Hardline Islamist Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya leader Assem Abdel Magued announces in a conference in Upper Egypt that the group skirted a conspiracy that would have ended in the army taking over power.
"As soon as we announced that we would form public committees to protect citizens, we succeeded in spoiling a plan for the police to withdraw to give thugs free reign, which would have prompted the army to deploy," he said at the conference in Minya province. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and the Salafist Nour Party and prominent members of Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya were in attendance.
Last week, following a series of police labour strikes, Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya sent several of their members to the Upper Egyptian city of Assiut to take up the role of security.
Egypt has been undergoing a period of political unrest following intermittent nationwide anti-government protests following the second anniversary of the revolution in January. Police presence has significantly decreased in the country since the ouster of Mubarak two years ago.
Abdel Magued also said the opposition is insulting the president and committing blasphemy, and described opponents of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi as "howling dogs."
He rebuked members of the opposition for making fun of the beard, which some Islamists see as a sign of piousness and religiosity. Abdel Maged also blamed his own group for being lenient with the opposition by "patting them on the back and calling them partners."
Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya has showed strong support for President Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, since his election to office last summer. This is in contrast to the Salafist Nour Party, who fell out with the Brotherhood and come out strongly against the president on several matters.
Abdel Magued lauded the president for being "strong in rhetoric and action" when it comes to dealing with the opposition.
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