Following the sudden death of Egypt's former President Mohamed Morsi, Islamist scholars and politicians in Morocco extended their condolences to the family of the deceased Muslim Brotherhood top figure. Some of these scholars and politicians called Morsi a «martyr». Egypt's former President Mohamed Morsi, ousted after one year in office, died, Monday, during a hearing in Cairo. Charged with espionage, the Muslim Brotherhood top figure was in a courtroom cage when he collapsed, suffering a heart attack, the Egypt state TV said. The hashtag «Mohamed Morsi» went viral in several Arab countries, including the Kingdom. In Morocco, the death of Morsi, who was 67, made headlines, pushing several Islamist figures to comment on his sudden collapse. The Movement for Unity and Reform (MUR), an Islamic movement close to the Justice and Development Party (PJD), offered its condolences to the family of Morsi on its website. «We received with great sorrow the news of the death of the martyr and President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Dr. Mohamed Morsi, during a hearing of his unfair trial», wrote the movement. The body extended its condolences to «the leadership of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and to the Egyptian people», describing Morsi's death as a «loss». The movement has even defended the «legitimacy» of the ousted president. PJD, Al Adl Wal Ihsane and Salafist scholars While the Justice and Development Party has not officially comment on the death of Egypt's former President, some of the party's leaders took to social media to mourn the death of Morsi. PJD's Secretary-General Abdelilah Benkirane regretted the death of Morsi and called him a «martyr». Speaking to London-based media Arabi21, Benkirane said that he was «saddened» by the news and that he «considers Morsi a martyr», sending his condolences to his family and friends. Morocco's State Minister for Human Rights Mustapha Ramid, who is also a PJD member, published a picture of Morsi on his Facebook page, commenting on it. «'We belong to Allah and to Allah we shall return' may God have mercy on him», Ramid wrote. Mohamed Morsi is «Egypt's first elected president, chosen by the Egyptian people in a democratic way», said PJD leader Abdelali Hamidine. On the same day, the former head of the Movement for Unity and Reform Ahmed Raissouni joined the wave, speaking up about Morsi's sudden death. «The case of Dr. Mohamed Morsi is a disgrace to Egypt», Raissouni, who currently heads the International Union of Muslim Scholars, argued. «These traitors and killers are a disgrace to Arabs, Muslims and human beings», he added. Al Adl wal Ihsane, a Moroccan Islamist association that is not tolerated by the state, wrote that Morsi was «an overthrown President» that was subjected to a «systematic slow execution». Meanwhile, Salafist scholar Mohamed Al Fizazi chose to address an «open letter to the assassinated Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi», in which he said : «I know … Your Excellency that you were killed». «Your officers killed you using money from the Gulf, and this is no secret, they slowly killed you», the Salafist scholar claimed. Moroccan Salafist scholar Hammad Kabbaj wrote on his Facebook page that what «makes [him] cope with grief is that Morsi was one of the prominent Arab and Muslim figures who made sacrifices to maintain the nation's dignity and freedom».
