Mona al Qazzaz is the spokeswoman of the Muslim Brotherhood in Great Britain.
She is a Phd student in Cambridge. Her brother Khaled al Qazzaz was an advisor to deposed president Mohammed Morsi and was detained with him on July 3rd.
Profil: Is Egypt heading into a civil war?
Qazzaz: Egypt is on a dangerous path, but I would not call it a civil war as only one side is armed: the military junta. The army chose a road of mass murder. Since the coup on July 3rd the generals are playing the political game not democratically. Egypt is in a very dangerous situation.
Profil: Does the return of the old regime mean the end of the Arab Spring?
Qazzaz: Egypt is the biggest democracy in the Middle East. The country has a strategic position. Egypt has a long cultural history, many Egyptians have high education. If the Arab Spring does not work in Egypt, the Arab Spring cannot work anywhere else. We from the Muslim Brotherhood hold the military junta responsible for the democratic roll back in Egypt.
Profil: How will the turmoil in Egypt influence the region?
Qazzaz: Egypt is much bigger than most other Arab neighbours – if the situation deteriorates further it will not only be terrible for Egypt. Syria is much smaller and the war there has severe impact on all surrounding countries. And not only that. Egypt is an important international player. In 2012 Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine over the war in Gaza.
Profil: The opposition group Tamarod calls for renouncing the peace treaty with Israel. Is this also the position of the Muslim Brotherhood?
Qazzaz: The position of the Muslim Brotherhood about the Camp David Treaty between Egypt and Israel was expressed by president Morsi many times. He said we respect the treaty. Gaza is now the first victim of the military coup in Egypt. The people in Gaza are suffering because since July 3rd the border was shut, their only lifeline is cut off. Morsi thought, Egypt should focus on our internal problems first. It was not in our interest to create an international crisis with Israel.
Profil: President Morsi did not seem to be very successful in dealing with the internal problems of Egypt: the economy was collapsing and the institutional reforms did not get under way. Can you see faults in his government?
Qazzaz: Of course mistakes have been made. Even Morsi admitted this. Egypt is new to democracy and new to developing a democratic process. The Muslim Brotherhood was not governing alone, it was a coaltion. But how do you deal with differences, if the opposition cannot do anything else than hijacking democracy. The opposition did not engage in talks, the political process was stopped by tanks. You know a tree by its fruit and you know a military coup by its bloody corpses.
Profil: How should the international community react, what do you expect from the EU?
Qazzaz: Mild condemnation is not enough. But we also call for the support for legal action against everyone who participated in the coup. Including former vice president Mohammed El Baradei, who defected the country after he dragged Egypt down a dark tunnel. He should pay for the crimes he commited while in power.