Egypt’s Sufis denounce Brotherhood ‘intimidation’

An Egyptian Sufi organisation has denounced violence and intimidation allegedly carried out by authorities against “young revolutionaries.” The group accused the government under President Mohammed Morsi of “targeting and killing young revolutionaries in an attempt to intimidate society.” Sufi union chief Abdullah Helmi said: “This does not frighten us one bit. Instead it bolsters our strength and increases our insistence on our right to rescue Egypt from the [Muslim] Brotherhood malaise." Referring to yesterday’s controversy surrounding the passage of Israeli destroyers through the Suez Canal, Helmi claimed Morsi’s Brotherhood were “carrying out a Zionist plot to control the Arab-Islamic territories.” Israeli vessels had never sailed through the Canal under former President Hosni Mubarak, he added. Following a recent anti-violence protest by hardline Salafists al-Gamaa al-Islamiya, one of the groups allegedly implicated in the 1981 assassination of former President Anwar Sadat, Helmi said: “If they take to the streets to condemn violence, we should expect addicts to take to the streets to condemn drugs next.” Yesterday it was revealed a major suspect in the presidential assassination, which brought President Mubarak to power, would be given a senior spot in government.