In a speech aired on Misr 25 TV and posted on YouTube on May 13, 2012, then-Egyptian presidential candidate Muhammad Mursi called for jihad and "death for the sake of Allah," and promised that, if elected, he would ensure that the constitution would reflect the Islamic shari'a "regardless of the actual text."
Following are excerpts from the speech.
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3476.htm.
Muhammad Mursi: "[In the 1920s, the Egyptians] said: 'The constitution is our Koran.' They wanted to show that the constitution is a great thing. But [Muslim Brotherhood founder] Imam [Hassan] Al-Banna, Allah's mercy upon him, said to them: 'No, the Koran is our constitution.'
"The Koran was and will continue to be our constitution. The Koran will continue to be our constitution.
"The Koran is our constitution."
Crowds: The Koran is our constitution."
Muhammad Mursi: "The Prophet Muhammad is our leader."
Crowds: "The Prophet Muhammad is our leader."
Muhammad Mursi: "Jihad is our path."
Crowds: "Jihad is our path."
Muhammad Mursi: "And death for the sake of Allah is our most lofty aspiration."
Crowds: "And death for the sake of Allah is our most lofty aspiration."
Muhammad Mursi: "Above all – Allah is our goal... The shari'a, then the shari'a, and finally, the shari'a. This nation will enjoy blessing and revival only through the Islamic shari'a. I take an oath before Allah and before you all that regardless of the actual text [of the constitution]... Allah willing, the text will truly reflect [the shari'a], as will be agreed upon by the Egyptian people, by the Islamic scholars, and by legal and constitutional experts...
"Rejoice and rest assured that this people will not accept a text that does not reflect the true meaning of the Islamic shari'a as a text to be implemented and as a platform. The people will not agree to anything else..."
