Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s decision to grant himself vast, sweeping powers above any kind of court or judicial powers set off a string of violent protests in Cairo and sparked global fears that the country was being plunged back into its pre-Arab Spring state of absolute dictatorship. Critics call the move a blatant grab for power, and Morsi defends the decision as the only way to usher in the sweeping changes Egypt needs in order to become a functioning democracy. Christians and secularists withdrew from Egypt’s 100-member panel that’s been in charge of drafting a new charter, protesting what they call Islamist hijacking of the writing and saying the draft impedes the rights of women, liberals and Christians …
