English Translation: President Mohamed Morsi’s Speech in Tahrir Square, June 29th

Source: IkhwanWeb

In the name of God, Most Merciful, Most Gracious

O great people of Egypt, dear citizens standing here in the Revolution square, in freedom square, in Tahrir Square, in martyrs' square, and all citizens standing in all liberty squares across the homeland, Egypt, in villages, towns and cities, in all governorates of Egypt…

O great citizens watching us at home, O free world, Arabs, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, Egyptian Muslims and Christians, all citizens wherever you are, inside Egypt and abroad…

You are all my family, my friends. We are here today to tell the whole world: these are the Egyptians; these are the revolutionaries, who made this epic, this revolution.

First, I remind you of the words that came out from my heart to you, last Sunday, when the elections committee announced your decision to entrust me with being the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt. That is certainly a great honor, an assignment I certainly cherish, and a responsibility I solemnly carry on my shoulders.

I spoke to all the Egyptian people that evening, and I mentioned almost all the governorates of Egypt and many categories of Egyptian society, but I did forget, without meaning to, some of the governorates of Egypt and some important categories of my beloved people that I greatly respect.

I pay tribute to all Egyptians, including those I forgot – the provinces of Beheira, Damietta, Cairo and Giza. These all are my family and friends, like the rest of provinces I mentioned on Sunday. I extend my greetings to all the Egyptian people without exception, and I assure my respect and my love for the people of creativity, art, culture and media, loyal to Egypt, and all citizens facing up to challenging disabilities.

Special tribute is due to tourism workers. I reiterate and emphasize that I am determined to help them advance and progress. I also stand here with you today, in this our iconic square of freedom and revolution; and we all stand together in all liberty squares of Egypt, and in particular Tahrir Square which saw the rebirth of Egypt, free and dignified Egypt of the real renaissance and the rights that will not be lost... we stand together today to celebrate all of you. I salute all the revolutionaries in all Egypt’s freedom squares. Above all, I salute the honorable martyrs who have made a great sacrifice and with their pure blood have watered the tree of liberty.

When we mention the martyrs, we also look at history to know that the tree of liberty was planted by honorable men decades ago, since the beginning of last century, and after suffering the dark decades of injustice and repression for so long, on January 25, 2011 the martyrs of this revolution achieved a major victory.

I salute all the injured of the revolution and their families and all those who generously gave their homeland all they could and sacrificed for the sake of rebuilding and advancing their country.

Let us remain steadfast, men of the revolution, boys and girls, men and women. I am one of you – that is how I was; I still am; and will always be. During the revolution, in this place, we used to say that the revolution is led by its own objectives. Well, the revolution continues to achieve its objectives. It is reshaping to reflect the free will the Egyptian people, with an elected president steering the ship home, leading this revolution, standing in front of patriotic revolutionaries, leading them on the path to full democracy, and doing all he can to achieve all the objectives of the great revolution.

I came to talk to you today, because I believe that you are the source of power and legitimacy. There is no person, party, institution or authority over or above the will of the people. The nation is the source of all power; it grants and withdraws power.

I say to everyone now… to all the people, the Ministries and the government, the army and police of Egypt, men and women, at home and abroad… I say it with full force "No authority is over or above this power". You are the source of power. You are the owners of the will. You grant power to whomsoever you choose, and you withdraw power from whomsoever you choose.

I come to you, today, my beloved Egyptian people, and I wear no bullet-proof vest, because I am confident, as I trust God and I trust you, and I fear only God. And I will always be fully accountable to you.

I come today to Tahrir Square, after it placed this responsibility on my shoulders, to renew my pledge to you; to remind you that you alone are always, always the first station for me to call. I say to all the Egyptian people that, after God's help, I seek their support and their assistance. Are you ready? Will you stand by me to fully regain our rights?

Will not detract from a creature was something of our rights, so long as such your will, after the will of God.

I stand here with you, O great people of Egypt, before the usual formal proceedings, and I say to all honorable Egyptians – those who elected me and those who did not – I'm for all of you, at the same distance from all. I will never subtract form the rights of those they told me "No", nor will I subtract from the rights of those who said to me "Yes". This is democracy. And that is how we set on our journey to rebuild our homeland.

‘I pledge to God and I pledge to you – I swear by Almighty God to uphold the Republican system; to respect the Constitution and law; to look after the interests of the people fully; and to safeguard the stability and territorial integrity of the homeland.' [Oath of Office]

I pledge to God and I pledge to you, the honorable people of Egypt, to fulfill my promises. I pledge to work with you in order to bolster our unity and our strength. I stress my rejection of any attempt to blackmail the people power.

