Moroccans divided into proponents and opponents of Morsi’s ouster

By Omar Bihmidine

Morocco World News

Sidi Ifni, July 4, 2013

No sooner had the Egyptian Army removed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi from power than some Moroccans began to support the decision, while others went on to condemn it on the basis of violating the principles of democracy and legitimacy.

Whereas some Moroccans used Facebook social network to express their uncompromising solidarity with the Muslim brotherhood, pointing out that Morsi was the first democratically elected president in Egyptian history, others shared harsh criticism on their walls, stressing that the wish of the Egyptian masses who took to the street in millions must be respected.

Ousting Morsi by the Army, some Moroccans believe, is the last solution after the Muslim brotherhood “failed to solve the economic, social, and political problems gripping Egypt.”

Conversely, those who support Morsi say that going against legitimacy and democracy, “will get the Egyptian opposition and its followers nowhere.”

Expressing his opinion about the latest events in Egypt, Said El Kecha, a Moroccan teacher, told MWN: ”Media has played a role in pushing Egyptians into taking to the street. Media is destroying everything by airing ani-Morsi protests while blacking out pro-Morsi ones.”

“Ousting Morsi is a sign that Egyptians do not seek democracy. They are rather looking for more instability and unrest,” he added.

Removing Morsi from power, El Kecha said, will open the door for Mubarak’s era corrupt politician to make their come back into the political landscape.”

“Democracy in Egypt is gone with the wind. The Egyptians are entering the unknown; they are entering an abyss since the Army’s decision is held by many as undemocratic,” another Moroccan, who asked to speak on the condition of anonymity, told MWN.

On the other hand, Jamal Naimi, a Moroccan professor of Geography, said: “Egyptians are afraid of losing their personal freedoms; they are also afraid of political Islam.”

“The decision of the Army was wise in that it lived up to the expectations of the millions who protested in Tahrir Square,” he noted.

“We support the Egyptian army’s decision. It is the Egyptians who ousted Morsi, not the Army. We support this new Egyptian uprising because Egyptians themselves are dissatisfied with the reforms Morsi promised to make,” some Moroccans wrote on their Facebook pages.

In addition to Moroccans’ views about the “military coup” in Egypt, other Arabs have expressed their fear about potential threats to other Arab world’s leaders. Contagion of this unexpected wind of change in Egypt, for many Arabs, poses the serious threat that may reach neighboring countries.