In the wake of the overthrow of now former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi by the country’s military, leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, also known as the Freedom Justice Party (FJP) in Egypt, are being arrested. Morsi’s fellow Islamists are now calling for protests. Reuters is reporting:
The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood was arrested by Egyptian security forces on Thursday in a crackdown against the Islamist movement after the army ousted the country’s first democratically elected president.
The dramatic exit of President Mohamed Mursi was greeted with delight by millions of people on the streets of Cairo and other cities overnight, but there was simmering resentment among Egyptians who opposed military intervention.
An Islamist coalition led by the Brotherhood called on people across the nation to protest in a “Friday of Rejection” following weekly prayers, an early test of Mursi’s ongoing support and how the military will deal with it.
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood party chairman Saad Elkatatny was among those who were arrested. Elkatatny posted two messages on his Facebook page around the time of his arrest on Wednesday. (Both posts were translated from Arabic to English via Bing):
Almost 2 hours ago arrived about 12 people dressed as civilians our House to arrest the father and taken to an unknown location. Congratulations to him and our pride for our detention and don’t say only Savior Lord Allah of his bounty sio’tina I to the Lord willing. But oh how that freedom you claim they call for dialogue in the afternoon and evening they arrest him. Welcome to the era of the new freedoms!
(Lord make me a resident of atomic bomb explosions and our Lord and accept DOA [prayer] * Lord forgive me and my parents and the faithful on the account * PENSAR God unaware of what work the oppressor but puts them back on when diagnosed sight * mhetain masked heads does not fall back to them and their hearts)
In a statement, Dr. Essam El-Erian, the FJP’s Vice-Chairman, told Ikhwanweb that the “people will triumph.” over the military coup.
“Truth will triumph over falsehood, and the Egyptian people will complete the march of their revolution against Mubarak and his cronies and loyalists.”
According to the Egypt Independent, Erian attempted to leave the country and travel to Jordan, but was foiled by authorities.