“There is a systematic fascist campaign by ‘sovereign bodies' and ‘independent' media which stand against the insistence on upholding the value of human life and the inevitability of national consensus. Violence only begets violence,” former vice president Mohamed Al-Baradei tweeted on Sunday. Since resigning on 15 August in response to the violent dispersal of Islamist sit-ins in Cairo and Giza, Al-Baradei has remained silent in the face of accusations that vary from being an American puppet to charges he acted treasonably. He argued before his resignation that a security crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood would be counterproductive and that any of its members who have not been accused of violence should be integrated into the political process if they so wished. Days after his resignation Al-Baradei left Cairo for Geneva where he had lived for many years during his tenure as director of the International Atomic Energy Agency. His departure at such a critical time raised several questions about the intentions of the man who was the first to call for change in 2010. Writer Abdallah Al-Sinawi argues that Al-Baradei lost much of his credibility when he resigned and left the country and that Sunday's tweet could be seen as an attempt to flirt with the US and the West. “The situation in Egypt is much more complicated than a 140-character tweet,” says Al-Sinawi, adding that Al-Baradei should back the government's efforts at reconciliation rather than accusing the media of promoting fascism. According to sources close to Al-Baradei, the former vice president was reacting to reports accusing him of working from abroad to undermine Egypt's transitional roadmap and of colluding with the Muslim Brotherhood. Khaled Dawoud, spokesperson of the Constitution Party (Al-Dostour) which Al-Baradei co-founded, says Al-Baradei has been subjected to a campaign of vilifications that seeks to undermine his standing in the eyes of the public. “This is why he issued a comment which does not directly address the current political situation in Egypt,” says Dawoud. Media criticism against Al-Baradei has intensified, with unsubstantiated reports appearing of meetings between him and Muslim Brotherhood officials abroad to discuss how the Brotherhood might return to power. “He is the conscience of the 25 January Revolution. He has always been a patriot who wants the best for his country,” insists Dawoud. “Since 2010 he has been fighting for human rights and Egyptians' freedoms and his comment conforms with the principles he stands for.” Al-Baradei, a vocal opponent of Mohamed Morsi, was appointed vice president after Morsi's ouster on 3 July. With the exception of Dawoud, Constitution Party leaders have distanced themselves from Al-Baradei's statements. Ahmed Darag insists Al-Baradei represents himself and not the party and that he is misleading the public. “I think the former vice president has to give us his definition of reconciliation. His statement is vague and has different meanings,” says Darag, “I think Al-Baradei is trying to win back the supporters he lost when he resigned. He knows that his popularity has shrunk.” Two weeks ago Al-Baradei asked his supporters, again by Twitter, to remain faithful to the goals of the Egyptian revolution. He added that he hopes the party's young members “will set an example in the fields of social work and reunification in a nation that embraces all”. Heba Yassin, spokesperson of the Popular Current — founded by former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi — wonders why Al-Baradei expects the Egyptian government to be tolerant towards a group like the Muslim Brotherhood which “targeted the military and put the country's national security at risk”. “Why does Al-Baradei turn a blind eye to violence committed by the Muslim Brotherhood? Why did he choose to comment only on the end of a story that began when the Muslim Brotherhood betrayed the revolution and then used violence to protect their rule.” Former MP Mustafa Bakri urged Al-Baradei “to condemn the acts of violence committed by Muslim Brotherhood members rather than the government response to this violence”. After consistently attacking him from 2010 onwards many Islamists now believe Al-Baradei was right to reject a policy of “exclusion”. “We have told the military and the government many times that exclusion can only undermine the political process in the long run,” says Khaled Alameddin, a leading member of the Salafist Nour Party.
