Egyptian journalist claims Morsi 'meant what he said

Abd al-Latif al-Menawy, a prominent Egyptian author, columnist and journalist, has published an article condemning President Mohammed Morsi, following a recent scandal surrounding statementsthe Egyptian leader made in 2010 in which he called Israeli Jews “descendants of apes and pigs.” Al-Menawy, writing for the Saudi-based al-Arabiya, claimed that two clips released by the media watchdog, Middle East Media Research Institute [MEMRI], as well as a 2009 article by Morsi published on the Muslim Brotherhood’s official website, indicated that the President “meant what he said.” "We are all aware that those statements were not taken out of context, and that this discourse is very common among a large number of clerics and members of Islamist groups,” al-Menawy said. Apart from the remarks themselves,” he continued, “I am calling upon the person who made them to courageously admit either the real stance he and the Muslim Brotherhood and their followers adopt or how mistaken they had been for all those years.” Morsi was forced to publicly apologise for the remarks during a US delegation visit to Cairo, led by Senator John McCain. The Egyptian President claimed his words had been “taken out of context,” arguing he had referred to the Israeli occupation and not Jewish people themselves.