“The Muslim Brotherhood’s counterrevolution is picking up pace and energy in Egypt’s squares. The shock that the movement’s leadership was thrown into after the military coup fell on them out of the blue, has dissipated and coalesced as anger and pride into the hearts of throngs of its supporters. Mohammed Badie, the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, has set the tone for the next chapter: Large numbers of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi will not leave the squares until he is reinstalled in his seat. In his fiery speech from the podium at Rabaa Al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo, Badie said that Morsi’s ouster, ‘the dissolution of his government and other moves were null and void.’

Badie remains free for now, but many other senior leaders in the movement such as his deputy Khairat el-Shater and hundreds more are under arrest. The movement’s broadcasting stations have been blocked. Intelligence services raided the Cairo offices of Al-Jazeera — which has been perceived as pro-Muslim Brotherhood — confiscating equipment and arresting, then releasing, management and journalists. In his speech, Badie said the Brotherhood would not accept any other regime except Morsi’s, which was democratically elected. He demanded Morsi’s unconditional release from prison and his reinstatement. ‘Our president is Mohammed Morsi and we will not accept any alternative. We will carry him on our shoulders and sacrifice our lives for him,’ Badie said.”