CAIRO – Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's international debut made its biggest splash at home. After he publicly denounced Syria's regime while being hosted by Damascus' top ally Iran, Egyptian supporters and even some critics are lauding him as a new Arab leader that speaks truth to power. That may have been precisely the point. The drama of his Tehran speech boosts Morsi, an Islamist from the Muslim Brotherhood who became his country's first freely elected president, as he works to entrench his authority in Egypt. His speech also points to new images he is cultivating: The tough, fearless leader who speaks with the voice of a people who chose him. “He bows in respect for his people, so world leaders bow to him," proclaimed a photo-montage posted on a Brotherhood-affiliated Facebook page. In one frame, it shows Morsi bowing his head amid crowds of supporters in Tahrir Square. In the other, it shows Morsi sitting at the Nonaligned Movement summit in Tehran Thursday, with several dignitaries stooped over him to listen as if bowing and hanging on his every word. For critics, the gushing support is reminiscent of the unquestioning praise given in state media to his predecessor, ousted president Hosni Mubarak. Moreover, they point out that behind the dramatic gestures, Morsi is so far doing little to bring actual dramatic change in Egypt's foreign policy. Morsi is being cautious, reluctant to turn sharply against Egypt's main Mubarak-era allies. That is in part because he is constrained by the realities of the region and by his need for allies as he tries to address Egypt's domestic woes. Morsi makes his first visit as president to the US in September for the annual UN General Assembly session. Washington might have been expected to be unhappy to see the first visit by an Egyptian president to Tehran since Iran's 1979 revolution. Instead, it joined in the praise. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell welcomed Morsi's comments on Syria as “very clear and very strong," particularly as they were made in Tehran “to some people who need to hear it there." Since his inauguration in late July, Morsi has promised a more independent foreign policy, saying Mubarak's close adherence to an American line made Egypt ineffectual and irrelevant in the Middle East. Morsi's supporters touted his speech as an example of his new approach. His flair in Tehran was certainly a break from the tone of Mubarak's foreign policy, which usually saw dry repetitions of long-held stances and shunned drama. In contrast, Morsi swept in to visit a longtime rival, eagerly shook the Iranian president's hand, then gave a hearty call for world support of Syria's rebels against an “oppressive regime that has lost its legitimacy." “People haven't heard an Egyptian leader speaking in this fashion, speaking out a foreign policy position that struck a chord with the region," said Michael W. Hanna, an Egypt expert at New York's Century Foundation. “This is the first time that Egypt struck a populist note in terms of its foreign policy in probably decades." Even one of Morsi's staunchest domestic critics, Mohamed Abu Hamed, tweeted: “To the president: a salute of appreciation for your speech in Tehran summit. I hope you implement the ideas you mentioned." One prominent Egyptian Salafi cleric praised Morsi for affirming Egypt's identity. “The comments had a huge effect and shook the hearts of Iranians like earthquakes," said Sheik Mohammed Gweili. Dozens of supporters lined up the airport road to receive Morsi upon his return from Iran. “Free revolutionaries, we will complete the path," they chanted. “Egyptians felt that their president speaks with their tongue and is strong through their will that elected him," Hussein Ibrahim, the head of the Brotherhood majority in the most recent, now-dissolved parliament, wrote on his Facebook page. “Outside Egypt, the Arab brothers feel that Egypt is returning to its place and is filling the gap that was caused by the previous regime." For some, the effusive praise was worrying. Sarah Othman, a prominent blogger and columnist in the independent El-Badil online newspaper, criticized Morsi's goading of the Iranians with the Sunni Islamic references as “childish, too naive and unbecoming of someone with such a high position." It “was only met with approval by fanatics and sectarians." – AP
