Mohamed Morsi Isa El-Ayyat[note
1] (Arabic:
محمد مرسى عيسى العياط,
IPA: [mæˈħæmmæd
ˈmoɾsi ˈʕiːsæ (ʔe)l.ʕɑjˈjɑːtˤ], born 20 August 1951) is
the
fifth and current
President of Egypt, having assumed office on 30 June 2012.[6]
Educated in Egyptian public schools and universities, he was granted
a scholarship from the Egyptian Government to prepare for a PhD degree
in the United States, Morsi was a Member of Parliament in the
People's Assembly of Egypt from 2000 to 2005, and a leading member
in the
Muslim Brotherhood. He became Chairman of the
Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) when it was founded by the Muslim
Brotherhood in the wake of the
2011 Egyptian revolution. He stood as the FJP's candidate for the
May–June 2012 presidential election.
On 24 June 2012, the election commission announced that Morsi won
Egypt's presidential runoff against
Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister under deposed leader
Hosni Mubarak. According to official results, Morsi took 51.7
percent of the vote while Shafik received 48.3%.[7]
As he had promised during his campaign, Morsi resigned from his position
as the head of the FJP after his victory was announced.[8]
After Morsi granted himself unlimited powers to “protect” the nation
in late November 2012,[9][10]
and the power to
legislate without judicial oversight or review of his acts, hundreds
of thousands of protesters began demonstrating against him in the
2012 Egyptian protests.[11][12]
On 8 December 2012, Morsi annulled his decree which had expanded his
presidential authority and removed judicial review of his decrees, an
Islamist official said, but added that the effects of that declaration
would stand.[13]
George Isaac of the
Constitution Party said that Morsi’s declaration did not offer
anything new, the
National Salvation Front rejected it as an attempt save face, and
the
April 6 Movement and Gamal Fahmi of the Egyptian Journalists
Syndicate said the new declaration failed to address the “fundamental”
problem of the nature of the assembly that was tasked with drafting the
constitution.[13]
Early life
and education
Morsi was born in the
Sharqia Governorate, in
northern Egypt of modest provincial origin, in the village of
El-Adwah, north of Cairo. He is the eldest of five brothers and has
told journalists that he remembers being taken to school on the back of
a donkey.[14]
He earned a bachelor's and master's degree in engineering from
Cairo University in 1975 and 1978, respectively. He then earned his
Ph.D. in materials science from the
University of Southern California in the U.S. in 1982. He titled his
dissertation "High-Temperature Electrical Conductivity and Defect
Structure of Donor-Doped
Al2O3."[15][16]
He was an Assistant Professor at
California State University, Northridge from 1982 to 1985. In 1985,
he returned to Egypt and began to serve as the head of the engineering
department at
Zagazig University, where he was a professor until 2010.[16][17][18]
Political career
Morsi was first elected to parliament in 2000.[19]
He served as a Member of Parliament from 2000 to 2005 as an independent
candidate because the Brotherhood was technically barred from running
candidates for office under Mubarak.[20]
He was a member of the Guidance Office of the Muslim Brotherhood until
the founding of the Freedom and Justice Party in 2011, at which point he
was elected by the MB's Guidance Office to be the first president of the
new party.[citation
needed] While serving in this capacity in 2010,
Morsi stated that "The two-state solution is nothing but a delusion
concocted by the brutal usurper of the Palestinian lands."[21]
Morsi made several comments about the
September 11 attacks that have drawn criticism from the mainstream
media in the United States,[22]
including stating that it is "insulting" to suggest that damage from
aircraft collision brought down the
World Trade Center,[23]
that no evidence has been presented that could identify the attackers,
and that in order to address questions surrounding the events a "huge
scientific conference" should be held to determine the real culprits.[24]
2012 Egyptian presidential campaign
After
Khairat El-Shater was disqualified from the 2012 presidential
election, Morsi, who was initially nominated as a backup candidate,
emerged as the new Muslim Brotherhood candidate.[25]
His campaign was supported by well-known Egyptian cleric
Safwat Hegazi at a rally in
El-Mahalla El-Kubra,[26]
the epicentre of the Egyptian worker protests.[27]
Following the first round of Egypt's first post-Mubarak presidential
elections where exit polls suggested a 25.5% share of the vote for
Morsi, he was officially announced as the president on 24 June 2012
following a subsequent run-off vote. Morsi supporters in Cairo's
Tahrir Square celebrated, and angry outbursts occurred within the
Egypt Election Authorities press conference as the result was announced.
