7/07 Links: Morsi the Mistake, Kerry Goes Boating, Qaradawi and Meshaal Gets Expelled From Qatar

From Ian:

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Cairo Institute: Morsi Systematically Abused the Rule of Law

One year after Morsi became president, it is now clear that the priority of the presidency—and, of course, the Muslim Brotherhood —was to firmly establish the underpinnings for a new authoritarian regime in place of the Mubarak regime. It is no surprise, therefore, that the past year witnessed widespread human rights crimes, on a scale that rivaled that under the Mubarak regime. The brutal suppression of political and social protest movements did not cease; indeed, the security forces are no longer the only party to use of excessive force against demonstrators, as MB supporters have also been given free rein to use violence to punish and intimidate their opponents, including through torture and even killings, whether at the gates of the presidential palace, in front of the main MB headquarters in Muqattam, or in squares in other governorates.

Noah Beck: Egyptians Correct the Morsi Mistake

Unfortunately, Egypt’s recent coup establishes a problematic precedent for checking presidential power: militarily topple the president before his second year in office. Egypt’s problems are so deep and numerous that even the best leader will probably disappoint “the street” one year into office. But some historical perspective may be useful here: the French Revolution was sparked by a fiscal crisis and demands for individual liberties that ultimately overthrew the absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries. That revolution involved about a decade of turmoil and killed tens of thousands before Napolean Bonaparte assumed power in 1799. Fixing Egypt could be a long and bumpy road, but at least the repairs have started.

Busted: Secretary of State John Kerry Was Boating While Egypt Fell Apart

Good news everyone. While Egypt (the country we just sent F16s to) was experiencing a coup this week, Secretary of State John Kerry was boating in Nantucket.

Senator McCain Calls for Suspension of US Military Aid to Egypt

“I’ve thought long and hard about this, but I believe that we have to suspend the aid to the Egyptian military, because the Egyptian military has overturned the vote of the people of Egypt,” McCain said Friday, according to the AFP news agency.

Qatar strips Qaradawi of citizenship, orders Khaled Meshaal out of country

Qatar has stripped prominent Muslim Brotherhood cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi of his Qatari citizenship, has ordered Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal (who took refuge in Qatar after it was no longer palatable to be sheltered by Bashar al-Assad) out of the country, and has withdrawn support from the Muslim Brotherhood as a result of Wednesday's events in Egypt (link in Arabic).

Leading Sunni cleric says in fatwa Egyptians should back Mursi

A leading Qatar-based cleric declared in a religious edict, or fatwa, on Saturday that Egyptians should support ousted President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood and the military should withdraw from the political scene.
Egyptian-born Youssef al-Qaradawi, one of the most prominent Sunni clerics in the Middle East, said in the fatwa posted on his website that the military's intervention to depose Mursi on Wednesday was against democracy and the constitution.

Anti-Americanism flares in Egypt as protests rage over Morsi's ouster

As rival camps of Egyptians protest for and against the toppling of President Mohamed Morsi, there is a rare point of agreement: America is to blame.
Anti-Americanism, which has long been an undercurrent here, is erupting again as Egyptians battle over the future of their country. Each side accuses the United States of backing the other and alleges conspiracies in which the Obama administration is secretly fostering dissent in an attempt to weaken Egypt.
It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't quagmire in which the U.S. appears to have alienated both sides, underscoring waning American influence and credibility as it attempts to navigate the turmoil.

Analysis: Syrian civil war eroding Hezbollah’s forces

Hezbollah’s large-scale involvement in Syria is eroding its military resources, though the extent of the damage it is incurring remains a closely guarded secret.
The Lebanese terrorist organization’s Shi’ite fighters, who were deployed to Syria to fight on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Assad at Iran’s orders, tipped the balance in favor of Assad at the battle of Qusair in recent weeks. But Israeli security analysts said on Sunday the victory came at a heavy price for Hezbollah that is set to rise the longer the organization remains engaged in Syria.

'Hezbollah supporters urge leadership: Stop sending our sons to die in Syria'

Amid the mounting death toll of Hezbollah operatives in Syria, a delegation of Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon has asked the Shi'ite group's leadership to stop sending operatives to fight for Syrian President Bashar Assad, pan-Arabic daily Asharq Alawsat reported Sunday.

Britain wants EU ministers to break Hezbollah deadlock

A British drive to blacklist the militant Lebanese movement's armed wing was discussed twice by a special EU group last month, but British diplomats failed to win over a number of sceptical governments which fear the step would fuel instability in the Middle East.

Syria’s rape crisis

Since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011 some 100,000 people have been killed, and more than a million people have become refugees – the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called it the worst humanitarian crisis since the Cold War.
Tragedy seems to follow tragedy in Syria as news of chemical attacks and routine-massacres make headlines, but certainly one of the most under-reported of the conflict’s tragedies is its growing rape crisis. The past year has seen an enormous rise in the number of rapes committed by both government and opposition forces in Syria. Rape has become a weapon – a method of torture – in the conflict.

Kibbutz has peace sign for Syria

Residents of Kibbutz El-Rom in the Golan Heights surprised Syrian citizens across the border by erecting a giant peace symbol made of basalt stones. The 50-meter (50 yards) sign was placed by the kibbutz’s youth at the base of a mountain in the region.

Netanyahu shouldn’t have apologized to Turkey, most Israelis say

A majority of Israelis think the country’s recent decision to apologize to Turkey over the deaths of nine activists aboard a blockade-busting ship to Gaza in 2010 was misguided, a poll released Sunday found.
The poll, released by the Begin-Sadat Center at Bar-Ilan University, found that 71 percent of Israelis think Benjamin Netanyahu should not have called Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to apologize for the deaths, which occurred during a clash with IDF troops aboard the Mavi Marmara in May 2010.

Turkish protesters return to Taksim, clash with cops

Turkish police fired teargas and water cannons to disperse protesters in a central Istanbul square on Saturday as they gathered to enter a park that was the center of anti-government protests last month.
The Taksim Solidarity Platform, combining an array of political groups, had called for a march to enter the sealed off Gezi park, but the governor of Istanbul warned any such gathering would be confronted by the police.

The Nazi roots of the German Greens

The German Green Party’s legislative action to label Israeli products from the West Bank has cast a spotlight on the role that former Nazis played in creating the party.
Academic and journalistic research over the past five years shows the key role of Nazi figures in the party’s founding and development.
After strong similarities were revealed between an initiative by Germany’s neo- Nazi NPD party last year in a state parliament to demarcate Israeli products and a Green Party federal initiative in the Bundestag to impose a similar system on Israeli goods, critics pointed to the “Brown” — the color symbolizing Nazism – roots of the Green Party in an effort to explain the punitive measure directed at Jewish businesses.

French expert links UK royal baby to Muhammad

The baby's relations will stretch from a simple Parisian actress via the Dracula princes in Romania, to even an Islamic sultan from Seville in Spain, who descended from the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, experts say.
Even before the birth of the new British royal baby to Prince William and his wife Kate, genealogists are looking into its family tree, and are coming up with many surprises.