Nik Aziz backs deposed Morsi, says people power will bring him back

Despite being toppled from power, Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi will have his opportunity to bounce back, said PAS spiritual leader Datuk Seri Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

In a statement, he expressed sadness and sympathy for the ongoing chaotic scenes in Egypt and described it as the country's darkest moments repeating itself.

"I am confident that the Egyptian people will not keep quiet over the developments. Morsi was elected as president in a legal election, not because of electoral fraud."

Nik Abdul Aziz likened Morsi's situation to that of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who was overthrown on April 11, 2002, but later returned to power three days later after the people protested.

"Chavez reclaimed the presidency on the back of people power and it is not impossible for Morsi to do the same. Coup d'etat and dictatorships are not the people's choice in this era."

Nik Abdul Aziz said he watched a press conference by the Egyptian military announcing the seizure of power and it was reported that the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb, supported them.

"This is a sign that the military is not confident of their strength and decided to use an Islamic scholar to convince the people.

"There are always Islamic scholars being used to fight the Islamic movement. The thickness of the Quran studied is no guarantee that the Islamic scholar is well-versed in politics.

"The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh is a post which is currently filled by Ahmed El-Tayyeb, but the knowledge he has is also possessed by other people," Nik Aziz said.

He added that it was not certain that the position is secure and only Allah has the right to appoint other people to the post at any time, and that the same goes for the position of mufti.

"Whoever is appointed to the post should not assume that it is theirs for life. There are too many people who have become tools for secular groups to fight Islam.

"It is time that they were cast aside without any attention being paid to them whatsoever. Just as the river Nile flows eternally, so will the Egyptian people's pulse continue." – July 4, 2013.