CAIRO — President Mohammed Morsi's decree on Nov. 22 granting himself nearly unchecked powers and rushing a referendum on a controversial draft constitution has shaken Egypt's political landscape and provoked opposition and protest.
During the ongoing political crisis, Morsi has relied on the support of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic groups while facing increasing pressure from his opponents. Although the liberal opposition is by no means entirely secular, anti-Morsi protesters have chanted against the "government of the Guide," a reference to the influence that the spiritual head of the Brotherhood is perceived to have in Morsi's government.