Tens of thousands have gathered in front of Rabaa Al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo's Nasr City to voice their support for President Mohamed Morsi. The pro-Morsi rallies, which were organised under the banner of "denouncing violence," come ahead of planned anti-Morsi protests on 30 June. Demonstrators held banners in support of the president, chanting "Islam is the solution" and "the Quran is the constitution." Some held Egyptian flags, while others held flags with the logo of the Muslim Brotherhood, or black flags emblazoned with the slogan "no God but God." According to Al-Ahram Arabic news website, several demonstrators formed ad hoc protection committees around the vicinity of the mosque in case of violence. Dozens of Muslim Brotherhood members were bussed into Cairo for the rally from other governorates, reported Al-Ahram. One man held a sign reading "Upper Egyptians are with you, Mr. President." "We seek to promote peaceful means of demonstrating, denounce the opposition's calls for violence and – most importantly – support Egypt's freely elected president and defend his democratic legitimacy," Ahmed Oqeil, spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) told Ahram Online.While several ambulances are on site, no security forces have been deployed as yet. There were some chants against Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad at the demonstration. On Saturday, President Morsi severed ties with Syria and withdrew the Egyptian ambassador from Damascus, a move which the opposition perceived as an attempt to please both the US and his Islamist supporters. Seventeen Islamist parties have announced their support for Friday's pro-Morsi rallies, including the Freedom and Justice Party, the Wasat Party, Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya's Building and Development Party, and the Salafist Watan and Asala parties. Source:Al Ahram Online
