U.S.-Educated Islamist is Egypt’s New Leader

Posted June 24th, 2012 at 12:10 pm (UTC-5)
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Once jailed by former president Hosni Mubarak, Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi will be Egypt's first freely elected president.

The 60-year-old U.S.-educated engineer has promised an inclusive government, despite his affiliation with the powerful Muslim Brotherhood.

Born in 1951 in Sharqiya on the Nile delta, Mr. Morsi studied engineering at Cairo University before pursuing a doctorate at the University of Southern California.

He worked for a while as an associate professor in California. Some of his five children were born there and are U.S. citizens.

Many Egyptians, especially the Coptic Christian minority, are suspicious of Mr. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mr. Morsi has said the Brotherhood's rule would not mean Egypt would turn into a theocracy, rather promising a transparent and inclusive government.