Muslim Brotherhood — happy again

When Judge Ahmed Rifaat read the verdict at a Cairo courthouse on Saturday, it was clear to all that it was both calculated and political. The court that tried deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was looking to please everyone, during the extremely sensitive time between two rounds of presidential elections. In the end, no one was pleased, apart from the Muslim Brotherhood — just about everything that has happened in Egypt since January 2011 has served its agenda.

The Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate, Mohamed Morsi, got a serious boost on Saturday from the court system, which is actually aligned with the Egyptian military in most cases, in time for the mid-June presidential runoff. It is no wonder that the ruling military council didn't want this trial in the first place. The Muslim Brotherhood dominates every possible situation in today's Egypt.

While millions may have been disappointed by the outcome of the trial, there was only one man, lying in the defendant's cage behind dark sunglasses, who suffered a heart attack on Saturday. In an unprecedented manner, it was an Arab nation that sent him – the all-powerful president until a minute ago — to prison until his dying day. A heart attack could help Mubarak stay at his five-star hospital. The public wants to see him hanged, but instead he is hospitalized at a luxurious facility.

Mubarak was found guilty of ordering the deaths of hundreds of protesters, but not of corruption – strange. His two sons, Alaa and Gamal, who are despised on the Egyptian street, were acquitted, but will remain imprisoned awaiting additional indictments pending against them – also strange. Former Egyptian Interior Minister Habib al-Adli was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, like Mubarak, while the six heads of the security in Adli's department were acquitted — once again, strange.

Naturally, any verdict short of execution was going to prompt the Tahrir Square youth to protest. After becoming irrelevant in the parliamentary and presidential elections, all they have left is to protest the 50 percent unemployment rate and the fact that more than 45% of the population is poor. The Muslim Brotherhood and the military let them vent in Tahrir Square on Saturday. They trust, based on previous experience, that by election time the protests will subside.

Only one mystery remains – the outcome of the second round of presidential elections. Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last prime minster, surprised many when he made it to the second round. He promises to return order to Egypt. Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, promised to reform the judicial system, and possibly even bring about a retrial.

And what resonates most with the Egyptian people these days? Anything that smells like gallows. Oh, and Islam too.

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