The American Stance

“The Brotherhood criminals sold the revolution in the name of religion!” “The legitimacy is with the [Tahrir] square, not the spiritual leader or the Brotherhood!” “They called us unbelievers, and he is the one killing the revolutionaries!” “The constitution is for Egyptians, not for religious dealers!” “Rejoice, rejoice, Mubarak! Morsi is finishing your career!” “One national movement … against the power that is slaughtering us!” “Life, freedom, down with the constitutional assembly!”

These chants were not raised in Tahrir Square yesterday, but rather shouted in front of the White House in Washington during a crowded protest staged by Egyptians living in the United States. They were expressing their position on what is happening to their country – the ascension of the Muslim Brotherhood, the kidnapping of the constitution, the killing of protesters and the continuation of the policy of the former regime, which the revolution opposed.

The significance of these chants was clear and they were accompanied by similar chants written in English that expressed the anger shared by Egyptians everywhere. Additionally, the official speaker of the State Department, Victoria Noland, in her daily press conference, said that “the situation in Egypt is ambiguous and not clearly defined,” in an attempt to justify the backwardness of the American position toward the events currently taking place in Egypt. Meanwhile, Egypt is protecting a democracy that America has talked about for many years—to the point of giving us a headache—and supported all over the world.

Noland’s comments came as reporters pursued her with questions concerning the State Department’s official stance on both Morsi’s constitutional declaration, which has been rejected by all of the Egyptian national forces, and the formation of million man marches reminiscent of what happened in Jan. 2011.

The official spokeswoman has gone too far in trying to dilute the situation in Egypt. She claimed that the existence of protests opposed to Morsi and those supporting him indicates that “the situation is not even clear to Egyptians.”*

Of course, the American spokeswoman did miss the opportunity to pay tribute to what Morsi accomplished in the Gaza crisis, speaking about Egypt’s role in the region that she described as “historical.” It is as if the United States all of a sudden realized the wisdom of Arab nationalism and became one of its supporters.

Just as the million man marches, which Cairo as been witnessing since last Tuesday, remind us of their counterparts of Jan. 2011, these American statements remind us of their counterparts from that same month, when the American stance was diluted for a long time, sticking with Mubarak and his historical role as an intermediary between Hamas and Israel. Yet once he [Mubarak] clarified that his continued rule was no longer possible, the American position changed from night to day.

* Editor’s note: The original quotations, accurately translated, could not be verified.