CAIRO: Throughout history, there have been moments that serve to reshape the destiny of nations and set their course for decades to come.
July 3, 2013, was one such turning point, for Egypt. It marked the end of Muslim Brotherhood rule after the group had introduced exclusionary policies that failed to represent the majority of the diversity within Egyptian society or to ensure the legitimacy of President Mohammed Morsi during his first year in power.
This new chapter in the political and social history of Egyptians began when the military stepped in and took over, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who was defense minister at the time and became president the following year.
When President Hosni Mubarak was ousted on Feb. 11, 2011, after weeks of public protests, Egypt entered a turbulent transitional phase marked by intense political competition. Amid the chaos, the Muslim Brotherhood, which had operated in the shadows for decades, successfully presented itself as a ready and desirable alternative.
The Islamist group secured successive electoral victories, first gaining a parliamentary majority, then control of the Shura Council, and finally, in June 2012, the presidency when Morsi triumphed in the country’s first democractic election following the revolution.
His victory marked not merely a transfer of power, it was the beginning of full-scale Brotherhood dominance over the Egyptian state. While Morsi had promised to head a government “for all Egyptians,” his policies suggested otherwise.
How we wrote it
Arab News led with Chief Justice Adly Mansour’s plea to “safeguard the revolution” following Morsi’s removal.
He swiftly took steps, for example, to dismantle traditional state institutions and replace officials with Brotherhood loyalists, destroying political and social balances that had been established over decades. Critics at the time accused him of allowing Islamists to monopolise the political arena, concentrating power in the hands of his affiliated group.
The defining moment of the Brotherhood’s rule was a constitutional declaration by Morsi in November 2012 granting himself far-reaching powers and shielding his decisions from judicial oversight. This declaration sparked widespread anger among Egyptians, who saw the move as the foundation of a dictatorship under the guise of religious legitimacy.
Public outrage continued to grow, resulting in mass public protests, yet the Brotherhood pressed ahead with its plans, backed by alliances with Islamist factions while excluding other political and societal groups, including liberals, leftists and even state institutions.
The Brotherhood’s ambitions extended beyond political dominance to the infiltration of key state institutions, including the security forces, judiciary, media and even the economic sector. It prioritized the appointment of loyalists to influential positions over professionals who did not belong to their ranks.
At the same time, it imposed a rigid social agenda that disregarded Egypt’s diverse cultural and intellectual fabric. Many Egyptians sensed an attempt to reshape Egyptian identity in service of an ideological project that did not represent them. This prompted accusations that Morsi was failing to deal with the very issues that led to the revolution that brought him to power: calls to guarantee rights and social justice.
These policies could not continue without facing a backlash. The wave of public dissent gradually swelled, culminating in the emergence of the Tamarod (meaning rebellion) movement, which gathered millions of signatures from people demanding the removal of Morsi from power.
Key Dates
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1
Hosni Mubarak steps down after 18 days of mass protests that began in Tahrir Square and spread across Egypt.
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2
Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi becomes Egypt’s president, after narrow victory in first democratic election after the revolution.
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3
Morsi issues controversial decree exempting himself from judicial supervision and shielding the Constituent Assembly and Shura Council from dissolution.
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4
Morsi rejects opposition calls for his resignation and early presidential election, as millions take to streets nationwide in protest.
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5
Defense minister Gen. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi urges Morsi’s government to resolve the political crisis within 48 hours or face military intervention.
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6
In televised speech, El-Sisi announces ouster of Morsi, suspends the constitution and appoints Supreme Constitutional Court Chief Justice Adly Mansour as interim president. Morsi denounces the move as “military coup.”
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7
El-Sisi declared president of Egypt.
Calls for public demonstrations led to mass protests on June 30, 2013, during which millions of Egyptians took to the streets to demand an end to Brotherhood rule. The protests served as a de facto referendum on the legitimacy of the regime, and clearly revealed waning public support for the Brotherhood as its political project failed to build a consensus.
As the protests escalated and the leadership of the Brotherhood refused to acknowledge the overwhelming public opposition, the military, led by El-Sisi, intervened amid mounting calls for the army and police to take swift action to save the country from the threat of plunging into civil war.
On July 3, 2013, after an ultimatum for Morsi to resolve the political crisis and meet public demands within 48 hours had passed without any such action, El-Sisi announced the removal of the president from power and the temporary suspension of the 2012 constitution.
“The Armed Forces, based on its insightfulness, has been called by the Egyptian people for help, not to hold the reins of power, yet to discharge its civil responsibility and answer demands of responsibility,” El-Sisi said during a televised speech. “This is the message received by the Egyptian Armed Forces and heard in all of the country.
The army had called for national dialogue, he added, but this plea was rejected by the presidency.
The Brotherhood and their supporters denounced the intervention as a “military coup,” while the opposition described it a response to the demands of the public after millions of Egyptians had taken to the streets in protest.
People celebrate at Tahrir Square after a broadcast by the head of the Egyptian military, Gen. Abdel Fattah, confirming that the military will temporarily take over from President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, 2013 in Cairo. AFP
Despite the decades spent building the organisation and expanding its influence, the downfall of the Brotherhood was shockingly swift. Some factions that initially supported the organization, including certain Salafist groups, abandoned it upon realizing the extent of the public resentment.
In the days that followed July 3, the Brotherhood attempted to regroup through mass sit-ins at Rabaa Al-Adawiya and Nahda squares. However, these protests soon turned into hubs of armed resistance, leading to violent clashes with security forces. Over time, following a crackdown on the group, which was declared to be a terrorist organization, the ability of the Brotherhood to mobilize dwindled.
The removal of the Brotherhood from power was not the end of the challenges Egypt was confronted with, but the beginning of a new phase filled with obstacles. The country faced major economic and security hurdles, including an upsurge in violence by Islamist insurgents and the need to rebuild institutions to restore economic stability.
The rejection of the Brotherhood was not merely opposition to a political party; it represented the rejection of an ideology that aimed to impose a restrictive vision on a society known for its pluralism and diversity.
The fall of the Brotherhood was testament to the nation’s desire and will to ensure Egypt remains a country for all its citizens, not just a single faction.
- Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy, a columnist for Arab News, is a critically acclaimed multimedia journalist and writer who has covered conflicts worldwide.
