Statement from John Esposito on the Egyptian Unrest

John Esposito speaks about the events that occurred in Egypt

The slaughter of pro-Morsi demonstrators should be seen for what it is, a barbaric bloodbath.

Gen. Al-Sisi and the Egyptian senior military have now demonstrated to the world the true colors of their coup and Egypt’s illegitimate government. Egypt today has become Mubarak redux, the return of a military backed and led authoritarian government with all the brutality of the past. What will Egypt’s so-called liberal civilian government leaders say and do? El Baradei has tarnished his Nobel prize and the interim president, Adly Mansour, his current office just as he did as a Constitutional Court judge. What steps will Western governments take? Will they blandly refer to this tragedy as a “setback” for democracy? Or will the US and EU condemn and cut off any aid or promise of aid to the current government? Egyptians are challenged to now realize that the only way forward is to reinstitute the democratic process. Coups lead exactly to what Egypt has now returned to – an authoritarian state whose promises of inclusion, elections and security ring hollow. For indeed, who of those in the anti-Morsi non-violent opposition would now themselves dare to publicly condemn the military and take to the streets in non-violent demonstrations?