The man behind the trial: Mohamed Morsi, his Brotherhood and mistakes

Published November 4th, 2013 - 08:47 GMT

On November 4, Egypt’s former president Mohamed Morsi is set to go on trial for inciting violence against protesters during an uprising in 2012, six months after he came to power -- and six months before he was removed from his presidency by the army.

The Foreign Ministry said that Morsi will be brought to trial for criminal -- not political -- charges. The charges levelled against the ousted Islamist president include “deliberate and premeditated murder” as well as inciting the “use of violence, thuggery, coercion, possession of firearms, ammunition, and melee weapons”.

Murder is a serious charge. Morsi’s criminal charges relate to violent clashes outside Cairo’s presidential palace in December 2012 -- although it seems the new interim government is taking their judicial revenge, this ex-president has been wanted long before Sisi came into the picture.

But to get a true understanding of Morsi’s complicated case, one must do what Sherlock Holmes would have done -- get a deep understanding of the man to understand his crimes.

Who is Mohamed Morsi? What is behind this man of contradictions? After all, he was the charismatic leader of the Muslim Brotherhood party that ended Egypt’s decades-long military rule. Having ousted Hosni Mubarak from power, it’s a surprise he had the time to spend several excruciating seconds publically adjusting his genitals while meeting with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

He might have been ousted from power, but his political clout shows no signs of abating -- at any protest in Egypt (of which there have been many since the June 30 protests), there are scores of Egyptians raising their four-fingered “rabaa” salute to Morsi and adorning their heads with Muslim Brotherhood bandanas. He might be in hiding -- he spoke to his family for the first time since his ousting in September -- but his party is still calling for his reinstatement.

The ‘Tamarod’ group that called for his removal -- and orchestrated the June 30 opposition rallies -- may have got more signatures on their petition than Morsi got during the 2012 elections but this sweetheart of the Ikhwan (Arabic for Brotherhood) must have done something right during his tumultuous year in power. In the words of ‘The Killers’: Morsi “how did we end up like this, it was only a kiss” (or a major domestic coup that resulted in the deaths of hundreds).

In this slideshow, we will take you through Morsi’s childhood, formative years and political life in a bid to understand what has made the ex-president one of the most glorified and vilified personalities of the political world.

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Birth: Morsi was born in the small village of Al Adwa on the Nile Delta. When the rains turned the soil to mud, his father sent him to school on a mule. Morsi excelled in science and religion at school -- a balance that his nation is still struggling to achieve.

All American: Morsi went to Cairo University and won a scholarship at the University of Southern California. He admired the US' work ethic -- its party ethics, not so much. Morsi disliked America’s “naked restaurants” like Hooters (even though they have great chicken wings). Morsi’s children were born in the US - and are US citizens.

The Homecoming: An intelligent man with a knowledge of the New World and the ‘West’ but with the necessary dash of conservatism that runs through the Brotherhood, Morsi was viewed as an asset to the Egyptian government upon his return. He was one of 15 Muslim Brotherhood members elected to Parliament.

Moderation: After years underground, facing military crackdowns, the Brotherhood decided to adopt a more moderate approach. They decided on a democracy tied to political Islam -- but one that also valued market stability. Morsi was good at striking this balance with his closest political mentor, multi-millionaire Khairat Al Shater.

Morsi the martyr: To position himself as a serious political power, Morsi was the driving force behind the major anti-Mubarak protests that swept Egypt leading up to that first revolutionary ouster in 2011. Earning kudos for his war against corruption, Morsi was arrested by the Mubarak regime.

Hardliner: Deeply conservative, Morsi spouted the Muslim Brotherhood’s traditional rhetoric in policy for the Guidance Council of Egypt in which he argued against women or Christians becoming Egypt’s leader. Urging for a strong Islamist government presence, his ideas were ultimately rejected but Morsi’s conservative writing was on the wall.

Power-hungry and persuasive: After 2012's Tahrir Square protests, Morsi won the approval of the senior leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood for his consistent conservatism. He was chosen as President and broke Egypt’s decades-long autocratic rule.

Jumping the gun: Morsi made a series of rash decisions in his early days as President -- he laid off most of the army’s top officials as well as Egypt’s intelligence chief. Considering he was still breaking in the role, many criticized Morsi’s reshuffle - and the fact that he filled up the positions with Brotherhood members or sympathisers.

Champion or copout? The Brotherhood traditionally defined themselves on their stance against Israel. Morsi helped broker a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel - a diplomatic feat which lost him some of his Palestinian street cred. In one of the few political triumphs of his career, Morsi was praised for his pragmatism and leadership.

Crippled by the constitution: Although known to be reactionary, Morsi’s right-wing constitution isolated major swathes of Egypt. Written by hardline Islamists, the promotion of sharia law and the disregard for women’s rights saw Islamic traditions triumph over secularism - having previously juggled the two, he was quickly branded a regressive.

Hubris: In a bid to consolidate power, Morsi blocked the judiciary from limiting his rule. When it transpired these weren't temporary measures, Morsi's greed for power angered secular and liberal groups across the country. The crackdown on the protests over his power-trip were his undoing and might result in his life imprisonment -- or neck.

Overthrow: After the constitution was labelled fraudulent by Morsi’s opposition, on June 30 thousands of Morsi’s friends and foes took to the streets to battle it out. With over 18 million signatures calling for his ouster, the army asked Morsi to accept the people’s demands on July 1. He didn’t. Two days later, he was removed in a coup.