I confirm that I, as president of the Egyptian people, after the legal formal proceedings which I respect, will endeavor to overcome all obstacles. I reiterate my rejection of any attempt to wrest the power of the people, because I am the decision-maker – with your will.

I will not tolerate any curbing of the powers of the President of the Republic. I have no right to give up presidential powers and functions on the basis of which you chose me. This is a contract between you and me. That is the concept of the modern State.

This does not in any way mean we do not respect the law, the constitution or relevant state institutions. There is no contradiction between this and that.

Furthermore, I will not give up the rights of our martyrs and wounded. Fair retribution for them is my responsibility, which I will not shirk.

I will work with you in every moment of my presidential term. I will always put the higher interests of the country above all else, determined to establish the principles of freedom and social justice, and to remove all forms of injustice, corruption and discrimination.

I will work on rejuvenating the economy and alleviate the suffering of millions of Egyptians seeking a decent dignified life. I will connect with everyone; and my doors will remain open for all. I will always welcome you; and I will always be in touch with you.

All the masses in Tahrir Square chanted with President Morsi: "Revolutionaries, Free, We will complete the journey".

Then, President Morsi went on:

We will complete the journey in a civil constitutional modern State, without disrupting production nor traffic; without violating any private or public freedoms, and without clashes or confrontation or distrust.

O citizens of Egypt everywhere, in all cities, in the east and west, the north and south… we are united as one, we are all one hand. I will not differentiate between supporters and opponents. I ask for your advice, and for God’s help, and all the people of Egypt’s support.

I will work with you to restore Egypt's status as a leader in creativity and culture, education and industries, production and agriculture. We must be partners in national action.

I will endeavor to regain Egypt’s free will in its foreign relations. I will abolish all meanings of subordination to any power whatsoever. Egypt is free in all its actions and discourses.

We will not commit any acts of aggression against anyone; but we are all able to prevent any aggression against us. Together we will introduce a new concept of international relations. And I warn everyone, no matter who they are, of attempting to undermine Egypt's dignity or pride, or of even thinking of assaulting the dignity of its people or its president, whoever he may be.

I emphasize the concept of national security in perspectives pertaining to the depths of Africa, the Arab World, the Muslim World and the rest of the world. Will not relinquish our rights; we will not relinquish the right of any Egyptian abroad. Our regime will drive our discourses in our foreign relations.

I will always be the first supporter of the revolution, so it should continue everywhere in the farthest corners of the homeland. I want these voices to continue be heard announcing that we are always free, revolutionaries, and we're going to continue the march, complete the journey.

We will continue to chant, expressing our love for our homeland. Because love for Egypt is our duty. We will continue to chant for freedom and dignity.

O great Egyptian people, I will do my best to free all detainees, including the blind sheikh, Omar Abdel Rahman. This is their right onto me, and my duty towards them.

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English Translation: President Mohamed Morsi’s Speech at Cairo University after Taking Oath of Office

Source: IkhwanWeb

In the name of God, Most Merciful, Most Gracious

O great Egyptian people... distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen… with my deep appreciation and timeless greetings I salute you all...

God’s peace, mercy and blessings be on you

First, let me apologize to my children, Cairo University students who have had their exams postponed today. I realize they are only students of the Faculties of Law and the Arts, and will take the exam in the evening. Please accept my apologies for that.

I welcome all of you, at Cairo University, which witnessed my first steps in higher education. Indeed, I had the honor of belonging to this university as a student, a lecturer and a teacher assistant, before I set off on my journey of post-graduate studies.

As we together start a new phase in Egypt's history, we turn a dark page and start a new one illuminated with God’s blessings. Together, we are making history that connects us to glorious times past, times of Egyptian bliss and prosperity we are proud of and so are millions of Arabs and Muslims. We will endeavor not to go back to loathsome times of repression and tyranny. Egypt will not turn back.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Egyptian people have made great accomplishments through the sacrifices of the honorable martyrs, great achievements we will safeguard and never relinquish, because the people suffered so much for so long, with hundreds of innocent lives lost and thousands of citizens maimed and wounded.

The Egyptian people have imposed their will and exercised their inherent sovereignty, and for the first time in Egypt’s modern history, the people have mastered their full powers. They have elected their representatives for the People’s Assembly and the Shura Council (the two houses of Egyptian parliament) in free and fair elections that reflected a true representation of all components of the Egyptian society. The elected parliament then selected the Constituent Assembly that will draft a new constitution for Egypt. This Assembly has already started its work; and will use, I'm certain, Egyptian experts in all fields, from across the Egyptian political and social spectra, to author a constitution expressive of national consensus, and thereby laying the foundations for a national constitutional democracy, preserving the identity of the nation and the basic components of society, while safeguarding public and private liberties.

