Morsi's son: He's a legitimate leader
In interview with CNN, Osama Morsi says 'There is no revolution in the world that brings military rule. There is no revolution in the world that cancels the ballot box'
"The revolution will succeed and the legitimate leader will return," the son of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi predicted in an interview with CNN.
"The Egyptian people will never again be scared or petrified of a tank or terrorized by detention," Osama Morsi said in the interview, published Friday.
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Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Morsi supporters gathered on Friday near a Cairo mosque that is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
A little more than a week ago, Morsi was forcibly ousted by the Egyptian military and swiftly replaced with a civilian transitional government.
"This is a coup of the revolution, a coup on democracy, a coup on the constitution and the will of the people," Osama Morsi told CNN. "The defense minister is essentially saying to the millions that voted in presidential elections and on the constitutional referendum, 'you don't know what is best for you. I know what is best for you'."
CNN said that for the millions of Egyptians who packed the streets in a nationwide revolt on June 30 and screamed "Leave!" at Morsi, the word "coup" is an insult, a dirty term that denigrates what they believe is revolution redux, but Osama vehemently disagrees.
"June 30 was not a revolution! And history will never record it as a revolution. And no one, not the American administration or anyone else, can call it a revolution. Why? Because there is no revolution in the world that brings military rule. There is no revolution in the world that cancels the ballot box," he told CNN.
'A coup on democracy.' Soldiers in Cairo (Photo: EPA)
In the meantime, the new government is continuing to fill posts. Interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi said that 70% of the choices for ministers and ministerial posts have been completed, according to the state-run al-Ahram news agency. The final formation of the government is expected to be announced Monday, according to al-Ahram.
With a 48-hour deadline imposed by the military looming, Mohamed Morsi spoke to his son for the last time before addressing the country on state television on July 2.
Morsi's last televised address before ouster (Photo: AFP)
"I asked him on a personal level, as a son, for him to remain defiant and move forward and not retreat in the face of the armed forces," Osama Morsi said in the interview. "The Mohamed Morsi that I know is a point of pride as a son, so the Mohamed Morsi that would back down or flee would be shameful to me, even if he stayed president."
Former President Morsi is currently being held in an undisclosed location for his "personal safety," Egyptian armed forces spokesman Col. Ahmed Ali told CNN.
"Don't worry about his personal safety. No one, not the defense ministry or interior ministry, should worry about his personal safety," Osama said sarcastically. "If the situation is to hold him in this immoral and illegal detention, then he must be released! And if it is a legal detention, then I welcome that, and let us follow the law."
CNN said Osama Morsi, a father of two, had refused to speak in his broken English until the moment he was asked whether he tried to contact his father in custody.
"I am a part of the revolution and I am stronger than asking one of (the military), 'please let me speak to my dad.' No! We are in a revolution. A new wave of the January 25 revolution ... our democracy path, we will not let it go," he said.
The January 25 revolution of 2011 led to the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak.
Osama Morsi, who chose to meet with CNN in broad daylight at one of the most recognizable mosques in
Cairo, added: "The revolution will succeed. The revolution that ended the Mubarak regime will continue strong. We know no other way than success.
"This is a peaceful revolution against a bloody coup, but this revolution will be even more important than January 25 because it will strike at the root. This time the revolution will confront the apparatuses of Mubarak, not just the man himself," he said.
According to CNN, the 30-year-old judge repeated over and over again that the well-being of his father is secondary to the principles of democracy and the demands of thousands of pro-Morsi supporters staging a sit-in just outside the window. On Thursday, Morsi supporters continued their sit-in at Rabaa El-Adawiya and have planned to break their Ramadan fast there, Nile State TV reported.
"Mohamed Morsi, even though he is the president and even though he is elected and the legitimate leader, and despite his international standing and his role in the revolution he is not more important than the people killed at the Republican Guard," Osama said, referring to the deaths of 51 people in clashes earlier this week.
Despite his "bold resilience," CNN reported, Osama longed to reach out to his missing father. He turned, looked straight into the camera and delivered this message:
"Dad, you are the legitimate leader, you are the elected leader and elected president. We back any decision you take, even if you decided to leave the office. Your family, we are all proud of you. God bless you."
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