Islamist political parties dominated Eid al-Adha prayers across Egypt Sunday, promoting their parliamentary candidates by distributing gifts and fliers and using sermons to persuade voters, according to reports in local papers on Monday. Leading headlines of all newspapers Monday reflect how politics are the defining aspect of the holiday this year, the first Eid since the revolution, and coincidently falling three weeks before parliamentary elections. Privately owned Al-Shorouk's front page headline sums it up: “Parties' Eid prayers for God's sake, and that of voters.” According to Al-Shorouk's follow-up story, headlined “Politics jostle religion in Eid prayers,” Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi candidates competed in distributing presents and posters to adults and children alike in Upper Egypt's Qena Stadium, where 5000 congregated to pray. “The Eid prayer's sermon urged people to vote for the Brotherhood's and Salafis' candidates, in order to reform what the old regime destroyed and eradicate corruption,” reports Al-Shorouk. Fayoum witnessed a similar competition between religious parties, with other parties from across the spectrum absent, according to Al-Shorouk. And in Alexandria, the Brotherhood and Salafis converted the major mosques into stages for their campaigns. “While the role of other political forces' candidates was limited to street banners in their constituencies and the sending of text messages, Islamists exploited Eid prayers to fuel people's emotions by promising them an imminent Islamic caliphate,” explains Al-Shorouk. State-owned Al-Ahram goes with “Politics dominate Eid prayers” as its front page-leading headline. Egypt's flagship daily reports that in Helwan, the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party ran a prize raffle that included an Umra trip and sheep with the party's logo stamped on their heads. They made all participants fill out forms confirming their names and contact information. The same electioneering could be found in Ismailia and Sharqiya governorates, where thousands of Brotherhood members marched in the streets after dawn calling for people to attend Eid prayers, reports Al-Ahram. On a different note, Al-Ahram reports on planned US-Israeli joint military exercises to simulate Israel's missile defense system. Five thousand Israeli and American forces will carry out the maneuvers, said Andrew Shapiro, US assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. Al-Ahram cites Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which quotes an official at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealing that the agency's report on Iran, due to be released in the coming days, proves that Tehran has recently carried out nuclear weapon tests in violation of international conventions. A prominent Israeli official said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are currently mobilizing the majority of the Israeli cabinet that supports a military operation against Iran, reports Al-Ahram. State-owned Al-Akhbar conducts an exclusive interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in which he denies that Iran possesses a nuclear bomb. “Iran is only keen to obtain nuclear technology to use it for peaceful purposes, in abidance with the international nuclear nonproliferation agreement that we've signed,” Ahmadinejad said. On the subject of US mobilization of world powers against Iran, the Iranian president said, “Americans wish to destroy Iran, but they can't, and everyone should know that throughout history, no enemy has been able to achieve its goals against Iran.” Ahmadinejad added that Iran “loves Egypt and its people,” and that he will visit Egypt whenever he is officially invited by Egyptian authorities. Privately owned Al-Tahrir reports that a number of constitutional experts from the Egyptian Bloc, National Association for Change and Wafd Party have prepared amendments to articles 5, 9 and 10 of the supra-constitutional principles document currently being championed by Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Selmy. In the amendments to articles 5 and 9, the need for the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' (SCAF) “approval” of laws regarding the armed forces is replaced by a directive for the government to “consult” with the council. In Article 10, the experts suggest expanding Egypt's National Defense Council to include heads of the People's Assembly, Shura Council, Supreme Constitutional Court, Central Auditing Organization and Armed Forces to determine the national military budget, with parliament being responsible for its approval, reports Al-Tahrir.
