CAIRO
The National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, a coalition of largely Islamist groups that support ousted President Mohamed Morsi, has rejected calls to take up arms against Egypt's military.
"We categorically condemn these calls. Our protests are peaceful," Khalid Hanafi, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and member of the pro-Morsi coalition, told Anadolu Agency on Saturday.
"The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant," said to be an affiliate of Al-Qaeda, has urged followers to fight the Egyptian army in light of the latter's "bloody crackdown on Islamist protesters."
Hanafi stressed that Morsi supporters stood against the destruction of state institutions.
"Our difference is with leaders of the army and Interior Ministry and supporters of the bloody coup," he said. "We don't antagonize state institutions and we're aware of attempts to push us to violence."
The FJP leader believes the statement by the Al-Qaeda affiliate was meant to "tarnish the image of Egypt's revolutionaries."
"Those in power are unable to silence the voices of righteousness after being stunned by the mass turnout of protesters [on Friday]," Hanafi said. "So they are now trying to tarnish [the protesters'] image before the public."
He added: "We affirm that our protests are peaceful in nature; this statement [by the Al-Qaeda affiliate] is being propagated by evil hands to keep Egypt in a state of chaos."
Ever since Morsi's July 3 ouster by the army, his supporters have been staging daily rallies to denounce what they call the "military coup" against Egypt's elected leader and demand his reinstatement.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
