Egypt says citizens free to join fight in Syria

[Bosonic]

Source: AP

CAIRO -- A senior official in Egypt's presidency says Egyptians are free to join the fight in Syria and will not be prosecuted upon return.

In a response to an Associated Press question Thursday about the government's stance on citizens going to fight alongside Syrian rebels, Khaled al-Qazzaz said that "the right of travel or freedom of travel is open for all Egyptians".

He said that after the 2011 uprising, the government no longer punishes Egyptians for what they do in other countries. Al-Qazzaz, a foreign affairs adviser to Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, said the presidency does not consider Egyptian nationals in Syria a threat to Egypt's security.

His comments come just days after influential Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi urged Sunnis everywhere to join the fight against Syrian President Bashar Assad.


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/13/3449470/egypt-says-citizens-free-to-join.html

[Tarheel_Dem]

1. So they advocate a free-for-all in Syria now? I'm torn over this issue. I don't ever want boots...

on the ground, but I think it's fair to say that a different approach is needed, I just don't know why the world is looking to us to fix this.

[happyslug]

2. What does this mean???

Lets be honest, Egypt is a Sunni Moslem Country, and as such its head Clerics are appointees of the Government (This is the chief difference between Shiite and Sunni Islam as to organization). Shiitte Cleric are independent of the State. This reflects the fact the the Shiites were a persecuted minority during most of the history of Islam and thus developed an independent hierarchy, while Sunni Islam tended to be that of the ruling class and thus tend to be subject to selection by that ruling class.

Thus the phase "influential Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi urged Sunnis everywhere to join the fight against Syrian President Bashar Assad" seems to indicate some sort of government support for people to fight Assad, the real question is who? Remember Egypt has a President tied in with the Moslem Brotherhood, which opposes Assad, but Egypt is also ruled to a large degree by the Egyptian Army Generals. The exact relationship is being worked on as we write, and is a constant state of flux. Thus which of these two groups want these people to go to Syria and why?

Reminds me of the Emperor Frederick II and al-Kamil during the Sixth Crusades, both wanted to be elsewhere but do to politics had to fight over Jerusalem. They agreed to a truce where Jerusalem went to Frederick II but the Temple mount remained in Moslem Hands. It was OK with the two rulers, who then both went home to things higher on their won agendas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor#The_Fifth_Crusade_and_early_policies_in_northern_Italy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayyubid

I suspect the same thing here, who wants radicals out of the country? Who does not want to appear to NOT support fellow Sunnis fighting elsewhere? Who wants to look like they are the friend of the Saudis (Who are funding the fight in Syria)? Sorry, these two event, the Cleric calling for volunteers to go to Syria AND the President saying it is OK with him, are related, but Egypt itself is the main prize in that part of the world, why would you send troops anywhere else? Something is up, and it is NOT Syria.

[roamer65]

3. Another log on the Syrian fire.

This will go regional very soon.