Mohammed Morsi – Mubarak's prisoner becomes his successor
By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa =
Cairo (dpa) – The Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi, who Sunday became Egypt’s first freely elected president, was detained several times under the rule of Hosny Mubarak when the Islamist group was banned.
Morsi, an engineering professor, was arrested three days after a popular revolt against Mubarak erupted on January 25, 2011.
Released after Mubarak's overthrow, Morsi became the head of the Freedom and Justice, the Brotherhood's first political party.
Shortly after he was declared president on Sunday, Morsi said he resigned from his party.
Seen as a conservative voice within the group, Morsi has repeatedly said he is committed to protecting the right to peaceful demonstrations, as well as the rights of the Christian minority, women, youth and peasants.
In his campaign for presidency, Morsi, 60, tried hard to reassure Egypt’s Christians and liberals who are worried about having an Islamist as president.
Secular and leftist Egyptians fear that Morsi will seek to establish a religious state, in which the rights of liberals and minorities will be undermined.
Morsi was not the Brotherhood's first choice as a presidential candidate.
The group, Egypt’s oldest and well-organized Islamist group, had initially fielded Morsi as a backup to their original contender, Khairat al-Shater, its deputy leader.
Al-Shater was disqualified from the race for legal reasons. Morsi and al-Shater are close associates, though the latter is seen as more influential and charismatic.
Morsi campaigned on a platform titled the "Renaissance Project," which he says is aimed at providing solutions to Egypt's chronic problems of unemployment, poverty, an ailing economy and a housing shortage.
His stated economic policies are mostly free-market, with a heavy emphasis on improving social services.
In a televised press conference last week, Morsi pledged to build a "civil, modern Egyptian state", and said he would not seek "revenge" or attempt to settle scores with opponents.
"I'll be a president for all Egyptians - Muslims and Christians," he added.
Morsi called on Egyptians to unite "to build a better future of freedom, democracy, development and peace. We came with a message of peace to everyone in the world."
Born in the Nile Delta province of Sharqiya in August 1952, Morsi
studied engineering at Cairo University before moving to the United State on a scholarship in 1982.
Two of his four children were born in California and are US citizens.
He returned to Egypt in 1985, when he was arrested by the Mubarak regime for protesting government policies. He once spent seven months in jail.
He served as an independent member of parliament from 2000 to 2005, when the Brotherhood was banned.
Morsi said he would "support the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle," while respecting Egypt’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel.
He said he would end what he called "subordination" in Egypt's relationship with the United States, and encourage European investment in Egypt.
Two days ago, Morsi promised to form a coalition government led by an independent. He vowed to have a woman, a Christian and a youth among his deputies.
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