The new constitution will be based on truth, justice and rule of law. It will protect the independence of the judiciary, and will promote and enhance freedoms of thought, expression, association and creativity. It will also achieve social justice, taking Egypt to the ranks of modern states in which the ruler is in fact the nation’s emplyee, a servant of the people.

My first task is to be an arbiter between the authorities, a patron of the Constitution and the law, after the people have placed their trust and confidence in me, in free and fair elections supervised by the great judges of Egypt and guarded by the honorable army and police, with its fair results announced by the most senior of Egyptian judiciary.

All you sons and daughters of Egypt, I pledge to God and I pledge to you, and I swear by Almighty God, to uphold the Republican system and respect the Constitution and law, and safeguard the interests of the people fully, to preserve the homeland’s independence and territorial integrity.

To fully preserve the country’s independence and territorial integrity, it is necessary to keep up the armed forces, police and judiciary, and to protect all the people of Egypt.

Ladies and gentlemen, I will do my best to maintain our national security and protect the borders of this country with the armed forces, the shield and sword of the nation, which deter all those who may be tempted to attack Egypt or threaten its national security. I pledge to God that I will preserve this institution and safeguard its members, recruits and commanders, and to enhance and elevate its status, and to boost it by all means possible to make it stronger than ever before and continue to be steadfast, with the people’s support in all it does.

I pledge to God and I pledge to you, and the whole world bears witness, that the country's security and stability will be foremost in mind, and that it will be my responsibility, with our loyal, patriotic police forces who have dedicated themselves to protect lives, facilities and public and private property, and that the rule of law is above all else, so every Egyptian can get his or her right fully.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has honored its promise and pledge not to be a substitute for popular will.

Elected institutions will return to perform their roles and the great Egyptian army will once again devote itself to its vital mission of protecting homeland security and borders, and working with other state institutions within the framework of the Constitution and the law. I salute them for their wonderful effort.

The advancement of Egypt is the responsibility of all of us together. And there is no time to waste. Egypt is in dire need of each hand to build a bright future. Nations cannot achieve real renaissance, except with the participation of all its sons and daughters, and with fruitful cooperation between the people and state institutions. On this basis, we will open new horizons in the coming period to empower society with all its components and categories, and to expand the role of civil society to participate actively in all national issues.

I pledge to all Egyptians that the State will fully bear its responsibilities towards society and towards the people of Egypt at home and abroad, will safeguard the homeland’s security, stability and safety, and will adequately care for all segments of society. I will try my utmost best to foster cooperation and love among all the spectra of Egyptian society and activate the concept of citizenship among all Egyptians.

We urgently need to remove the debris after past chaos in all fields, especially in the economic sphere; this chaos that the former regime caused over the past decades. We must achieve social justice in its comprehensive sense, in order to achieve stability and security in the Egyptian society.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Egyptian nation, throughout its history, has played the role of guardian of the state. Whenever the regime strayed from the historic path of civilization, this people is capable of correcting it. Here is the honorable Egyptian People, which came out in revolt in the iconic squares of pride and dignity, in the squares of martyrs, in Tahrir Square and all liberation squares of Egypt, this people succeeded in correcting the path of power, toppling an unjust repressive regime in a peaceful civilized manner, giving the finest examples ever seen in the whole world in popular societal oversight of the ruling regime.

In this context, I say to those who have lingering concerns about the Egyptian state changing paths: the people have chosen me to march on the path of civilization of the modern Egyptian state, and the people will not accept, and I would not want them to accept, any deviation from that path.

I pledge to God and I pledge to you to do my very best to maintain and reform the Egyptian state, making its institutions more reflective of the Egyptian people, and making its various State apparatuses work to protect and care for the interests of citizens at home and abroad, as the Egyptian citizen is the focus of its service and the backbone of the overall development.

O great Egyptian people, the former regime neglected the national security of Egypt, and dwarfed the role of this country on international and regional levels. But today we undertake to build a strong Egypt and reshape its national security system in a manner consistent with the capabilities of Egypt and its real weight in the Arab, Islamic, African and international circles.

We carry a message of peace to the world, and carry with it a message of truth and justice. As always, we affirm our respect for the commitments of the Egyptian state as per international treaties and conventions. I declare here that Egypt, its people and government and the presidential institution stand firmly with the Palestinian people until they regain all their legitimate rights. We will work to complete national reconciliation efforts of the Palestinian people, so they would close ranks and reclaim their land and sovereignty.

We are not exporting the revolution. Egyptians do not export the revolution. We do not interfere in anyone’s affairs.

