Islamist Salafi Party in Egypt Joins Call for Unity Government

Egyptian opposition parties calling for a unity government to stem further deterioration of the political situation have received unexpected support from a hard-line Salafi party. At least 60 Egyptians have died in street violence during the past week as the opposition demonstrated against President Morsi’s anti-democratic policies. The announcement by the Al-Nour party, the leading Salafi group that has previously sided exclusively with the Islamist bloc headed by Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, came one day after Gen. Abdel-Fattah Al-Sissi, the head of Egypt’s military, warned that the continuing unrest threatens the stability of the nation itself. Morsi’s response to the unrest had been to invoke emergency laws that further fanned the flames of protest.