In a new round of the consolidation of secular parties and political movements in Egypt, the Popular Stream led by Hamdeen Sabahi, was launched last Friday evening from Abdin Square in Downtown Cairo. Sabahi had run in the last presidential elections, but had lost to Ahmed Shafiq and Mohamed Mursi
In a new round of the consolidation of secular parties and political movements in Egypt, the Popular Stream led by Hamdeen Sabahi, was launched last Friday evening from Abdin Square in Downtown Cairo. Sabahi had run in the last presidential elections, but had lost to Ahmed Shafiq and Mohamed Mursi.
Thousands of supporters filled the spacious square. They came from Cairo and from other governorates, chanting slogans of the 25 January 2011 Revolution “Bread, Freedom, and Social Justice”, and pledging “We will pursue the cause”. They cheered against the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mursi, and for Sabahi: “This is the president!”
After a recitation from the Qur’an, the national anthem was played and the coalition was launched. Sabahi admitted the seculars had committed a serious error when they had not consolidated their efforts before, and that they were there that evening to right this error. He said the Popular Stream was not backed by idealogy even though it respected idealogy, and its main task would be to pursue the targets of the Revolution. He condemned the hatred being sown between Egypt’s Muslims and Copts, and demanded that the government should call for international legislation to criminalise disdain of religion. Addressing the West, he said: “You say that disdain Islam is freedom of expression, but criminalise any doubt of the Holocaust.”
On 28 September, the 41st anniversary of the death of President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, his son Abdel-Hakim Abdel-Nasser will preside over the launching of another secular coalition, that of the Nasserist parties. Under the name The Nasserist Party, the four current Nasserist parties will unite into one.
Last Tuesday had seen the launching of a coalition of 25 secular parties and political movements under the name the National Congress and the leadership of former presidential candidate and Arab League chief Amr Moussa.
WATANI International
23 September 2012