NAM address sends Mursi’s popularity soaring among Saudis

DAMMAM: Three days after the end of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran, Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi’s address continues to be a hot topic of conversation among Saudis.
Local Arabic newspapers are full of columns and analysis praising the newly elected Egyptian leader for his fearlessness in calling a spade a spade and condemning Syria’s Bashar Assad in the presence of his greatest supporters.
Despite the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians, Iran and its leaders have stood by the murderous regime. The Egyptian president rattled Tehran by describing the Syrian regime as repressive.
Assad government officials at the summit could not tolerate the humiliation and walked out in protest during Mursi’s address. This only added to Mursi’s popularity in the Muslim world.
“We express our solidarity with the struggle of the Syrian people against an oppressive regime that has lost legitimacy,” said Mursi to the assembled delegates at the conference in Tehran. “It is not only an ethical duty but a political and strategic necessity.”
Saudi analysts unanimously describe Mursi’s impassioned address as a diplomatic humiliation for Iran, which had touted his presence as a diplomatic coup because it was the first visit by an Egyptian leader since 1979.
“The blood of the Syrian people is on our hands and it will not stop unless we all intervene,” Mursi said, much to the displeasure of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.
“Iran wanted to capitalize on Mursi’s presence and it wanted to divide the Arab world, but it has nothing but egg on its face,” said Faisal J. Al-Dossary, a lecturer at King Khaled University. “Not only did Mursi reject Iran’s bait but it has added to Tehran’s isolation in the wider Muslim world.”
According to journalist Fahd A. Al-Zahrani, Mursi’s speech was remarkable in more ways than one. “The way he started his address won him a legion of admirers. It was superb and worth listening to,” he said.
Pointing his right finger at his heart, Al-Zahrani said: “Mursi lives right here, in our hearts because he made us all proud by mentioning our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his four companions, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali.”
The other important aspect, according to Al-Zahrani, was Mursi’s courage in speaking his mind and blasting Syria from inside Iran.
“That is the sign of a true Muslim,” he said. “He did not allow diplomacy or hypocrisy to get in the way of calling right from wrong. It is a shame that Iran continues to support someone who is responsible for the murder of thousands of men, women and children.”
Saudis are still feverishly posting links to Mursi’s speech on Facebook and Twitter. They are lionizing him for what they describe as a heroic deed. Some have even written poems in his honor.
“We are ecstatic, no doubt about that,” admitted Rashed Al-Romaihi, a schoolteacher. “My students have been playing his speech again and again and every time they get excited,” he said. “Mursi has won their admiration, they love him for what he did and what he said.”
Al-Romaihi agreed with reports in the Egyptian media that Mursi’s strength comes from the overwhelming support he enjoys among his people in Egypt.
“They elected him to be their president and now he has become the darling of all Muslims,” he said. “All those fears about him and his government becoming closer to Iran are totally misplaced. He is our man, he is the pride of the Arab and Muslim world, he is our hero,” Al-Romaihi added.