Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

Boycott It !

The Muslim Brotherhood group declared its boycott to the referendum on the constitutional amendments that the National Democratic party (NDP) majority in the People’s Assembly approved while they were rejected by MPs for the opposition, independents, Muslim Brotherhood, Al Karma, Al Wafd, Tagamue and two NDP MPs. The referendum on amending the 34 articles of the constitution will b

Facebook Digg Yahoo Del.icio.us reddit StumbleUpon Mixx Google

The Muslim Brotherhood group declared its boycott to the referendum on the constitutional amendments that the National Democratic party (NDP) majority in the People’s Assembly approved while they were rejected by MPs for the opposition, independents, Muslim Brotherhood, Al Karma, Al Wafd, Tagamue and two NDP MPs.
 
The referendum on amending the 34 articles of the constitution will be held next Monday after putting its date earlier than April, 4, a move that Mohamed Saad Al Katatni, the head of the MB parliamentary bloc, attributed to the NDP plans for depriving the opposition from the time available for organizing protests against the referendum.
 
The boycott was also declared by Kifaya Movement, Karama Party (under construction) and the front of independent MPs in the People’s Assembly, calling on the Egyptian people for not participating in the crime of the constitutional coup.
 
Negative Participation
 
On the other hand, Web activists see that the boycott is a negative participation with the regime in approving these amendments; Alaa Saif the blogger of www.manalaa.net/ sees Kifaya Movement’s call for boycotting the referendum on the constitutional amendments as a serious mistake, adding that despite the dim hope of a fair referendum but the participation, casting the vote, and the popular supervision on the elections are necessary and positive steps; he confirmed that calling on people to stay at home is the very passivity; Alaa called on, from his weblog, readers not to boycott, go to the ballot box and declare their rejection on the ballot paper.
 
Dr. Essam El-Erian, the head of the political section in the Muslim Brotherhood group, stressed on the importance of the boycott, saying: all referendums all always rigged, the suggestions of the political and national powers and opposition parties weren’t respected while announcing, drafting and approving these amendments. They are one-sided dictates.
 
Police State
 
The amendments include introducing a paragraph to article 179 to pave the way for giving the security services limitless powers in arresting persons, ransacking houses, phone wiretapping as a part of an anti-terrorism law that will be issued later to replace the state of emergency; the amendments will also include sidelining the judges from supervising the elections after amending article 88 that allocated supervising the elections for an independent commission to be picked up by the executive authority which is controlled by the ruling National Party; these amendments are harming the Muslim Brotherhood, the biggest opposition group in Egypt, because they include an amendment stipulating banning any political activity on a religious basis to dim the MB’s hopes for becoming a recognized political party.
 
We Reject Them Because We Love It
 
University students declared their rejection to the amendments; 1000 students demonstrated in Cairo and Helwan the universities condemning the National Democratic Party’s MPs who gave a priority to their interests and gave a blind eye to the public interest, according to the students; the students said in a statement " We reject these amendments because we love Egypt" demanding their colleagues to boycott the referendum on these amendments and demanded the Egyptian regime for endorsing a real reform to lead Egypt to progress and not to seek personal interests because this may lead Egypt to the abyss of shame and backwardness.

Other Topics:

For Egypt’s Mubarak, how much power is enough?
San Francisco Chronicle - San Francisco,CA,USA
Egypt opposition to boycott constitution vote
Middle East Online - London,UK
Judges to boycott referendum
Al-Ahram Weekly - Cairo,Egypt
Egyptian Parliament Approves Amendments
Guardian Unlimited - UK
Succession of power in focus
Al-Ahram Weekly - Cairo,Egypt
Winner takes all
Al-Ahram Weekly - Cairo,Egypt
Mubarak’s Opponents Denounce Egyptian Reforms As Sham
Playfuls.com - Targu Mures,Romania
Hundreds of Egyptian Students Demonstrate Against Constitutional ...
Voice of America - USA
Egyptian govt. bans protests of amendments, calls early vote
The NewStandard - Syracuse,NY,USA
Islamists to boycott Egypt constitution vote
France24 - Paris,France
Egyptian govt. bans protests of amendments, calls early vote
The NewStandard - Syracuse,NY,USA
Egypt’s Brotherhood says will boycott referendum
San Diego Union Tribune - San Diego,CA,USA

Related Topics:

Egyptian Political Reform Mixed, but Trend Is Positive
US Department of State (press release) - Washington,DC,USA
Rice to visit Egypt, Israel, West Bank and Jordan
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
Egypt amends constitution
Africast - Westport,CT,USA
Egypt’s police ban opposition protest
Kuwait Times - Kuwait City,Kuwait
US voices "concerns" with proposed Egyptian constitutional amendments
International Herald Tribune - France
The voice of the people
Baltimore Sun - Baltimore,MD,USA
Egypt’s leader sets vote on constitution changes
Baltimore Sun - Baltimore,MD,USA
Egypt constitution referendum expected on Monday-media
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
Lawmakers OK changes to charter
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
Egypt’s parliament OKs amendments
USA Today - USA
Egypt’s parliament amends constitution despite opposition rejection
Monsters and Critics.com - Glasgow,UK
EGYPT. 4 Apr 2007. Egyptians vote in referendum on controversial ...
NewsAhead Agency - Holladay,UT,USA
Egyptian parliament approves amendments
Houston Chronicle - Houston,TX,USA
Amnesty Concerns on Constitutional Changes Amnes...
By Geoffrey Mock(Geoffrey Mock)
Egypt parliament approves changes in constitution
Reuters South Africa - Johannesburg,South Africa
Egyptian parliament approves controversial amendments to constitution
San Diego Union Tribune - San Diego,CA,USA
Protest against Mubarak’s constitutional amendments
3arabawey, Cairo-Egypt
Islamist walkout at parliament
Independent - London,England,UK
Closing the Door on Dissent In Egypt, as US Stands By
Washington Post - Washington,DC,USA
Egyptian opposition boycotts parliament talks on constitutional ...
International Herald Tribune - France
Police crack down on Kefaya demo; 35 detained at 3arabawy
3arabawey Blog-Cairo, Egypt
Group Blasts Mubarak’s Anti-Terror Bill
Wyoming News - WY,USA
Demonstrators Arrested, Opposition Ready to Resign
By ritzy(ritzy)
Egypt arrests Brotherhood members
Aljazeera.net - Doha,Qatar
Egypt Votes on Constitutional Changes Sunday
The Media Line - New York,NY,USA
The Brotherhood and America Part Five
Asharq Alawsat - London,UK
Egypt Opposition Decries Amendment Plans
Washington Post - Washington,DC,USA
Egypt arrests 18 in Muslim Brotherhood crackdown
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
Egypt Opposition Decries Amendment Plans
Tuscaloosa News (subscription) - Tuscaloosa,AL,USA

Other Topics:

Summary Of MB Performance In Egyptian Parliament Since 2005
Ikhwanweb, London-UK
News [Parlimental]
Ikhwanweb, London-UK
Requests [Parlimental]
Ikhwanweb, London-UK
Around the Bloc
Egypt Today - Cairo, Egypt
122 MPs Rejected Mubarak’s Constitutional Amendments
Ikhwanweb - Cairo, Egypt
National Powers Reject Constitutional Amendments
Ikhwanweb - Cairo, Egypt
Newspapers Strike In Protest of Publication Law
Eman Abd Rahman, Ikhwanweb - Cairo, Egypt
imagining-otherwise-in-egypt.doc
egypt-shuts-door-on-dissent-as-us-officials-back-away.doc