Touching the Nervous

Comedian and practicing cardiologist Bassem Youssef is being "investigated" for criticising Mohammad Morsi (President of Egypt), the Muslim Brotherhood (his party, a moderate Islamist party), and Salafis (extremely conservative Islamist parties). This is worrying but not surprising; fortunately, these tactics may make it easier for liberals and seculars to organise together to mount a better challenge against the MB, and perhaps for them to make the case to moderates that the MB cannot offer substantive liberalism. Unfortunately, the legal harassment will probably embolden Egyptian conservatives who are pleased by this kind of thing. It's hard to predict how the polls will work out in the next elections. Which will be in about 4 years for the presidency (unless he resigns), but much sooner for the lower house of the Egyptian Parliament.