Islamists rally against violence in Egypt
Worldwide, Daily news | ankakh | February 16, 2013 11:38
Thousands of Islamists protested in Cairo on Friday against violence that has marred anti-government demonstrations, showing support for President Mohamed Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhood politician elected head of state last year.
The “Together against Violence” rally was called by a hardline Salafi Islamist group that waged an armed revolt against the state in the 1990s.
Al-Gama’a al-Islamiya, whose leadership renounced violence more than a decade ago, has entered mainstream politics since autocratic president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in 2011.
The Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party said it backed Friday’s rally in a symbolic way but did not mobilize supporters for the event, meaning the numbers were smaller than at previous Islamist protests.
Around 60 people have been killed in Egypt since late January in unrest touched off by the anniversary of the uprising against Mubarak and exacerbated by a court ruling that sentenced 21 people to death over a soccer stadium disaster a year ago.
It has been the worst bloodshed since Mursi assumed office, underlining the instability that continues to thwart government efforts to restore a sense of normalcy and revive an economy in crisis by attracting fresh investment and tourism.
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