A complaint has been filed against Essam El-Erian, adviser to President Mohamed Morsy and vice chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party. Eslam Abdel-Khalek, the lawyer who filed the complaint with the public prosecutor said that he filed it on behalf of the chairman of the Independent Teachers' Union in Alexandria. The complaint was filed following statements El-Erian made during a talk show, on 27 December, 2012, in which he called on Jewish Egyptians living in Israel to come back to Egypt. Abdel-Khalek said: “He is a member of the Shura Council, an advisor of the president and vice president of the ruling party, It is not right that he makes statements like these.” Abdel-Khalek stated that Egypt's penal code covers El-Erian's statements because they disturb the Egyptian public and threaten national security. The complaint called for an investigation and the summoning of both El-Erian and the talk show host. El-Erian said that his statements represent his personal opinion and that he does not speak on behalf of Egypt. The presidency distanced itself from the statements. Yasser Ali, presidential spokesperson, said the presidency is not responsible for these statements which only represent El-Erian's personal views. Ali added that the president's advisers do not speak on behalf of the presidency. Over the phone, in a televised interview, on another talk show, El-Erian justified his call for Jews of Egyptian origin to return to Egypt by explaining that in order for Palestinians to return to their lands, the people occupying these lands must leave. He added that the recently passed constitution gives Egyptian Christians and Jews the right to resort to their own religious principles as the source of legislation and the right to choose their spiritual leaders.
