Mohamed Morsi: As 15,000,000 Demand His Resignation, Will Egypt Fall Into Chaos?

Impact

Egyptians are unsatisfied with the actions and policies instituted by President Mohamed Morsi. He appointed one of his allies with governorship of Luxor, a tourist city in Egypt.  BBC states that Adel al-Khayat has become the governor of Luxor, but belongs to the extremist group Gama'a al-Islamiyya. This group is responsible for the 1997 Luxor Massacre, in which nearly 60 tourists were killed. "Political analysts see the appointments as a blunt expansion of the Muslim Brotherhood powers of influence on the government," according to BBC reports. In response to this and other appointments, protesters set the Muslim Brotherhood office in Al-Daqahliyah ablaze. This indicates the increasing dissatisfaction of the populace, a context in which Morsi's support is starting to crumble.

The second issue is the decreasing value of the Egyptian pound and economy.  According to the New York Times, the Egyptian pound has lost 8% of its value in comparison to the U.S. dollar. This reflects the depreciation of the Egyptian economy.  "Egypt is in dire economic condition. Youth unemployment is rampant, everything is in decay, tourism and foreign investment and reserves are down sharply. As a result, Egypt needs an I.M.F. bailout," ... Any bailout, though, will involve economic pain — including cuts in food and fuel subsidies to shrink Egypt’s steadily widening budget deficit.  This will hurt." Thus, foreign investments are needed to boost the Egyptian economy, but a lingering fear hangs over Egyptian investors. "There are billions of dollars of Egyptian capital sitting outside the country today, because Egyptian investors, particularly Christians, are fearful of having money confiscated or themselves arrested on specious charges, as happened to some after President Hosni Mubarak’s fall." Morsi must exonerate everyone, whether they were actively involved in the preceding Mubarak administration or not, to initiate Egypt's economic revival.

In addition to the political and economic issues, police misconduct is the final contribution against Morsi.  The Egyptian police are known for their harsh methods of handling the populace, which was thought to have changed once Morsi took office. Activist Hamada Saber was assaulted during an anti-Morsi campaign.  "The 48-year-old was stripped beforehand, and subsequently dragged naked across asphalt and bundled into a police van — and the entire scene was broadcast live on TV," Deutsche Welle reports. However, Saber is not the only victim since 200 demonstrators were arrested on Jan. 25, 2013. Even minors and the sickly are treated harshly. "One 14-year-old boy named Mahmud Abel, a bone cancer sufferer, was denied chemotherapy while in prison, and was only released once his case came to the media's attention."

Egyptians are now demanding Morsi's resignation through a national petition.  There are nearly 15 million signatures on the petition, said Israel National News. On June 30, Egyptian citizens will protest against Morsi by taking to the streets and shouting "Tamarud," which means "rebel." It seems that Morsi is beyond redemption, but the Muslim Brotherhood does not think so. "If Morsi ends up being ousted by violence or a coup by the army or police, there will be an Islamic revolution," said Reuters.