CAIRO - Egypt's violent political crisis is rooted in street politics. The Muslim Brotherhood, from which ousted president Mohamed Morsi hails, pins a lot of hopes on its grassroots base to place pressure on the military after its overthrow of the Islamist leader. The Islamist group rushes headlong in its street tactic, paying no heed to the risks involved. Already dozens of the Brotherhood supporters have died since Morsi's overthrow in clashes with his opponents and the security forces. Still, there is no sign in sight that the group will give up its violent street politics and get engaged in the post-Morsi political process. The Islamist group appears bent on disrupting life for Egyptians. Thousands of Morsi's backers are camping out in the area of Rabaa el-Adawiya in north-eastern Cairo where their leaders take to the podium to tell them that the "victory is in the offing." Many of these campers have been sitting in there for more than a month now. Other fellows are camping near the Cairo University, pushing for Morsi's reinstatement. The Brotherhood leaders have obviously manipulated their followers to heighten the showdown with the military by blocking major routes, attacking public and private property and provoking Morsi's opponents. This pugnacious approach has resulted in many tragic deaths. Morsi's ouster has obviously dealt the worst blow to the Brotherhood since it was created in 1928. Morsi's election as president last summer marked the Brotherhood's first- time ascendancy power. During his one-year-old presidency, Morsi was repeatedly accused by the mostly secular opposition of acting at his group's command and mismanaging the country's mounting problems. Commanding an international organisation with many offshoots, the Brotherhood looks at pains to regain power or at least a strong foothold in post-Morsi Egypt. For this the 85-year-old group is going to great lengths out on the streets. The army, backed by most Egyptians, is apparently growing impatient with the Brotherhood. Defence Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, believed to be the architect of Morsi's ouster, last week asked for a "public mandate to fight potential violence and terrorism." He got it in the form of demonstrations staged by millions of Egyptians, who rallied across the nation on Friday to back an anticipated draconian campaign by the army on "terrorism". El-Sissi's call for the public mandate gave evidence that street politics is thriving in Egypt and is here to stay at least for the near term. The army deposed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, following a three-day street protest campaign. By calling for mass rallies, el-Sissi also sought to send a potent message to critics in the region and the West in particular that Morsi's toppling was in response to the people's wishes and was not a military coup. The army personnel have, meanwhile, been the target of deadly attacks in the volatile Sinai Peninsula since Morsi's overthrow. The attacks are widely believed to be the working of Islamist insurgents associated with the Brotherhood. Friday's pro-military rallies are expected to strengthen the army's hands in fighting those terrorists. The military has to be aware of the fact that its invoking of the street power will also put the brakes on its behaviour. Some liberal voices have already been raised, saying that the public mandate to the army in fighting terrorism does not give it a "carte blanche" to take extrajudicial measures. A good reminder for the generals is the 16-month transitional period when they took over in February 2011 following Hosni Mubarak's removal in a popular uprising. Those months were fraught with turmoil over controversial acts by the military including a crackdown on dissenters. Anti-military slogans dating to the time can still be read on walls across Egypt, documenting sentiment of the tumultuous period. Excessive use of street politics threatens to worsen the country's crisis and dash hopes for a smooth democratic transition.