Trials and tribulations: If Morsi is found guilty, he could receive the death penalty -- or a life sentence in jail. As Egypt's delicate domestic politics hang in the balance, the outcome of Morsi's trial could bring more widespread violence and protests to the already turbulent country.

Gallery of brother-shame: 14 other Brotherhood and gov’t bigwigs will be standing trial alongside Morsi - including recently arrested deputy chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party Essam El-Erian and Mohammed El Beltagi, whose 17 year old daughter Asmaa was killed in the army crackdown on the Rabaa Al Adawiya/Nasr City crackdown in August.

Birth: Morsi was born in the small village of Al Adwa on the Nile Delta. When the rains turned the soil to mud, his father sent him to school on a mule. Morsi excelled in science and religion at school -- a balance that his nation is still struggling to achieve.

All American: Morsi went to Cairo University and won a scholarship at the University of Southern California. He admired the US' work ethic -- its party ethics, not so much. Morsi disliked America’s “naked restaurants” like Hooters (even though they have great chicken wings). Morsi’s children were born in the US - and are US citizens.

The Homecoming: An intelligent man with a knowledge of the New World and the ‘West’ but with the necessary dash of conservatism that runs through the Brotherhood, Morsi was viewed as an asset to the Egyptian government upon his return. He was one of 15 Muslim Brotherhood members elected to Parliament.

Moderation: After years underground, facing military crackdowns, the Brotherhood decided to adopt a more moderate approach. They decided on a democracy tied to political Islam -- but one that also valued market stability. Morsi was good at striking this balance with his closest political mentor, multi-millionaire Khairat Al Shater.

Morsi the martyr: To position himself as a serious political power, Morsi was the driving force behind the major anti-Mubarak protests that swept Egypt leading up to that first revolutionary ouster in 2011. Earning kudos for his war against corruption, Morsi was arrested by the Mubarak regime.

Hardliner: Deeply conservative, Morsi spouted the Muslim Brotherhood’s traditional rhetoric in policy for the Guidance Council of Egypt in which he argued against women or Christians becoming Egypt’s leader. Urging for a strong Islamist government presence, his ideas were ultimately rejected but Morsi’s conservative writing was on the wall.

Power-hungry and persuasive: After 2012's Tahrir Square protests, Morsi won the approval of the senior leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood for his consistent conservatism. He was chosen as President and broke Egypt’s decades-long autocratic rule.

Jumping the gun: Morsi made a series of rash decisions in his early days as President -- he laid off most of the army’s top officials as well as Egypt’s intelligence chief. Considering he was still breaking in the role, many criticized Morsi’s reshuffle - and the fact that he filled up the positions with Brotherhood members or sympathisers.

Champion or copout? The Brotherhood traditionally defined themselves on their stance against Israel. Morsi helped broker a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel - a diplomatic feat which lost him some of his Palestinian street cred. In one of the few political triumphs of his career, Morsi was praised for his pragmatism and leadership.

Crippled by the constitution: Although known to be reactionary, Morsi’s right-wing constitution isolated major swathes of Egypt. Written by hardline Islamists, the promotion of sharia law and the disregard for women’s rights saw Islamic traditions triumph over secularism - having previously juggled the two, he was quickly branded a regressive.

Hubris: In a bid to consolidate power, Morsi blocked the judiciary from limiting his rule. When it transpired these weren't temporary measures, Morsi's greed for power angered secular and liberal groups across the country. The crackdown on the protests over his power-trip were his undoing and might result in his life imprisonment -- or neck.

Overthrow: After the constitution was labelled fraudulent by Morsi’s opposition, on June 30 thousands of Morsi’s friends and foes took to the streets to battle it out. With over 18 million signatures calling for his ouster, the army asked Morsi to accept the people’s demands on July 1. He didn’t. Two days later, he was removed in a coup.

Trials and tribulations: If Morsi is found guilty, he could receive the death penalty -- or a life sentence in jail. As Egypt's delicate domestic politics hang in the balance, the outcome of Morsi's trial could bring more widespread violence and protests to the already turbulent country.

Gallery of brother-shame: 14 other Brotherhood and gov’t bigwigs will be standing trial alongside Morsi - including recently arrested deputy chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party Essam El-Erian and Mohammed El Beltagi, whose 17 year old daughter Asmaa was killed in the army crackdown on the Rabaa Al Adawiya/Nasr City crackdown in August.

Tags:Cairo army Foreign Ministry Muslim Brotherhood party Mohamed Morsi Hosni Mubarak Julia Gillard

The man behind the trial: Mohamed Morsi, his Brotherhood and mistakes

Birth: Morsi was born in the small village of Al Adwa on the Nile Delta. When the rains turned the soil to mud, his father sent him to school on a mule. Morsi excelled in science and religion at school -- a balance that his nation is still struggling to achieve.

Morsi the martyr: To position himself as a serious political power, Morsi was the driving force behind the major anti-Mubarak protests that swept Egypt leading up to that first revolutionary ouster in 2011. Earning kudos for his war against corruption, Morsi was arrested by the Mubarak regime.

Power-hungry and persuasive: After 2012's Tahrir Square protests, Morsi won the approval of the senior leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood for his consistent conservatism. He was chosen as President and broke Egypt’s decades-long autocratic rule.

Trials and tribulations: If Morsi is found guilty, he could receive the death penalty -- or a life sentence in jail. As Egypt's delicate domestic politics hang in the balance, the outcome of Morsi's trial could bring more widespread violence and protests to the already turbulent country.

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