'Speaker of revolution' at Tahrir protest

Sheikh Mazhar Shaheen, known popularly as "the Speaker of the Revolution" for his electrifying speeches during the Egyptian revolution spoke to massive crowds at Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday. Hundreds of thousands had gathered at the Egyptian capital's iconic square on "Self-Determination Friday" to demand the ruling military council hand over power to a civilian government and oppose the presidential candidacy of officials from the country's former regime. Sheikh Shaheen, the imam of the Omar Makram Mosque located adjacent to Tahrir Square, listed the demands of the day's protest during his Friday sermon. He cited four basic demands, the first of which was the elimination of Article 28 of last year's constitutional declaration, which, he said, "contradicts established legal and judicial principles" and makes decisions issued by the Supreme Presidential Elections Commission impervious to appeal. Other demands cited by Shaheen were that no constitution be drafted under the authority of Egypt's ruling military council; that Egypt's next constitution be representative of all segments of Egyptian society; and that upcoming presidential elections take place on their assigned date – 23, 24 May – to allow the ruling military council to hand over executive power by 1 July. Shaheen also stated that Egypt was an "Islamic country" and that Islamic Law should form the basis of legislation, stressing, however, that all Egyptians should live together as equal partners.