There is no doubt about the ability of Egyptian Islamists in general and the Muslim Brotherhood in particular to gather large crowds in protests or in displays of power, whether to support the president or to frighten those who oppose him. Indeed, their supporters believe that answering calls to gather at a certain place or attending certain rallies earns them a "reward from God", in addition to having performed their duty of support. There was therefore nothing new about the scene in Rabia Al-Adawiya Square last Friday. Rather, it was a repeated occurrence that has happened before and might happen again in the future. But is the rising popularity of Doctor Mohamed Morsi or approval of the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood indicative of the failure of calls for anticipated presidential elections? Of course, the answer is no. Those who gathered there always approve of the president, regardless of his policies or his deeds. Those who will gather next Sunday, on the other hand, reject the President, oppose his policies, and do not consider him to have accomplished anything. Generally speaking, even if both sides of the conflict in Egypt do not want violence to be one of the methods they might resort to on June 30, it is certain that neither of them has the ability to prevent it. This is not because the occurrence of clashes and the fall of wounded and martyrs is detrimental to the political stance of the party causing them; or because other parties that are not participating in the conflict have the desire and ability to sow and manipulate such incidents; or because, once the cycle of violence starts in a country like Egypt, it will only grow unrestrainedly. Rather, it is because violence is one of the scenarios that would represent a natural development of the events of that day, if every side were to cling to its own stances, its own policies and its own crowds, and to consider that the outcome of that day will represent death for the opposing party and rebirth for its own. Certainly the threats that were made from the podium by Islamists, most of them members of the Muslim Brotherhood, on the Friday of "No to Violence" three days ago in Rabia Al-Adawiya Square, were intentional, deliberate, and designed to frighten those Egyptians from taking to the streets and public squares on June 30, or at least to send a message to those who have so far remained neutral: Are you with the regime or against it? Are you with applying God's law or with the Devil? Are you with legitimacy and Sharia Law or with rebellion against your ruler and blasphemy against God?! The entire scene, with its crowds and its chants, falls within the framework of preparations by both sides of the conflict to set the stage for the expected battle, knowing that the side of the Muslim Brotherhood in particular, and of Islamists in general, is perfectly well aware that violence will be detrimental to the regime, the Brotherhood and all Islamists. Indeed, it would lead them to lose what remains of popular sympathy and of regional and international support for them, not to mention the incentive it would represent for existing state institutions, such as the army, the police and the judiciary, to turn against the legitimate authority. Indeed, if the regime and its allies were to resort to violence, such an authority would then be acting outside the framework of legitimacy. The president and his supporters have an incentive to confront the insistence of those who oppose him on rebellion and on general popular anger against the way in which the state is being run. There is also an absence of tangible achievements or of any improvement to the standard of living of citizens. However, this makes peaceful protesting, rebelling, and voicing anger, or backing, supporting and defending the President and his regime, merely part of a series of steps that will eventually lead to the scenario of violence. What is certain is that Egyptians will not accept to be ruled by any faction by force and with the hegemony of supporters or the use of weapons. It is only natural that Egyptians would unite against the party that would use violence and find strength in weapons or in organization. Nonetheless, the experiences of other peoples can still be useful for those playing the game to realize that reducing one's losses can sometimes be far better than insisting on winning everything. The Islamists, and at their core the Muslim Brotherhood, have during the first year of their rule lost some of their popularity. Meanwhile, secular forces are still suffering from their own contradictions, and it seems that they have finally realized that the movement and the wishes of the street are moving at a faster pace than their own abilities. As for the people, it seems that they have come to realize that there will be on June 30 a rebellion against the president, his party, the Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters... and also against the opposition!!