He came in slightly ahead of former Mubarak-era prime minister
Ahmed Shafik and has been noted for the Islamist character of his
campaign events.[28]
Since the initial round of voting on 23 May and 24 May 2012, Morsi has
attempted to appeal to political liberals and minorities while
portraying his rival
Ahmed Shafik as a Mubarak-era holdover.[29]
On 30 May 2012, Morsi filed a lawsuit against Egyptian television
presenter Tawfiq Okasha, accusing him of "intentional falsehoods and
accusations that amount to defamation and slander" of Morsi. According
to online newspaper Egypt Independent, an English-language
subsidiary of Egyptian daily
Al-Masry Al-Youm, Okasha spent three hours on 27 May 2012
criticizing the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi on air.[30]
After Okasha aired a video allegedly depicting Islamist extremists
executing a Christian whilst asking "how will such people govern?", some
analysts suggested that this was in reference to Morsi's Muslim
Brotherhood party.[31]
On 24 June 2012, Morsi was announced as the winner of the election
with 51.73% of the vote.[32]
Almost immediately afterward, he resigned from the presidency of the
Freedom and Justice Party.[33]
Presidency
Morsi was sworn in on 30 June 2012, as Egypt's first
democratically elected president.[34]
He succeeded Hosni Mubarak, who left the office of the
President of Egypt vacant after being forced to resign on 11
February 2011.[1][2]
Domestic policy
According to
Foreign Policy, the effect of a Morsi presidency on domestic
policy is hazy, as Egypt's bureaucracy remains stocked with Mubarak
loyalists and could block any changes that Morsi tries to push through.
In a television interview with
Yosri Fouda, he stated that his preference is an interim period with
a mixed presidential-parliamentary system, which would pave the way for
a system in which the legislature held complete sway.[35]
Morsi has convened Parliament on 10 July 2012; this may cause friction
between him and the military officials who dissolved the legislature.[36]
Morsi seeks to influence the drafting of a new
constitution of Egypt. Morsi favors a constitution that protects
civil rights, yet is enshrined in
Islamic law.[37]
In a speech to supporters in Cairo's Tahrir Square on 30 June 2012,
Morsi briefly mentioned that he would work to free
Omar Abdel-Rahman, convicted in the
1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City, along with
the countless other Egyptians who were arrested during the revolution.[38]
A Brotherhood spokesperson later said that the
extradition was for
humanitarian reasons and that Morsi did not intend to overturn
Abdel-Rahman's criminal convictions.[39]
In early July 2012, Morsi moved to reinstate the Islamist-dominated
parliament that was disbanded one month earlier. According to Egypt’s
official news agency, Morsi ordered the immediate return of legislators
elected in 2011, a majority of whom are members of Morsi’s Freedom and
Justice Party and other Islamist groups.[40]
A Morsi spokesman announced that the president-elect would appoint a
Christian and a woman as vice-presidents.[41]
After
Kamal Ganzouri's resignation, Morsi tasked
Hesham Qandil with forming the new government.[42]
On 2 August 2012, Qandil was sworn in as Prime Minister.[43]
Morsi also objected to a constitutional provision limiting presidential
power.[44]
On 12 August 2012, Morsi asked
Mohamad Hussein Tantawi, head of the country's armed forces, and
Sami Hafez Anan, the Army chief of staff, to resign.[45]
He also announced that the constitutional amendments passed by the
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) restricting the
president's powers would be annulled.[46]
Morsi's spokesman, Yasser Ali, announced that both Tantawi and Anan
would remain advisers to the president. Morsi named Abdul Fattah
el-Sisi, currently serving as chief of military intelligence, as Egypt's
new defense minister.[47]
The New York Times described the move as an "upheaval" and a
"stunning purge", given the power that SCAF had taken after the fall of
Mubarak.[47]
Al
Jazeera described it as "escalating the power struggle" between the
president and military.[46]
On 14 August 2012, Mohamed Salem, an Egyptian lawyer, filed a legal
challenge over Morsi's removal of Tantawi and Anan, arguing that Morsi
planned to bring back the totalitarian regime.[48]
Morsi fired two more high-rank security officials on 16 August 2012:
