Egypt denounced the critical reactions that poured in after a Cairo court referred ousted president Mohamed Mursi to the Grand Mufti, saying on Sunday that comments on the trial reflect “ignorance”. On Saturday, the Cairo Criminal Court referred Mursi and 105 other defendants to the Grand Mufti to issue his opinion on handing them death sentences, for escaping from a prison. A referral to the mufti is a step that must be taken within Egypt’s court system ahead of handing a death sentence. In response to global reactions, the Egyptian State Information Services (SIS) said in a statement that the defendants are not being tried in “exceptional courts” and that all litigation procedures are guaranteed in order to ensure that trials are fair. In a separate statement, the Foreign Ministry reiterated that it is inappropriate to comment on the decisions and verdicts issued by the Egyptian judiciary, because of the implicit “intervention in Egypt’s internal affairs”, which is “rejected in form and substance.” Criticism was leveled by several groups and countries, including the pro-Mursi Anti-Coup Alliance, the Palestinian Hamas movement, international watchdog Amnesty International, Turkey and the United States. Among…
