Islamist candidates 'are your enemy', says Egyptian TV host
In a country obsessed with TV talk shows, one presenter is campaigning against Islamist candidates from winning parliamentary seats - dubbing them "enemies of the state".
3 min read
Moussa has been previously arrested, received prison sentences and fines [YouTube]
A pro-government Egyptian talk show host has launched an online campaign against Islamists who intend to run in the parliamentary elections set to begin in October.
Ahmad Moussa announced the campaign named, "Keep your enemy out of parliament" on his programme last week.
"This is a popular movement with several aims, first of all you know very well who your real enemies are; those who are not in view yet in plain sight, who peddle religion, kill and have blood-stained hands," the TV anchor said.
"All of them and the fifth column who are funded from abroad and domestically are your enemies. If you have any news, videos or information about candidates who fall under these categories please share them online," he added.
Moussa claimed that "terrorist groups" had set aside $4 million for 140 Islamist candidates running in the parliamentary elections.
Currently the most organised forces in the elections are former members of deposed President Hosni Mubarak's now-dissolved National Democratic Party [NDP] and the Salafi Nour Party.
Following the demise of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, the ultra-conservative Nour party has emerged as the strongest Islamist party in Egypt.
Former army chief-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led a harsh crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood after ousting the country's first democratically elected president Mohammad Morsi in a military coup in 2013.
Tens of thousands of people have been imprisoned and hundreds sentenced to death in speedy trials roundly condemned by human rights groups.
Since the Egyptian government announced parliamentary elections for the first time in three years, the Nour Party has increasingly become the target of near-daily criticism in the media.
A popular online campaign called "No to religious parties" has sought to ban Nour's participation.
"I think everyone in this country knows quite well that Nour party is a religious party and that its ideology stands on discrimination against people on religious and sectarian grounds and as a result it should not be allowed to take part any political activities," a member of the campaign told the state-run al-Ahram news agency.
The party has also recently come under fire for allegedly handing out free Hepatitis C medication to prospective voters; one in ten Egyptian adults are carry the disease.
On Friday, Nour Party spokesman Yasser al-Borhami released a statement that said: "The Nour Party condemns the media smear campaign against its leaders ahead of the parliamentary elections."
The statement added that the party had expelled members who supported "ideologies that support violence against the state".
The Egyptian military has been fighting an Islamist insurgency in North Sinai, which has grown in intensity since the 2013 military coup. Fighters loyal to the Islamic State group have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers in attacks in recent years.
Moussa's TV show has sparked public controversy on several occasions, mainly regarding issues of defamation. He has been previously arrested, received prison sentences and fines, after several political figures filed lawsuits against him.
Ahmad Moussa announced the campaign named, "Keep your enemy out of parliament" on his programme last week.
"This is a popular movement with several aims, first of all you know very well who your real enemies are; those who are not in view yet in plain sight, who peddle religion, kill and have blood-stained hands," the TV anchor said.
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You know very well who your real enemies are; those who are not in view yet in plain sight, who peddle religion, kill and have blood-stained hands - Ahmad Moussa |
Moussa claimed that "terrorist groups" had set aside $4 million for 140 Islamist candidates running in the parliamentary elections.
Currently the most organised forces in the elections are former members of deposed President Hosni Mubarak's now-dissolved National Democratic Party [NDP] and the Salafi Nour Party.
Following the demise of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, the ultra-conservative Nour party has emerged as the strongest Islamist party in Egypt.
Former army chief-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led a harsh crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood after ousting the country's first democratically elected president Mohammad Morsi in a military coup in 2013.
Tens of thousands of people have been imprisoned and hundreds sentenced to death in speedy trials roundly condemned by human rights groups.
Since the Egyptian government announced parliamentary elections for the first time in three years, the Nour Party has increasingly become the target of near-daily criticism in the media.
A popular online campaign called "No to religious parties" has sought to ban Nour's participation.
"I think everyone in this country knows quite well that Nour party is a religious party and that its ideology stands on discrimination against people on religious and sectarian grounds and as a result it should not be allowed to take part any political activities," a member of the campaign told the state-run al-Ahram news agency.
The party has also recently come under fire for allegedly handing out free Hepatitis C medication to prospective voters; one in ten Egyptian adults are carry the disease.
On Friday, Nour Party spokesman Yasser al-Borhami released a statement that said: "The Nour Party condemns the media smear campaign against its leaders ahead of the parliamentary elections."
The statement added that the party had expelled members who supported "ideologies that support violence against the state".
The Egyptian military has been fighting an Islamist insurgency in North Sinai, which has grown in intensity since the 2013 military coup. Fighters loyal to the Islamic State group have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers in attacks in recent years.
Moussa's TV show has sparked public controversy on several occasions, mainly regarding issues of defamation. He has been previously arrested, received prison sentences and fines, after several political figures filed lawsuits against him.
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