Meanwhile, we do not allow anyone to interfere in our affairs. While we now endeavor to build our new modern Egypt, we do not isolate ourselves from our Arab and Muslim nation; and we do not antagonize anyone anywhere in the world.

We, as Egyptians, always support the peoples to obtain their freedom, their self-determination and self-governing rights. These are general principles that all the people in the world believe in. Today, Egypt supports the Palestinian people and also the Syrian people.

The shedding of the Syrian people’s blood must stop. We will do our best to stop the bloodshed in the near future. We will work with all seriousness in order to activate the joint Arab action framework and all that it requires of developing the Arab League and Arab joint defense agreement and the Arab common market.

All Arab countries need this, and are all keen on it. Egypt is always in the lead. If it advances, all the Arabs will.

In its new era, Egypt will not accept any violation of the Arab national security; and will always be on the side of fair and comprehensive peace. Egypt will never resort to policies of aggression. But we will stand strong in the face of challenges and dangers that threaten our homeland.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear citizens everywhere… Egypt has always been destined to be in the lead. With the vigor and vitality of its men and women, in all fields of work and production, it will be able to realize its fate.

We will work together to encourage investment in all sectors, and restore the role of tourism for the benefit of the Egyptian economy and every citizen in Egypt. Together we will plot a brighter future for our children and grandchildren, Muslims and Christians, so Egypt would once again be strong and proud, so it would achieve the remaining objectives of its revolution, and so we together would attain freedom, justice and human dignity.

I pledge not to betray my homeland or my people ever. I will meet your expectations, your demands, wishes and your will.

I reiterate that the blood of the martyrs and the hundreds of wounded, maimed and injured are a huge responsibility that I proudly carry on my shoulders until I exact just retribution for them.

Now, let us look forward, and not look back. Let us go to work and build. Soon, we shall make it all a reality.

English Translation: Statement by President Mohammed Morsi yesterday at the military hand-over ceremony

Source: Egypt State Information Service

In the name of Allah the most Gracious and Compassionate

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and Defence Minister, members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and commanders of the Armed Forces and all guests; officers and soldiers brothers and sons of the Armed Forces I send to you all my heartfelt greetings.

On this remarkable and unprecedented day in Egypt's history, which attests to the fact that the Egyptian people are one fabric and the people and Armed Forces are seeking one goal, the whole Arab and Islamic nation and the world at large see a unique example they have never seen before. They see how power is handed over by the Egyptian Armed Forces, according to the will of the people, to an elected civil authority. This day will be a critical juncture in Egypt's history and will be an example to be followed in the world.

This day attests to the fact that we are actually the sons of Egypt and that we are bound together by our deep loyalty to the homeland.

This bright day will be a beacon of light for the coming generations to see that in Egypt's history there was a day on which the Armed Forces men said yes to the will of the public and handed over power willingly to deliver on their pledges to the Egyptian people.

I salute all the men of the Egyptian Armed Forces who responded to the will of the people. Out of this premise, I accept to receive the power from Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and his comrades of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. I receive this heavy responsibility and accept to be in charge of it and of the Egyptian people.

I testify that you were up to the level of responsibility despite all challenges and difficulties. I testify that you love this homeland and are keen on its interests and that you are cooperating with the people under the elected president to be one hand against any enemy. I am sure you are capable to do this job and I appreciate your excellent skills and knowledge of the international military history.

I pledge that you will be always the focus of my care and interest and that your rights will not be harmed. All support will be provided for you. This is your vested right that you deserve since you are the honor of this country. You are always ready to defend the country's borders and its internal and external security. You will not quit your place at the internal arena in this stage as the homeland is still in need of you. You will be in your sites at the internal front because we are seeking to rearrange the whole Egyptian security system. At the same time we are also keen on the role of the police since they are indispensable part of the Egyptian people.

I would not like to look backward or downward but I would like to look forward. The police men are the sons of Egypt. I am aware that the transitional period has been extended too long but I will seek to cut this stage short.

I have no doubt in your ability to safeguard the internal and external fronts of Egypt and I am sure that you will exert all efforts to defend this homeland against anybody who seeks to attack it.

Brothers and sons commanders and soldiers

This is a remarkable day and tomorrow will be better. I urge you all to be always ready and I will extend all support to you. Egypt's potentials are immense and our first priority is providing security and stability to the people. The policemen will be required to undertake a major role in this regard and their demands will be met for protecting the home front. And also your demands will be met so that you become able to defend the homeland in cooperation with the security bodies.

We all look forward to safeguarding this homeland in the internal and external arenas. Because if people are feeling safe they will work and start production and differences and disputes will be minimized.

I salute you all our vigilant eyes who work for protecting us all. Thank you very much.

May God's peace and blessings be upon you all