By Lauren Frantz
Conflicts have long consumed the entire continent of Africa, as there are riots, protests, civil wars, and the strong desire for power, creating a huge challenge for many countries. A major crisis has erupted in Egypt since the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi, a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. President Mohamed Morsi served as the 5th president of Egypt from June 30th, 2012, to July 3, 2013. He was the first citizen and freely-elected president of Egypt. However, he was ousted by the military, along with many protesters who were against his rule. Being a prominent leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi has many supporters. (Egypt Profile, 2014) These supporters have created many riots and protests now that the president doesn't have any more power. Because of the protesters, there has been a rise in the amount of violence and danger in Egypt, contributing to the overall instability within the country and the region.
The anger over the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi has caused many Muslim Brotherhood supports to act with violence. They've put a large amount of this anger on the Coptic Christians, who are native Christians of Egypt. Many rumors and false accusations have been spread about the Christians, causing members of the Muslim Brotherhood to attack them. (Rossomando, 2013) Churches are being burned to the ground, along with schools, homes, and even police stations. Even though many Christians, including the Pope Tawadros (Rossomando), supported the removal of Morsi, they only make up 10% of the population of Egypt. (Bohn, 2013) They are only a small fraction of all the people who are opposed to Morsi's presidency. There are Christians and Muslims that have united against the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt's government has now declared war on terrorism from the Muslim Brotherhood. (Bohn, 2013)
Even though the Muslim Brotherhood is the largest contributer to the crisis in Egypt, the military has had a large amount of involvement and power in the crisis since the president was ousted last year. Journalists have been sent to jail by the military, greatly showing how the military doesn't have the right idea of the freedom of speech. They have interfered with many protesters and supporters of Morsi. Commander-in-Chief Abdul Fattah El-Sisi has been the leader of the military, as well as the biggest contribution to the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi. This shows how the military was the primary source behind the ousting of Morsi. The country is currently being controlled by the military, but there will be an election for a president soon, and El-Sisi is considering on running in the election. (Powers, 2013)
The crisis in Egypt has affected many citizens of the country, especially the Christians. The ousting of President Mubarak in 2011, a dictator of Egypt, was just the beginning of what would become a huge conflict for the country. The crisis involving the Muslim Brotherhood will take a lot of time and help in order to be resolved.