intelligence chief Murad Muwafithe and the commander of his presidential
guards.[49]
On 27 August 2012, Morsi named 21 advisers and aides that included
three women and two Christians and a large number of Islamist-leaning
figures.[50]
On 19 October 2012, Morsi traveled to Egypt's northwestern Matrouh in
his first official visit to deliver a speech on Egyptian unity at
el-Tenaim Mosque. Immediately prior to his speech he participated in
prayers there where he openly mouthed "Amen" as cleric Futouh Abd
Al-Nabi Mansour, the local head of religious endowment, declared, “Oh
Allah, destroy the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, disperse them,
rend them asunder. Oh Allah, demonstrate Your might and greatness upon
them. Show us Your omnipotence, oh Lord.” The prayers were broadcast on
Egyptian state television.[51]
In November 2012, after the election of the new
Coptic Orthodox pope, Morsi did not attend the enthronement of the
new pope. Instead, Morsi sent a representative to Cairo's St Mark's
Cathedral for the enthronement of Bishop Tawadros as the new pope.[52]
On 1 December 2012, Morsi announced that a constitutional referendum
would be held on 15 December 2012.[53]
November 2012 declaration
On 22 November 2012, Morsi issued a declaration purporting to protect
the work of the constituent assembly drafting the new constitution from
judicial interference. In effect, this declaration immunises his actions
from any legal challenge. The decree states that it only applies until a
new constitution is ratified.[54]
The declaration also requires a retrial of those accused in the
Mubarak-era killings of protesters, who had been acquitted, and extends
the mandate of the constituent assembly by two months. Additionally, the
declaration authorizes Morsi to take any measures necessary to protect
the revolution. Liberal and secular groups walked out of the
constitutional constituent assembly because they believed that it would
impose strict Islamic practices, while members of the Muslim Brotherhood
supported Morsi.[55]
The move was criticized by
Mohamed ElBaradei who said Morsi had "usurped all state powers and
appointed himself Egypt's new
pharaoh."[56][57]
The move led to massive protests and violent action throughout Egypt,[58]
with protesters erecting tents in
Tahrir Square, the site of the protests preceding the resignation of
Hosni Mubarak. The protesters demanded a reversal of the declaration and
the dissolution of the constituent assembly. Those gathered in the
square called for a "huge protest" on 27 November.[59]
Clashes were reported between protesters and police.[60]
The declaration was also condemned by
human rights groups such as
Amnesty International,
Human Rights Watch and
Freedom House.[61][62][63][64]
Egypt's highest body of judges decried the ruling as an "unprecedented
assault on the independence of the judiciary and its rulings."[65]
Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, a prosecutor appointed by Hosni Mubarak, declared
the decree "null and void."[54]
Morsi further emphasized his argument that the decree is temporary, and
said he wanted dialog with the opposition.[66]
Morsi's statement failed to appease either the judges or citizenry
dissatisfied with his decision and sparked days of protests in Tahrir
Square.[67]
Though the declarations's language had not been altered, Morsi agreed
to limit the scope of the decree to "sovereign matters" following four
days of opposition protests and the resignation of several senior
advisers. Morsi's spokesman said an agreement, reached with top judicial
authorities, would leave most of the president's actions subject to
review by the courts, but preserve his power to protect the constituent
assembly from being dissolved by the courts before it had finished its
work. President Morsi also agreed there would be no further retrials of
former officials under Hosni Mubarak, unless new evidence was presented.[68]
On 4 December 2012, Morsi left his presidential palace after a number
of protesters broke through police cordons around the palace, with some
climbing atop an armored police vehicle and waving flags.[69]
On 8 December 2012, Morsi annulled his decree which had expanded his
presidential authority and removed judicial review of his decrees, an
Islamist official said, but added that the effects of that declaration
would stand.[70][13]
A constitutional referendum was still planned for 15 December.
