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Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi

CAIRO. — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said yesterday that he came to office through the will of the people and he would not stay in office against their will, he told an official ceremony held in Cairo to celebrate the birth of Prophet Mohamed of Islam.

“I swear to Allah that I would not stay (in office) for one second against the will of the people.

“I say it openly to Egyptians. I came to office for you, for the sake of my country and for the sake of the people,” Sisi said amid cheers of attendees, mostly clerics, in the ceremony aired on the state TV.

The president’s remarks came in reference to calls for anti-regime protests on January 25 during the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled former long-time leader Hosni Mubarak.

“I hear sometimes calls for a new revolution.

“Why?

“Why do you want to ruin the country?” he continued, “If any of these calls represent the will of the Egyptians, you needn’t protest to realise it.”

“I have nothing to hide, I fear nothing, and I have nothing to fear for but you,” Sisi added.

Sisi came to office in mid-2014 after he removed former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in response to mass protests against his one-year rule.

Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood group was eventually blacklisted as “a terrorist organisation.”

The crackdown on Morsi’s supporters left over 1 000 killed and thousands more arrested. Later growing anti-government terrorist activities killed hundreds of security men, which led the new leadership to announce a “war against terrorism.”

Sisi’s comments indicate that it is the Brotherhood group that motivates protests to ruin the country.

“It’s about the will of the nation not the will of a group, and I can distinguish very well between both. We will not ruin Egypt and Egyptians.” — Xinhua.