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CAIRO — An internationally respected Egyptian political scientist said Wednesday that prosecutors had filed espionage charges against him, making him the second such scholar targeted this month in a widening crackdown on dissent against last summer’s military takeover.
CAIRO — An internationally respected Egyptian political scientist said Wednesday that prosecutors had filed espionage charges against him, making him the second such scholar targeted this month in a widening crackdown on dissent against last summer’s military takeover.
Emad Shahin, a scholar of political Islam who has taught at Harvard, Notre Dame and the American University in Cairo and edited the Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics, was charged along with several senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood with conspiring with foreign organizations to undermine Egypt’s national security. He is listed as defendant 33 in a lengthy criminal complaint that also names former President Mohamed Morsi, who was deposed in the takeover.
Emad Shahin, a scholar of political Islam who has taught at Harvard, Notre Dame and the American University in Cairo and edited the Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics, was charged along with several senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood with conspiring with foreign organizations to undermine Egypt’s national security. He is listed as Defendant 33 in a lengthy criminal complaint that also names former President Mohamed Morsi, who was deposed in the takeover.
The charges against Mr. Shahin were filed more than two weeks ago, but they have come to light just as prosecutors have also charged Amr Hamzawy, a liberal political scientist and former lawmaker, with the crime of “insulting the judiciary” because he questioned a ruling against a group of Western nonprofit organizations.
The charges against Mr. Shahin were filed more than two weeks ago, but they have come to light just as prosecutors have also charged Amr Hamzawy, a liberal political scientist and former lawmaker, with the crime of insulting the judiciary because he questioned a ruling against a group of Western nonprofit organizations.
Both men were among the few public critics of the bloody crackdown on Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters after the military takeover. Both were also fiercely critical of Mr. Morsi and the Brotherhood while they were in power, although previously Mr. Shahin had been relatively more sympathetic to the idea that the Brotherhood might play a constructive role in building a new democracy.
Both men were among the few public critics of the bloody crackdown on Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters after the military takeover. Both were also fiercely critical of Mr. Morsi and the Brotherhood while they were in power, although previously Mr. Shahin had been relatively more sympathetic to the idea that the Brotherhood might play a constructive role in a new democracy.
Mr. Shahin learned of the complaint, escaped Egypt before his arrest and on Wednesday attended a conference at Georgetown University. In an emailed statement on Wednesday, he called the charges “baseless,” “politically motivated” and “beyond preposterous,” noting that he had never been a member or supporter of the Brotherhood.
Mr. Shahin learned of the complaint, left Egypt before his arrest and on Wednesday he was in Washington for a conference at Georgetown University.
“I am an academic and have been independent throughout my life. I am an advocate for democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and a fervent supporter of the main objectives of the January 25 Revolution in Egypt, namely freedom, dignity and social justice,” he said, adding, “I have been critical of the course of political events in Egypt since last summer and can only conclude that such criticism — entirely restricted to word and utterly unconnected to any organized group, faction or party — is my true offense.”
In an emailed statement on Wednesday, he called the charges “baseless,” “politically motivated” and “beyond preposterous,” noting that he had never been a member or supporter of the Brotherhood.
Colleagues who have known Mr. Shahin for decades called the charges absurd. “Laughable,” said Nathan J. Brown, a political science professor at George Washington University. “I would sooner believe that Vice President Biden is a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army than I would give credence to the charges against Emad.”
Colleagues who have known him for decades called the charges absurd. “Laughable,” said Nathan J. Brown, a political science professor at George Washington University. “I would sooner believe that Vice President Biden is a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army than I would give credence to the charges against Emad.”
Separately, Anwar el-Sadat, a former lawmaker and the nephew of the late president, issued his own statement on Wednesday bemoaning the excesses of the crackdown, which has ensnared journalists, scholars and left-leaning activists as well as Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters.
In a time “lacking in politics or politicians,” Mr. Sadat wrote in a short newsletter, “clowns and jesters dominate the political arena; where everyone is fooling themselves as well as everyone else.”
“Soon there will be a time when we look back and regret what we have done, not only to ourselves, but first and foremost, to our country,” he continued, adding, “If we don’t act now, we will remain trapped in this vicious cycle of stagnation with no escape.”
