The Egyptian military has enlisted Muslim scholars in a propaganda campaign to persuade soldiers and policemen that they have a religious duty to obey orders to use deadly force against supporters of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi.<\/p>\n
The effort is a signal that the generals are worried about insubordination in the ranks, after security forces have killed hundreds of their fellow Egyptians who were protesting against the military\u2019s removal of the elected president \u201d\u201d violence by the armed forces against civilians that is without precedent in the country\u2019s modern history.<\/p>\n
The recourse to religion to justify the killing is also a new measure of the depth of the military\u2019s determination to break down the main pillar of Mr. Morsi\u2019s support, the Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood. Indeed, after ousting Mr. Morsi in the name of tolerance, inclusiveness and an end to religious rule, the military is now sending religious messages to its troops that sound surprisingly similar to the arguments of radical militants who call for violence against political opponents whom they deem to be nonbelievers.<\/p>\n