Will violence return to Egypt's streets?

The Islamic group and Jihadist movements reappeared again after the January 25 revolution as a large numbers of imprisoned members of the groups escaped from prisons. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) argued that these groups had been subjected to great injustice in the era of former President Mubarak, and released a large number of the leaders of the Jihad group arrested 15 years ago after a terrorist operation in November 1997. The incident killed 44 Swiss tourists in the Temple of Hatshepsut on the east side of the city of Luxor in southern Egypt. It was followed by a comprehensive reviewing process, carried out by the leaders of the two groups, who renounced the violence. These groups, which carry arms and shed the blood of innocent people, reemerged again through political parties and organizations and civil societies under the rule of President Mohamed Morsi, who belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood. These groups led a mass demonstrations demanding the application of the Islamic laws during which they resorted to the use of violence against opponents. They accused political opponents of infidelity, and warned against and the threat of conducting operations against vital institutions in Sinai. The issue of whether a president belongs to the Islamic Movement, in parallel with the increased presence of these Islamic parties will enhance the chances of the return of violence and terrorism once again to the Egyptian streets. In an attempt to predict the Egyptian political scene in the future, Rifaat Al-Said, head of the National Progressive Unionist Party, said to Arabstoday "the Egyptian authorities are responsible for the resurgence of violence in Egyptian society, the authorities allowed the return of many participants in the Afghan jihad who were wanted by the Egyptian judiciary, in addition to the release of some leaders of the Islamic Group and Al-Jihad, who used violence against innocent people.” He added that "The civilian current thought that the revolutionary atmosphere would urge them to renounce violence, but they didn’t. They resorted to the use of violence against the peaceful protestors in front of the Federal palace and terrorized citizens during the referendum process." Al- Said added that the Islamic groups are trying to establish an emirate in Sinai, so they waged multiple attacks on police posts in northern Sinai, "Arish and Sheikh Zuwaid," which threatened national security. He added that after the failure of the state in confronting these groups, it fell to a delegation headed by Mohammad Ghozlani, a Jihad leader, to communicate with these groups in Sinai. He confirmed that Egypt is on the verge of being an Islamic state led by a group of "fascists" who force women to put on the veil, prevent concerts and cut the hair of non veiled girls. He believes this locks Egypt between the rock of armed violence or the hard place of moral violence. In the same vein, Assem Abdulmajid, a prominent leader of the Islamic Group denied the group’s intentions to resort to violence, stressing that the leaders of the group confirmed more than once that they are committed a mistake when they resorted to violence, emphasising that it was justified at that time when the regime had killed a number of members of the group in Assiut. He added that the Islamic Group and other organizations will not remain silent regarding the attacks by "thugs" on the mosques, confirming in that case “our behavior will be a reaction and not an action." Writer and political thinker Amr Shobaki said that until now Islamist groups and jihadists didn’t totally renounce violence and it still see it as a solution to impose its their opinion. He said this was evident in the violence that occurred in front of the Federal Palace, which demonstrated that the Islamic movement did not have the flexibility to deal with its opponents, despite the Muslim Brotherhood’s post-revolution attempts to contain all Islamic organizations under the group’s umbrella. Shobaki added that "If the Islamic current wants a better future for this country, it should demonstrate flexibility in dealing with its opponents."