Press TV Gazans protest Egypt court ruling against Qassam Brigades Hundreds of Palestinians have staged a demonstration to protest the decision by an Egyptian court to designate Ezzedine Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas resistance movement, as a "terrorist organization." The protesters gathered outside Egypt's diplomatic mission in Gaza City on Friday, waving Hamas green flags and chanting slogans in support of Gaza-based Qassam Brigades. "Qassam are the pride of the nation, not terrorists!" they shouted. "We call on the Egyptian authorities to overturn this oppressive ruling," senior Hamas figure Salah al-Bardawil said at the rally, adding, "Those who seek to undermine Egypt's security in Sinai are its enemies.... The weapons of the Palestinian resistance remain pointed towards the Zionist enemy (Israel)." Read more: http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/02/06/396447/Gazans-censure-Egypt-Qassam-ruling Al Monitor Turkey accused of escalating violence in Egypt There was some hope that the Turkish government will use the March 22-23 parliamentary elections in Egypt as an opportunity to turn a new page in relations. After all, Turkey's condition of normalizing relations was the ending of oppression and return to democracy. Parliamentary elections and the emergence of a new government would have offered Turkey a face-saving way to reverse its stance against Egypt. While some in the government would like to improve relations with Egypt, several events have spoiled the optimistic atmosphere. One crucial development was the Istanbul meeting of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party deputies in December 2014 and their declaration that all decisions by the "coup regime" are invalid, marking a new arena of political struggle against Egypt by the Brotherhood parliament-in-exile via Turkey. Following the death of the Saudi king and his replacement, Ankara's government circles hoped that the new king, parallel to the Shiites toppling the government in Yemen, may give priority to the struggle with Iran instead of going after Islamists. As part of that strategy, the new king could cut the support to Sisi and remove the Brotherhood from the terror list. In that case, Sisi would be isolated and Turkey's current position that the Egyptian government is illegitimate would gain traction. These expectations have been voiced by figures close to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Syrian opposition. Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/turkey-egypt-muslim-brotherhood-escalating-violence.html##ixzz3R37A2TcV Press TV Egypt judiciary tool in government's hands: Expert Press TV has conducted an interview with Mohamed Fareed al-Shayyal, Islamic Studies expert from London, to discuss a decision by an Egyptian court to sentence to life 230 activists involved in the 2011 uprising against former dictator, Hosni Mubarak. Shayyal says Egypt's judiciary has become a tool in the hands of the ruling military to execute their plan to eliminate all kinds of opposition, adding that they think in this way they can finish completely whatever was left from the 2011 revolution but they are not aware of the fact that the Egyptian people are keen now to continue the struggle. Read more: http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/02/06/396457/Egypt-judiciary-tool-in-govt-hands CNN A battle for the soul of Islam The actions of the Islamic State are anything but Islamic, and Muslims must battle extremism to maintain the religion's message of mercy, the grand mufti of Egypt told CNN. Sheikh Shawky Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam spoke about the recent execution of a Jordanian pilot at the hands of ISIS. Lt. Moath al-Kasasbeh, 27, was burned alive while confined in a cage. "What happened to the Jordanian pilot is by all means a crime. This barbaric action is far away from humanity, much less religions. Islam is innocent of this act," the grand mufti said on Thursday. The grand mufti weighed whether beheadings could ever be justified by Islam. He considered the example of Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally in the region. There, defendants may be sentenced to death and beheaded. "What happens in Saudi Arabia is based on judicial investigations and implementing the predominant law. If it is the case, then we respect the rule of law in this state," Allam said. Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/05/world/egypt-grand-mufti-interview/ Haaretz Egypt airstrikes kill 27 ISIS-linked militants in Sinai Egyptian military air strikes killed 27 Islamic militants in Northern Sinai early on Friday, in one of the biggest security operations in the region months, security sources said. Apache helicopters targeted militants from Sinai Province, a group that pledged allegiance to Islamic State, the ultra-hardline militants who have seized swathes of Iraq and Syria, the sources said. Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.641152
