egypt would see a diminution of their rights under the new document. Similarly, the more secular elements of Egyptian society would see major restrictions placed upon them in the name of Islam. Further, the claim is that the new constitution would guarantee the continued rule of Egypt by the Moslem Brotherhood with little chance that the opposition could prevail in the future.

It is worth remembering that in the recent presidential election, Morsi won by less than 2% of the vote. The losing candidate was seen by many as a holdover from the Mubarak regime, and that surely cost him votes. In other words, there probably is not a majority in Egypt which supports creation of an Islamic state. The new proposed constitution would create such a state nevertheless.

In the next few days, we will see if the street protests peter out or if they continue with renewed vigor. Morsi has backed down once. If the protests continue, we well may see the referendum on the constitution put off for a while.