Senior Brothers in Qena Warn Against Chaos and Disorder

Senior Brothers in Qena Warn Against Chaos and Disorder

 The Muslim Brotherhood has warned of the dangers of ongoing unrest in Qena, stirred by persistent protests against newly-appointed governor Emad Shehata Michael, saying the Upper Egypt city could see sectarian bloodshed if the dispute is not peacefully resolved.

Protests broke out in Qena on Friday, several hours after General Michael, a former police official, was appointed as the city’s new governor..

 In their second statement in three days the Muslim Brotherhood urged protesters to neither terrorise peaceful citizens nor resort to sectarian violence to express their views.

 The group emphasised its rejection of all kinds of violence, implying that remnants of Egypt’s toppled former regime are still seeking to destabilise the country.

 In a statement to "Ikhwanweb", a former Brotherhood MP from Qena, Hesham El Kady, said that the Brothers were clear on their refusal to appoint the new governor because he is a part of the former Mubarak regime, as he was a police officer. The demonstrators also linked him to former Qena Governor Magdy Ayoub, whose reign saw heightened sectarian tensions between Christians and Muslims in the city.

 The Muslim Brotherhood has held discussions with protesters in an attempt to contain the situation.