Was the toppling of president Morsi of Egypt a military coup?

Taher Ahmed - 4 July 2013

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Definition

A coup is: the sudden deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment – typically the military – to depose the extant government and replace it with another body.

Implementation

1. It was not sudden; the Egyptians announced the date of the protests months ago.
2. It was not a small group; tens of millions of Egyptians were protesting on the streets. 
3. And it was not led by the military; the military was executing the public demand. 

Conclusion

What happened in Egypt on the 3rd of July 2013 was NOT a military coup. 

Who?

The people of Egypt protested against a social movement led by religious extremists. Those leaders were calling their followers to defend Islam at any cost, even if blood is what it would take. They were claiming that defining the legitimacy of the elected president is a holy war. 

Why?

The protesters had one demand, early elections; simply because the president and his administration reneged on all their promises. 

How did it start?

After repetitively disappointing the people a grassroots movement named Tamarrud (meaning "rebellion") started on 28 April 2013 to register opposition to President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt and force him to call for early presidential elections.

How many signatures were they aiming to collect?

15 million 

What was the total number of valid votes in the 2012 presidential elections?

23 million (23,265,516)

How many votes did president Morsi get?

5.7 million (5,764,952)

How many signatures did Tamarrud collect?

The movement announced it collected more than 22 million signatures. 

Did president Morsi accept the public demand?

No, his continues argue was “I am a legitimately elected president.”

Were the protesters against Morsi armed?

Yes, they had Egyptian flags, whistles and red cards (as in sports’ Penalty card)

Why is the US administration angry? 

Because Morsi and his assembly (Muslim Brotherhood) were their allies, and were looking after the US administration’s interest in the Middle East, aka: Israeli.

The Question: Do you still believe that it was a military coup?

References:

• Coup: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup 
• Tamarrud (rebellion): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebel_(movement) 
• Elections 2012: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_presidential_election,_2012#Results
• US Supporting Morsi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNjCXBuCIk0