Jihadists call for Caliphate in Egypt

Several Jihadist movements in Egypt have launched a campaign demanding the declaration of the Islamic ?Caliphate in Egypt and pledging allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri as ?the Muslim Caliph.? The statement called on leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic parties to “declare an Islamic ?revolution to establish the Caliphate and swear allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri, God protect ?him, as emir [prince] of believers.” Although al-Qaeda has historically been at odds with the Muslim Brotherhood, members of the jihadist network were quick to condemn the overthrow of Egypt’s Brotherhood-led government by the country’s military after mass demonstrations, on July 3. The declaration said the Jihadist groups were on the streets to protest for Islamic Shari’a law to be imposed and the Qur’an to become the constitution for all Muslims. It continued: “It is the Jews and ?Christians, rulers of America, who invented for themselves dictatorship, ?oppression, and dominance through force and international thuggery, and enacted for us this ?democracy. With this democracy we cannot resort to the rule of God alone, and we can’t resort to ?Quran as a constitution so that their dictatorship, legislations and laws continue to dominate our ?constitutions and legislations.” The declaration criticised the ouster of President Morsi, implying that it proved democracy and Islam were incompatible: “And now, after the arrival of a ruler who belongs to the Islamists, ?who believes in the Qur’an as the constitution and Jihad as the path, they forced him to abide by their rules ?and accept another constitution than Quran, and another path than Jihad until they overthrew him just ?because he dreamt of achieving through self-sufficiency in food, medicine and weapons, and ?because he dared to threaten the Jewish enemy with the anger of a people and a leadership they ?can’t stand up to. “They overthrew him using the treason of some leaders of his own country, killed ?worshipers, fought bearded men, arrested sheikhs and prevented call to prayers from the ?mosques of Allah.”