U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (MN-06) has condemned calls to release Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi. Bachmann's statement followed a visit made by U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain to Cairo where they called for the release of Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood members. "What happened in Egypt was not a ‘coup', but rather a recapture of the 2011 revolution," the congresswoman said. "President Morsi threatened violence against his own people to remain in power, and without an impeachment process, the Army did what it thought was necessary to defend the freedom of the Egyptian people." She expressed confidence that the senate would support Egypt's democratic institutions and not the Muslim Brotherhood regime which she described as "Islamic Jihad." The US congresswoman further added that the true defenders of secular democracy in Egypt are the tens of millions who demonstrated in the streets in early July. "During their visit to Egypt, Senators McCain and Graham expressed support for Muslim Brotherhood leaders and demanded they be released from prison and included in talks. Yet, it's the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi in particular who promote violence and a culture of fear. "I have every confidence my colleagues in the Senate are concerned about supporting Egypt's democratic institutions, which is why they should reject support for Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood regime. Instead, they should support the leaders of the true Arab Spring. The true defenders of secular democracy in Egypt are the tens of millions who demonstrated in the streets in early July. They sent a clear message to the world that they do not want Egypt to embrace a Shariah-compliant theocracy run by a terrorist organization—they do not want the Muslim Brotherhood in power. "It is counterproductive for the people's representatives to ignore the pro-democracy aspirations of a popular majority in Egypt rising up against a radical Islamist regime. We need to rally behind a rejection of Islamic Jihad, not behind a push to release murderers from Egyptian prisons."
