Several political figures, parties and movements denounced the murder of at least three female Muslim Brotherhood members in last Friday's night clashes in Mansoura during pro-Morsi rallies. Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei denounced the events on his Twitter account Saturday afternoon. "May Allah bless the innocent souls of Mansoura's victims, when will we learn that violence generates more problems and does not solve," said ElBaradei quoting in the same tweet a Quranic verse: "whosoever kills a soul, except for a soul slain, or for sedition in the earth, it should be considered as though he had killed all mankind; and that whosoever saved it should be regarded as though he had saved all mankind." Former presidential candidate and leader of the Popular Current Hamdeen Sabbahi also mourned the deaths Saturday morning on his Twitter account. "The blood of Mansoura's martyrs condemns the brutality of the criminals that killed them," wroteSabbahi, blaming at the same time "the radicals who threw them to doom, who should quit politics," refering to the Muslim Brotherhood. Sheikh Yasser El-Borhamy, the vice chairman of the Salafist Call and co-founder of the Nour Party, held the ministry of interior and the new cabinet responsible for the murders at the hands of "thugs." "Leaving thugs to attack women defies ethics and chivalry. An investigation should be held to find out who is responsible for what has happened," said El-Borhamy in a press statement. The anti-Morsi Rebel campaign also issued a statement deploring the death of the Mansoura protesters, and stating that both the Muslim Brotherhood and the interior ministry share the responsibility for their deaths. The campaign, which spearheaded massive nationwide demonstrations on 30 June demanding Morsi resign, accused the Brotherhood of "pushing with full awareness the youth, women, elderly...into the unknown to serve private interests." "What happened is a result of the Muslim Brotherhood's continued stubbornness and detachment from reality and pushing the simple people into danger, in an attempt perhaps to portray the Brotherhood domestically and internationally in a sympathetic light," Rebel spokesman Mahmoud Badr said, adding that the Brotherhood has asked for the support of the United States. The campaign has also accused the interior ministry of "not performing its duties of protecting the protestors." "The incident should be quickly investigated, and the perpetrators punished," Badr urged. Badr has also asked the youth of the Brotherhood to "redirect [their loyalty] to their country and not get caught up behind the leaders of Brotherhood who seek bloodshed and seek to push the [Brotherhood] youth into fueling a civil war." The Strong Egypt Party issued a strong statement Saturday denouncing what it described as the "unleashing of thugs on peaceful protesters," stating that it is a crime that the "failed security apparatus should be punished for." The party has accused the security forces of being "powerless" and of "never protecting Egyptians in their homes or when they express their opinions." "It is inappropriate for those in power to keep the security apparatus in its current criminal state unchecked," the statement added, describing the murder of women in Mansoura a crime. The party called on the authorities to open an investigation into the incident, adding that the responsibility of the safety of the Egyptian population lies in the hands of the current administration. As well as the three women killed, tens were injured last Friday in Mansoura, a Nile Delta city, in clashes between Morsi's supporters and anti-Morsi protestors during rallies organised by the Muslim Brotherhood in solidarity with the ousted president. Source : Ahram
