A mere year after Egyptians relinquished themselves from the grip of dictator Hosni Mubarak, they are at risk of being oppressed again. On November 22nd, “President” Mohammed Morsi passed sweeping legislation that put his word above the law, and sent tens of thousands of furious protestors into the streets. Many Egyptians fear that if given the proper chance, Morsi will violate the civil rights they fought so hard to obtain.
Primarily, David Kirkpatrick of the New York Times maintains a frustrated tone in his article regarding the crisis in Egypt. His words betray his emotion when he calls Morsi’s referendum a “convoluted arrangement”, and “obstructing the the transition to democracy at all costs.” Also, Kirkpatrick becomes irked from the actions taken by President Morsi and his followers. In efforts to quell the tension, Morsi decreed that his soldiers could arrest the protestors.
Kirkpatrick also uses logical appeal to show how the actions of President Morsi are unjustified and immoral. He does so by quoting the words of an opposition leader: “Under the present circumstance, how can you conduct a referendum or an election when chaos is reigning and you have protests everywhere?” Also, he slanders Morsi calling in the military to essentially ensure that protesters do not interfere with his referendum, which supports an Islam-based constitution.
Tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square, Egypt, calling for Morsi to step down as President.
President Morsi himself, addressing a crowd of supporters.