Referendum.. What Referendum?

I have a heavy heart.. The mood is sombre.. Instead of feeling jubilant for voting on their long-awaited Constitution, their Social Contract, their Bill of Rights, Egyptians are instead locked in a vicious battle that is testing and questioning their very faith, instead of their legal rights.. A series of decisions have forced the patriotic civil parties and revolutionaries to go back to the streets, to protest this flagrant religious polarization and attempt to defend their own rights.  

A great and peaceful Revolution that started off as a noble fight for freedom, dignity and social justice, became tinted with religious discrimination, not between Egyptian Muslims and Christians but between the so-called Islamists and the rest of the country. Egyptians' historic religious affinity was manipulated by Islamist parties who exploited them to rise to power, infiltrate the decision-making process first in parliament, then culminate it by the presidency and the government. The liberal national and patriotic forces, whose division and bickering - let's be honest and objective here - led to their own demise, were left out in the cold and are now reduced to defend themselves against the stigma of being branded as disbelievers or infidels, instead of being equal partners in their own destiny! Though the diverse national civil parties have finally united under one National Salvation Front, it was too little, too late..

MB and other religious parties virtually controlled the Constitutional Council and drafting of the Constitution and in an unprecedented flurry discussed it in the wee hours and approved it. This was understandably done to defuse the explosion of nationwide protests against the presidential decree which granted the president sweeping powers. The Constitution is virtually a faits accomplis, and the civil political forces had little say in what they and the rest of Egypt are voting on today.  

Egyptians are now irreconcilably and viciously divided, albeit fallaciously, into the Aye versus the Nay

camps.. No thanks to extremists who have exploited the masses through religious manipulation, and indoctrinated them that they should vehemently vote yes convincing them that it was in defense of Islam and Shari'a when in fact it had nothing to do with religion. They even guaranteed them a place in Paradise, in effect granting them Indulgence or Forgiveness Certificates صكوك الغفران in a stark breach of Islamic teachings!

May God NEVER forgive those pseudo-preachers, those criminals who, created this deep rift in Egypt and paved the way for dissent and shedding of innocent blood.. 

I'm not concerned with a No or a Yes anymore.. I'm more concerned with the Egypt that is slipping away.. the Egypt which is changing to a country that we may not recognize, or consider ours.. An Egypt which is repelling, not attracting..
حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل