Video footage of policemen stripping a demonstrator naked and beating him brutally and dragging him down the asphalt street in yesterday's cold night, will have a disastrous impact on the future of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and overseas. The citizen's humiliation and torture have revived the memory of Tunisia's Mohamed Buazizi, who set himself on fire – only to spark off the Tunisian (Jasmine) revolution on January 23, 2011. Buazizi, an unemployed young man who had resorted to working as a street vendor, committed suicide after a policewoman smacked his face for refusing to leave the pavement. His death ignited an anti-police uprising that grew to massive demonstrations, which quickly morphed into an anti-government movement that ultimately ousted the ex-Tunisian president. Similarly, the nation was aghast as it watched the recent video footage of a completely naked man, Hamada Saber from Cairo's eastern district of Mattariyya, being dragged, hit and kicked brutally by a group of policemen. The footage showed the man struggling to appeal to his captors to stop. Television viewers' shock increased when the policemen, ignoring the captive's painful and helpless cries, resumed beating and kicking him callously. Like an animal caught by determined hunters after a long and tiring chase, the naked man gave himself in to his sadistic captors to do whatever they wanted. He struggled to endure the physical pain and the emotional humiliation until it finally occurred to the police to stop. Saber's tragedy has undoubtedly scandalised the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and the regime of President Mohamed Morsi at home and abroad. A stern statement issued by the presidential palace added more fuel to the already raging, anti-MB fire that is constantly kindled by youngsters and ordinary citizens alike. The statement threatened to take tougher measures and use more force if they refused to disband and leave the area. The disappointing statement confirmed that the police had been given orders not to be lenient with the protesters. The statement associated violence at the presidential palace with ‘unnamed' political forces, which were allegedly mobilising saboteurs and criminals in this war. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, whoever drafted the presidential statement failed to include words that would comfort Saber. President Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood will find it very difficult to survive this scandal. The abuse of Saber's human rights is now documented and is widely available. Soon, the hell will be unleashed on the MB in particular and Islamists in general from critics at home and abroad. Opponents of the MB now have an opportunity to upgrade their protests against the President and his group. Saber's scandal may cause sympathetic citizens to retract the sympathy they had extended to President Mohamed Morsi over the past in the face of mass demonstrations. Ordinary citizens, reeling under unbearable economic hardships, had accepted that the President should be given the time and chance to fulfil his presidential pledges, which prioritised making improvements in the economic situation and human rights issues. Ordinary citizens had also lukewarmly welcomed the National Salvation Front's (NSF's) conditions to withdraw from the street and take part in a proposed dialogue with the President. The NSF demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Hisham Qandil and the Prosecutor-General Talaat Ibrahim, the appointment of a national salvation government and a new constitution. However, the biggest blow to the MB-led government is likely to be the vacillating Salafists. They will manoeuvre slyly to capitalise on the MB's dilemma and piece together their image, which was shattered after a series of sexual scandals and provocative statements over the nation's ancient history and civilisation. Also, Washington, which is widely seen as the Big Brother of Islamists in the Middle East, will have no choice but to wash its hands of the MB following this human rights violation – otherwise anti-US sentiments will grow in the Middle East. The recent blast outside the US embassy in Ankara that killed two is still being investigated and may (or may not) have links to Islamists, but it demonstrates the continued presence of anti-American sentiments in the region, nonetheless. The EU is expected to follow suit and, like the US, wash its hand of Saber's scandal (of the MB?). Egypt is now positioned to witness even bigger cycles of violence from now right up to February 11, the second anniversary of the ousting of ex-president Hosni Mubarak. The President and MB do not appear to be willing to compromise their tough stance on their opponents; or adopt a soft line on proposals sought to ease the soaring tension. Nor are demonstrators ready to abandon their goal and end the situation at this stage. However, President Mohamed Morsi would partially survive Saber's scandal if he immediately dismissed the Minister of Interior, who was appointed last month. Any intransigence by the President in this respect would have tragic consequences on different parties, including the nation.
