Supporters of Egypt’s Islamist Muslim Brotherhood are vowing to "sacrifice our souls" for deposed President Mohamed Morsi, according a senior and influential Brotherhood leader.
General Muslim Brotherhood Guide Muhammad Badi made this declaration before a crowd of thousands during a July 5 rally held after Morsi’s ouster.
"Morsi is our president," Badi said, according to a recently released translation of his remarks by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). "We shall carry him on our shoulders and sacrifice our souls, god willing."
"Film this my friend, film this!" Badi said as Egyptian military helicopters fly overhead.
Badi’s comments came as Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated supporters took to the streets in Cairo and elsewhere to violently protest the ouster of Morsi, who was removed from office last week by the Egyptian military after millions of citizens protested in the streets.
Egyptian Sheikh Yousuf al-Qaradhawi issued a fatwa, or religious order, stating that Morsi's removal was a "mistake, both constitutionally and according to Islamic sharia" law, according to MEMRI.
Al-Qaradhawi, head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, said that Morsi must be put back in office "and that everyone must support him," according to MEMRI.
Since the demonstration, Muslim Brotherhood supporters have been implicated in multiple murders and other violent acts. They maintain that Morsi is still the rightful and democratic leader of Egypt.
"The proud Egyptian people will continue to defend its revolution and will continue to demand its rights," Bardi said in front of a large banner bearing Morsi’s face. "Never will rights be lost as long as there is someone who demands them."
"All the millions will remain in the town squares until we can carry our elected president, President Morsi, on our shoulders," Bardi said. "We are free revolutionaries and we will finish the job."
"Morsi is my president and your president," he said. "I am proud to call him my president, your president, and the president of all Egyptians."
"Allah is greater than anyone who tyrannizes and is arrogant," Badi said. "Allah is greater than any traitor. Allah is greater than anyone who neglects his religion. Allah is greater than anyone who neglects Egypt. Allah is greater than anyone who sells out the blood of the martyrs. Allah is greater than any oppressor."
"My brothers and sisters in faith, oh Egyptian people—nay, all free people worldwide—Allah is the best witness of all," Bardi says. "He sees where we are, hears what we say, and nothing is hidden from him."
Muslim Brotherhood officials such as Badi have continued to call for violent uprisings since Morsi’s ouster, raising fears that a nascent civil war could erupt.
At least five children were killed and some 435 others injured during clashes at a mosque between Brotherhood supporters and the military, according to the Express.
The military claimed that terrorist forces had tried to storm their barracks.
Violence is expected to continue despite calls for calm from the Obama administration and Egypt’s interim president.
Neither side is expected to back down, according to Eric Trager, an Egypt expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP).
"Neither the military or the Brotherhood seem likely to back down from the current confrontation because they are both sticking to mutually exclusive bottom lines," Trager said. "The Brotherhood is insisting on Morsi's reinstatement, and this would be suicide for the generals."
Violence could continue until Muslim Brotherhood forces stop "fighting in the streets," Trager said.
"So long as the Brotherhood decides to keep fighting in the streets rather than returning to the opposition and seeking to reemerge through formal political channels, the more likely we're going to see persistent—and destabilizing—civil strife," he said.
The violence and uncertainty in Egypt have not prevented the Obama administration from continuing to send military aid.
The State Department announced on Wednesday that it would still be sending four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt in the next few weeks, according to reports.