Egypt Ponders Banning the Brotherhood to "Protect the State"; Court Frees Ousted President Hosni Mubarak from Prison

Court Frees Ousted President Hosni Mubarak

Violence has escalated in Egypt and a couple of new complications are in the works. Please consider Egypt Defense Chief Says Army Will Fight to Protect State.

A Cairo court ordered ousted President Hosni Mubarak freed from prison, a move that could complicate Egypt’s increasingly violent political transition, while militants in Sinai killed 26 policemen.

The Cairo criminal court’s order to free Mubarak threatens to inject new tensions in a nation convulsed by unrest that has killed almost 1,000 in the past six days. His potential release may spur arguments by the Muslim Brotherhood and others locked in a standoff with the government that the military-installed leaders want to restore the kind of police state Mubarak led.

“The fact that we’re fighting the Brotherhood doesn’t mean we’ll allow the return of the Mubarak regime, simply because both regimes are two sides of the same coin,” said Islam Hammam, a leader of the Tamarod group.

The court ruling comes at a difficult time for the government. International censure has mounted since it cleared out two pro-Mursi protest camps in the Cairo area on Aug. 14, touching off a cycle of violence from which the country has yet to emerge. About 900 civilians and 100 policemen have died since the camps were stormed.

In Sinai today, militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades killed 25 policemen near the border with the Gaza Strip. The Interior Ministry, in an e-mailed statement, described the incident as a “continuation of the terrorist crimes in Sinai.”

Hours earlier, at least 36 Muslim Brotherhood members were reported killed during what the Interior Ministry said was an attempt to escape from custody while en route to prison. The cabinet said in a statement that security forces responded after prisoners took a police officer hostage. There was no way to reconcile the reports.

Brotherhood Ban Considered

The government is currently considering banning the Brotherhood. Hundreds of its members have been detained. Imams who criticize the army or state institutions in their sermons may be suspended, Ahram Gate reported, citing a statement from the ministry of religious endowments.

Powder Keg Setup

• Inflation is rampant
• The Muslim Brotherhood wants back in power
• Mubarak wants back in power
• The Brotherhood and Mubarak hate each other and both dislike the military
• Criticizing the state is illegal
• Civil war is underway

Prepare for the civil war to escalate.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com