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The situation in Egypt is very grim, another Coptic death, USCIRF finally intervenes to investigate the latest attack on the Coptic Christians, Elections cancelled in 24 districts, 1000’s of phantom posters suddenly appear (no one some them go up!!), 12 Muslim Brotherhood members jailed, and the dire threat by leader of Brotherhood to sever ties with Israel if the brotherhood gain power.

It is an unpalatable recipe for total disaster 24 hours out from the election.

These latest events fully highlight the total lack of unity, direction and cohesion within Egypt. A very sad picture of a nation on the brink of social collapse with no direction or leadership, Persecution of the minority Christians, no rule of law and little hope for improvement. Despite all this Mubarak’s NDP is expected to sweep into power.  

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1) A Second Coptic Christian has died after assault by Egypt's Security Forces       

In the lead up to the elections Almasryalyoum.com 0n Friday, 26 November 2010 reported a second Coptic man has died following the al-Omraneyya church riots on Wednesday, after he was shot in the stomach. Martyr Milad  Malak Soliman, died on Friday, after been hospitalized in al-Haram district, after he was shot on Wednesday.

2) The US said it was investigating the riots with the Egyptian government, according to US State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley.

He went on to say that the US would continue to express its concerns surrounding these events. “We must investigate the incident,” Crowley said. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) criticized the violent clashes. USCIRF Chairman Leonardo Leo said such events are the result of “sectarian tensions” and a lack of freedom to build places of worship, as well as an emerging phenomenon of religious hatred and sectarian strife being incited by the media and religious figures. In an annual report by USCIRF published in October, Egypt ranked second among countries found to violate religious freedoms.

3) To add to the confusion the Administrative Court cancelled the Sunday elections in 24 districts after its orders to reinstate opposition and independent candidates were ignored by officials. These include 12 districts in the Nile Delta governorates, 10 districts in Alexandria, and two in Upper Egypt.

4) Banners and posters were hung nationwide attacking the Muslim Brotherhood in a hate campaign launched late Friday

Yesterday, Saturday, November 27,2010 17:00 http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=27331

Banners and posters were hung nationwide attacking the Muslim Brotherhood in a hate campaign launched late Friday. Egypt’s strongest political opposition has yet again been targeted as they were described as violent on posters which were plastered in the governorates of Alexandria, Suez, and Ismailia, where the Brotherhood is particularly active. The ruling NDP has accused the popular MB of violating the constitution and working to transform Egypt into a religious state.

Posters reading "Remember their black history" and "No to the Brotherhood, they preach blind compliance or expulsion" were signed by a group called "Youth against Oppression". Saeed al-Daqqaq, NDP secretary in Alexandria alleged the NDP has nothing to do with the posters in question.

5) Twelve jailed for Muslim Brotherhood campaigning

In a separate article Egypt -  Article published the Saturday 27 November 2010 - Latest update : Saturday 27 November 2010

Twelve people have been sentenced to two years in prison in Egypt for campaigning for the banned Muslim Brotherhood, a day before parliamentary elections. A judicial official said Saturday that an Alexandria criminal court reached its verdict in a hearing on Friday.

The 12 people were found guilty of taking part in demonstrations and campaigning for the banned opposition group, according to the official. They were distributing leaflets containing religious slogans, something that is not legal in Egyptian campaigns.

They were arrested as part of a crackdown against the banned opposition group. At least 1,000 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood have been detained in the past two months, and more than a dozen candidates have been disqualified from running in Sunday’s election.

The ban on religious slogans is thought to have been aimed at the Brotherhood, whose motto is "Islam is the solution", and which controls a fifth of Egypt's outgoing parliament.

Observers have seen quotes from the Koran used on posters by other candidates, including some from the ruling National Democratic Party.

Sunday's vote is expected to deliver a victory for President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party and further weaken the Muslim Brotherhood, which has 130 candidates running for the 508 seats left in the race.

The government has pledged the vote will be fair, but rights groups say it has already been compromised by arrests of opposition supporters and restrictions on their candidates.

6) Meet the players: The Muslim Brotherhood 

By   Daily News Egypt November 26, 2010, 9:00 pm

The Muslim Brotherhood is considered the largest and most powerful opposition group in Egypt, founded by teacher and Islamic scholar Hassan El Banna in 1928 as a social and political group. The group advocates the return to Islam represented in the Quran and Sunnah as a solution to all the problems plaguing the Muslim Nation.

The group believes that Islam should be implemented in all fields of life including politics, translated in their slogan “Islam is the solution.”

The group’s main objectives are the introduction of the Islamic Shariah as the basis controlling the affairs of state and society and achieving unity among the Islamic countries and states.

By the early 1950s, the Brotherhood had expanded to the Arab world and established branches in Syria, Sudan, and Jordan. Soon, its influence was felt in places as far away as the Gulf and non-Arab countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

The group is known for its charitable work in the community including education, health and job-training programs.

In the late 40s and 50s when assassinations were executed by members of the Brotherhood secret service including the assassination of former Egyptian Prime Minister Mahmoud El-Noqrashy and Judge Ahmed El-Khazendar in 1948.

The Brotherhood’s secret service was established between 1938 and 1940 and, according to the Brotherhood, their main objective was to fight the Israeli invasion of Palestine and the British occupation of Egypt, but the government viewed it as a violent organization aiming to topple the government.

The group has been banned in Egypt since 1954, when one of its members was convicted the attempt to assassinate late president Gamal Abdel Nasser.

The 2009 internal elections of the MB Guidance Office highlighted wide ideological divisions among the group’s younger generation and the older, more conservative one, which dominated the polls.

On Oct 9, The Brotherhood's Supreme Guide Mohamed Badei announced the group’s participation in the elections based on the vote of 98 percent of the Brotherhood Shoura Council members, further dividing the group and sparking a public feud among the “conservative” group and the younger generation, which the media described as “the MB Opposition Front.”

The group is fielding 130 candidates to contest 30 percent of the seats in the 2010 PA elections including 13 women running under the quota system that allocated 64 seats to women this year.

Parliamentary representation:

2005 - 88 seats (representing the largest opposition group in the PA)

2000 – 17 seats

1995 – 1 seat

1990 – Didn’t participate

1987 – 37 seats (in alliance with the Labor and Liberal Parties)

1984 – 10 seats (in alliance with Al Wafd Party)

Prominent members:

Mohamed Badei – Supreme Guide

Mahmoud Ezzat – Deputy Supreme Guide

Essam Al Erian – Prominent MB leader

Saad Al Katatni – Head of the MB Parliamentary bloc

7) 'If we win elections, we will work to end ties with Israel'

By JPOST.COM STAFF  11/27/2010 10:36

A day before parliamentary elections in Egypt, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Badie, said if his movement wins the election, it will work to sever relations with Israel. "We are certainly not happy with the illegitimate marriage between Cairo and Tel Aviv," he told the London daily Al-Quds al-Arabi on Saturday.

"The regime's leaders are well aware that once we rise to power we will change many things in Egypt's policy, starting with the country's relations with Israel which have caused us great harm."

Thank God they are been rounded up and Jailed, "Egypt has more than enough problems without warring with Israel!!"

1) http://persecutedcopts.com/videos-of-coptic-persecution/inside-story-egypts-growing-sectarian-tensions/ 
 
The Above video in english is a must watch. Insight has done a wonderful Job of exposing the ineptness of the NDP regime.