George Isaac of the
Constitution Party said that Mursi’s declaration did not offer
anything new, the
National Salvation Front rejected it as an attempt save face, and
the
April 6 Movement and Gamal Fahmi of the Egyptian Journalists
Syndicate said the new declaration failed to address the “fundamental”
problem of the nature of the assembly that was tasked with drafting the
constitution.[13]
Foreign policy
Mohamed Morsi meets United States Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton in Cairo, Egypt, July 2012
Arab world
His first official foreign visit was to
Saudi Arabia on 11 July 2012. During this visit, Morsi stated that
he intends to strengthen ties with the oil-rich monarchy, which also
maintained close ties with the Mubarak government.[71]
Morsi has seen strong support from
Qatar
which has maintained long-held ties with the Muslim Brotherhood,[72]
of which Morsi was a member until his election. Qatar has declared that
it would provide Egypt with US$2 billion just as Morsi announced the
reshuffle in the cabinet on 12 August 2012.[73]
Meanwhile investors from Qatar have pledged to invest 10 billion in
Egyptian infrastructure.[72]
China
Morsi visited China in August, 2012. He signed various cooperation
agreements during his visit.[74]
Morsi is believed to be trying to attract Chinese investors and
tourists,[74]
and diversifying Egypt's foreign policies currently focused on the US.[75]
Israel and
Palestine
In October 2012, Morsi wrote a friendly letter to
Israeli President
Shimon Peres. The letter largely followed standard diplomatic
language. Morsi called Peres "a great and good friend" and went on to
call for "maintaining and strengthening the cordial relations which so
happily exist between our two countries." Morsi closed the letter by
expressing "highest esteem and consideration." Muslim Brotherhood leader
Gamal Muhammad Heshmat asserted that the letter was "fabricated" saying
that "Zionist media have leaked baseless statements by Morsi in the
past." However, Morsi spokesman
Yasser Ali told Egyptian state-run newspaper Ahram that the
letter was "100 percent correct."[76]
Previously, in July 2012, Morsi had refuted a fabricated letter.[77]
Morsi said in his victory speech that he would honor all of Egypt's
international treaties, which was thought to be a reference to
Egypt's treaty with Israel.[78]
On 14 November 2012, when Israel launched
Operation Pillar of Defense in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas
rocket fire, Morsi's government condemned the operation and called for a
halt to airstrikes. There was no condemnation of Palestinian rocket
attacks on Israeli civilians.[79]
Morsi sent Prime Minister
Hesham Qandil to Gaza to express solidarity with Gaza,[80][81]
a stark contrast to Hosni Mubarak's response to the 2008–2009
Gaza
War.[82]
Egypt, along with the United States mediated the ceasefire with Hamas
and Israel.[83]
International
summits
- African Union
Morsi attended the
African Union Summit in
Addis Ababa from 15 to 16 July 2012; this was the first visit to
Ethiopia by Egypt's president in 17 years since the attempted
assassination of Hosni Mubarak in June 1995.[84]
- Non-Aligned Movement
Morsi attended a
summit in
Iran at the end of August 2012, in a visit that could resume normal
relations for the countries. Their diplomatic relationship has been
strained since Egypt signed a peace treaty with
Israel
in 1979.[85]
Morsi made a speech at the 16th Non-Aligned Movement summit held in
Tehran
in late August. He spoke against the Syrian government and called on the
Syrian opposition to unite during the
Syrian civil war. His comments about Syria, however, were not
covered by Iranian media clearly.[86]
He also sparked some controversy saying that it is an "ethical duty"
to support the Syrian people against the "oppressive regime" while in
Damascus.[87]
Personal life
Morsi is married to his cousin,
Naglaa Ali Mahmoud.[88]
She reportedly stated that she does not want to be referred to as "First
Lady" but rather "First Servant [of the Egyptian public]."[89]
Morsi has five children: Ahmed Mohammed Morsi, who is a physician in
Saudi Arabia; Shaima, a graduate of
Zagazig University; Osama, an attorney; Omar, a high school student;
and Abdullah, also in high school.[90]
Two of Morsi's five children were born in
California and are
U.S. citizens by birth.[91]
Morsi has three grandchildren.[90]