Different political forces have signed an Azhar document that denounces violence. The signing of this document illustrates that there is a common belief in peaceful change and represents an agreement between different political forces.

The article discusses the underlying causes to the latest surge in violence, which has led to the signing of the Azhar document. Discontent began when President Mursī allowed members of his group to join state institutions, when he penetrated the Judiciary Institution, hired members of the Muslim Brotherhood as state officials, and started distributing official positions to members of his group. Mursī and the Muslim Brotherhood began a process of marginalising the opposition and obtaining full control over all state institutions.

During the second anniversary of the Revolution, a new wave of protests erupted. The community felt betrayed by Mursī for breaking his promise and not fulfilling any of the demands of the Revolution. Mursī commissioned the new Interior Minister Muhammad Ibrāhīm to suppress the surge in violence and a method of repression, torture and killing began. This only led to an increase in anger and new groups arose in response to the violence used by the police and the Brotherhood militias.  The violence currently plaguing Egypt thus partly arose in response to the violence used by the police and the attacks carried out by the Brotherhood militias.

Another reason for the spread in violence is the government’s unwillingness to respond to the demands of the people, in particular their demand for greater social justice and retribution for the martyrs of the Revolution. Additional motivating factors include: anger over the constitution, Mursī’s insulting and destructive actions towards the Judiciary Institution, and finally, the alleged plan to sell Egypt’s Suez Canal to Qatar.

There are a number of problems that have been created by the Muslim Brotherhood and that need to be addressed before violence can be renounced from all sides. These problems include: the constitution, electoral law, the dismissal of the Attorney General and the latest appointment of candidates for the Supreme Judicial Council and other policies of Muslim Brotherhoodisation.

Al-Nūr Party has recently announced a new initiative in which it proposes to form a committee to amend the constitution and the electoral law. The government released announcements that repudiate this initiative.  A new wave of violence can now be expected to hit Egypt. While the Muslim Brotherhood celebrates the signing of the Azhar document, its repudiation of al-Nūr Party initiative illustrates the continuing unwillingness to enter into dialogue. Instead, the Muslim Brotherhood can be expected to advance its plan of dividing the country and spreading violence and chaos to all corners of Egypt (Dr. 'Imād Jād, al-Tahrīr, Feb. 2). Read original text in Arabic.