Those visiting the Muslim Brotherhood’s website on Thursday may have been surprised to find a picture of a Star of David prominently displayed on its front page.
The picture led to an article, now removed, titled “Ahmed Mansour reveals: A Jew in Egypt’s seat of power.”
It claimed that Ahmed Mansour, a popular television presenter, “revealed” through his Facebook page that Egypt’s new president Adly Mansour tried to become a 7th day Adventist, which is “a Jewish sect.”
The article went on to suggest Adly Mansour is part of an Israeli-American conspiracy to install Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei as president.
On twitter, Ahmed Mansour denied making such accusations, which he called “lies.”
Washington Post journalist Max Fisher wrote it would be “wrong to conclude” from the article that the Muslim Brotherhood had already regressed to conspiracy and anti-Semitism, “but now that the group has been forced from power, this is a very real risk.”
Indeed, many are already noticing increasing radicalization in Egypt after President Mohamed Morsi’s Islamist government was ousted in a military coup on Wednesday amid mass protests.
Following the ouster, Essam el-Haddad, Morsi’s foreign policy advisor, warned on his website that the toppling of elected Islamists in Egypt would spark more terrorism than the Western-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
No major acts of terrorism have occurred so far, but the violence is worse than ever. At least 20 were killed on Friday alone as pro- and anti-Morsi protestors clashed across Egypt.
That includes four Christian Copts in the Delta town of Khosous, who were machine-gunned during sectarian clashes.
As the military arrests leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and pro-Morsi journalists, disturbing videos have turned up showing Islamists threatening mass violence.
“I want to say to [General] al-Sisi: Beware! Know that you have created a new Taliban and Al Qaeda in Egypt,” said a man in one video.
While Morsi supporters rallied in Egypt, others took to the streets in the US as well.
In Washington D.C., around 100 demonstrated in front of the White House, chanting “Down, down, with the coup!”
Protestor Alex Hamid told The Daily Caller that President Obama needed to speak out about democracy in Egypt.
“A legitimate president has been kicked out of his presidency. And Egypt will be unstable until he gets back,” Hamid said.
The Obama administration has yet to address the situation with much resolve.
At issue is the $1.5 billion the US gives the Egyptian military every year; it may be cut off due to a law which prohibits funding countries in which elected governments have been deposed by a coup.
Obama, who has avoided calling the situation in Egypt a “coup,” has asked the relevant agencies to review the law.
